Will Smith rocked the house at LPL Financial's recent national conference.
The rap artist, TV star and blockbuster actor shared the inspirational story of his upbringing and his recipe for success, as well as personal satisfaction, with a crowd of 3,500 advisors and their staffers (and more than 2,500 other guests) at the firm's annual conference.
"There's nothing like having a hit record when you are a senior in high school," Smith joked at the beginning of his interview, which was conducted by Lisa Hughes, a Boston-based TV anchor. Smith proceeded to share highlights from 30 years as an entertainer. "I was always the kid doing a pose and looking at the camera."
But it took encouragement to help him make the switch from being rapper The Fresh Prince to doing the TV show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
"Quincy Jones, my mentor, told me to keep going, and so I gave it a shot with the show for six years," Smith said. (Jones wrote the music for the popular show's theme song; Smith wrote the lyrics.) "We used improvisation for the scenes. I had freedom and was comfortable, so I did the dumbest things I could come up with — and they put it on TV!"
Count your blessings
The actor's films have grossed some $7 billion.
While the "Men in Black" series was a big slam-dunk, the actor says he is not always sure how his films will turn out. "I've learned to not be concerned with the outcome, but focused on the creation and art of it," he said.
For instance, when he was first asked about playing the star role of Muhammad Ali in a movie, "I said 'hell no' at first." Then Smith worked with the boxing great to improve his performance and understanding of the man. "Mentorship has been so important in my life," Smith said.
"I was a pallbearer at Ali's funeral in Louisville, Kentucky, [in June] and we went through the whole city. Nobody was sad. Everyone was celebrating his life," Smith recalled, "because he lived such an incredible life, and thus in the end it was joyous. This has been such a revelation for me."
Your character is your legacy
The experience caused Smith to ask himself if he should make adjustments in his own life.
"It was beautiful," Smith said about the June 9 service, which included leaders of many different religious faiths. "It covered the full, complete rainbow of humanity and spirituality. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life — a totally inclusive and spectacular event."
See also:
No regrets
When asked if he'd had any standout "learning moments," the actor replied: "I have done tons of stuff I probably should not have done, but I do not have regrets."
As he learned from his father, who ran an ice business in Philadelphia, "Fail early, fail often and fail forward," Smith said. "Nobody succeeds their way to the top. You fail your way to the top."
Doing comedy, Smith added, helped him develop humility. "You do it, and you are not funny a lot. Maybe, six out of 10 times you are very good. It's training in comfort," he said.
Outwork everyone
Smith's voracious work ethic has been well documented. He takes this approach, he says: "Because I want to be the best."
This goal was passed down to him from father, Willard Smith, who had trained as a refrigeration engineer and ran a family ice business. "A strong work ethic was hugely important to him."
The edler Smith passed that value on to his kids, sometimes through tough childhood lessons.
