Last night Will Smith interviewed with Tavis Smiley. They talked about plenty, with topics ranging from Philly gun violence to Will's latest movie "I Am Legend". During the interview Tavis asked Will what seperated him from other people and Will's response was that he is "not afraid to die on a treadmill". After some explanation, Will emphasized that he will not be "overworked"; he will work his hardest no matter what and he attributes his success to this hustle-and-you'll-make-it philosophy.
This is the American Boot Strap Dream. But what about those that do hustle and work hard, and still remain poor and underprivileged? I personally don't believe that success can solely be attributed to hard work. Why? Well just as there are those that don't succeed even after breaking their backs, there are those who are successful by doing nothing less than knowing the right people. I will exclude those who are born wealthy from this discussion because there is a fine distinction between being successful and being rich. I used to always think that if I work really really hard and did my best I would have no problems in life. And so far that has fortuneately rung true for me. But I also need to know people. This society runs on connections! Who you know is important! Just watch "The Pursuit of Happyness" and you'll see what I mean.
That being said, maybe you shouldn't have to die on the treadmill but instead... do something like a Breast Cancer Walk and talk to fellow walkers. Get to know people while you work.
Network and hustle.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
How to be Legend
Labels: Community, networking, success, Tavis Smiley, Will Smith
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3 comments:
Makes perfect sense. I usually see it more as the road to success is hard work and luck. Networking involves a little bit of both.
As a corollary, maybe the best measurement for a society's success is how much an individual's ability to be successful is a result of their hard work or luck (or similarly, work and networking abilities). A developed nation like the United States has a well developed tradition of social mobility. As bad as one might think it is to "make it" in the U.S., think how close to impossible it can be for the son of a farmer in the developing world.
Hehe, to take the modern economist's approach, let's give every country in the world a Work/Luck (as Catalyst for Success) ratio to determine their level of development.
(1) you can't divide by zero
(2) sudan's luck is zero
(3) therefore sudan is undefined
Maybe we should start telling people sorghum is traditionally known as "Lucky Wheat"?
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