So, it’s super early one morning, and instead of sleeping–like any sane person would be doing at 3:00 am– this girl was scrolling through YouTube. This ended up being a fortuitous bout of insomnia as I stumbled across Will Smith’s channel.

I watched one video, cos what in the world is Will Smith doing on YouTube, right?  And as it goes when one is on YouTube, one video quickly leads to another, and I happened upon his “Storytime” video about Caleb, his brother-in-law, and his journey to becoming the head of Overbrook (Will & Jada’s production company).

I watched it expecting a few good chuckles. What I got was renewed motivation & focus.

Catalyst #1: “You’re skinny with a gut.”

So Caleb comes to Will with this great story idea that he’s excited about. Will listens to him and agress that the idea is a good one. But then he hits him a challenge, Will told Caleb that until he got in shape, he was not wasting any time or energy on him.

*Lightbulb*

Without discipline & endurance, you don’t stand any real chance of accomplishing anything significant. At the first sign of trouble, you’re going to leave–OR– if you’re going through a rough stretch, you won’t have the strength to continue. Getting an idea is always exciting, and the initial, quick burst of motivation is usually enough to start the journey. But it’s never enough to sustain it. You have to dig deep, stay focused, and have a wellspring of strength and internal fortitude from which to pull from.

So Will challenging Caleb to get his physical house together set off light bulb #1. I mean, I knew this deep down & who doesn’t?  But through the years of small successes here and there, failures, routine, busyness, & life, it had gotten buried.  I paused the video for a brief minute after Will said this to mentally catalog my current list of writing & business goals. Will is right. I need to get in better shape (physically and mentally) for me to properly see my vision through. This means eating better, adding in more exercise time, and getting back to my planner to schedule it all.

It’s no wonder people often equate accomplishing something big with childbirth. I mean, it’s an exciting time. You get to pick out names, pick out a nursery decor, feel the baby move, see it for the first time during the ultrasound… But in order to bring that kid into this world, it usally means hours & hours of hard work, pain, pushing & straining to your body’s limit, and near physical exhaustion.

[readolog_blockquote ]”Dreambuilding, life building, is an athletic event”
~Will Smith[/readolog_blockquote]

Catalyst #2: “I need to get you a screenwriting education.”

After Caleb crosses this first hurdle, Will sets about instructing him in the ways of screenwriting by directing him to quite the list of books to read. I’ve been studying the craft of writing for over 17 years now. And while I primarily write novels and short stories, the underlying principles of writing fiction are the same. Will breaks down the essence of the craft to 4 universal principles of structuring fiction:

1. What does he or she want?
2. Why do they want it?
3. What’s going to happen if they don’t get it?
4. What are the obstacles keeping them from getting it?

I have craft book upon craft book on my bookshelf, my night stand, and on my desk. I see them daily, yet it’s been a while since I’ve picked one up to read, or re-read as the case may be. I get so busy with doing the “big things”, that I often forget that building and pouring into myself is as equally important.

Light bulb #2: since I love a good challenge, I’m going to read these 13 books Will listed.  Whether or not you like Will Smith as a personality, actor, or writer; you have to respect his business sense and success & longevity in an industry known for chewing up and spitting out talent without missing a beat in its continuous roll. And if these books imparted the knowledge to help Will, Caleb, and countless other attain their goals, they can do the same for me.

First up on my reading list is Robert McKee’s “Story”. My goal is to do recap of each book, so check back with me later this month for a quick post on what I learned and my impressions of the book.

[readolog_blockquote ]”I’m not helping you build a career. We’re building a Caleb.”
~Will Smith[/readolog_blockquote]

It’s going to take focus, prioritization, and work to get to where I want to be, to see what I want to see, and to experience all the things I want to. But I’m willing to put that work in. If you’re a writer, or just a dreamer with goals, give the video a watch for yourself.  You’ll get a few chuckles, but I promise, you’ll also discover a few gems.