As you know my objective of this year is to read 15 books.
The last book I read was “Will”, co-authored by Will Smith and Mark Manson.
Will Smith is an American rapper, actor and movie producer, who made international success as ‘the Fresh Prince’ in “one of the greatest sitcoms of all time”: The Fresh Prince from Bel-Air. His book ‘Will’ is a memoir about his transformation from a West Philadelphia kid to one of the greatest stars in Hollywood history. Mark Manson is the co-author, most known by his bestseller “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”.
I chose this memoir over the typical management book, since I have been a fan of Will Smith for most of my life. Along the way, the book triggered a few perspectives which I didn’t expect upfront.
“Be nice to everybody you pass on your way up, coz you just might have to pass them again on your way down”
Disclaimer: I had lots of fun watching the Fresh Prince time and continued my fandom of Will with ‘Men in Black’, ‘Bad Boys’ and ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’. Nevertheless, this book also shared some darker perspectives upon him, which were eye-opening to read. This helped to understand him better although I am not sure whether I like him more.
What did I appreciate most?
His grandmother once said “be nice to everybody you pass on your way up, coz you just might have to pass them again on your way down.”
With writing this book, Will had little to gain and everything to lose and go down. Hence, I appreciate the honesty and depth of some subjects that Will shared in his book. In particular, the stories on his upbringing and his relation with his family members, specifically his father. Will described how his most close family members had a significant impact on his personality (a.o. his work ethic). He also talks about he viewed himself of being a coward, for not standing up when he needed to.
What is my tip?
First of all, Will has a huge ego. He repeatedly cites his box office numbers and he claims to be the biggest Hollywood star. When I put this into the context of how he was raised and where he grew up, I understand his perspective (although I see it differently).
Secondly, he avoids a number of major life subjects in his book, which I would be interested to learn more about. In particular at the end of the book, where he spend some time sharing his experiences with ayahuasca, I would have been more interested in other aspects of his life.
What is my takeaway from this book?
As I said, I wasn’t expecting this book to trigger some new perspectives and questions. I believe this book belongs to a league of its own, because of these triggers, this book is a 5 star read. At the same time, in other aspect it’s a one star read. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend to read it, even if you are not a fan of Will Smith.
My key take away of this book comes from how Will viewed himself and related to his family. It triggered the question for myself:
How do my family members relate to the person who I am today?
First of all, it triggered the question for myself “Who are the key family members for me and what mark have they left on me?”. Since I didn’t have all the answers straight away, I delved into a few courageous conversations with my family members to found some answers (and even more questions). Today, the process still continues and I have no doubt that it will continue.
The key to continuing this pursuit and expanding my perspective is determined by the quality of questions that I will (continue to) ask myself.
You can find more about the Art of Powerful Questions here.
As you know my objective of this year is to read 15 books.
The last book I read was “Will”, co-authored by Will Smith and Mark Manson.
Will Smith is an American rapper, actor and movie producer, who made international success as ‘the Fresh Prince’ in “one of the greatest sitcoms of all time”: The Fresh Prince from Bel-Air. His book ‘Will’ is a memoir about his transformation from a West Philadelphia kid to one of the greatest stars in Hollywood history. Mark Manson is the co-author, most known by his bestseller “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”.
I chose this memoir over the typical management book, since I have been a fan of Will Smith for most of my life. Along the way, the book triggered a few perspectives which I didn’t expect upfront.
“Be nice to everybody you pass on your way up, coz you just might have to pass them again on your way down”
Disclaimer: I had lots of fun watching the Fresh Prince time and continued my fandom of Will with ‘Men in Black’, ‘Bad Boys’ and ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’. Nevertheless, this book also shared some darker perspectives upon him, which were eye-opening to read. This helped to understand him better although I am not sure whether I like him more.
What did I appreciate most?
His grandmother once said “be nice to everybody you pass on your way up, coz you just might have to pass them again on your way down.”
With writing this book, Will had little to gain and everything to lose and go down. Hence, I appreciate the honesty and depth of some subjects that Will shared in his book. In particular, the stories on his upbringing and his relation with his family members, specifically his father. Will described how his most close family members had a significant impact on his personality (a.o. his work ethic). He also talks about he viewed himself of being a coward, for not standing up when he needed to.
What is my tip?
First of all, Will has a huge ego. He repeatedly cites his box office numbers and he claims to be the biggest Hollywood star. When I put this into the context of how he was raised and where he grew up, I understand his perspective (although I see it differently).
Secondly, he avoids a number of major life subjects in his book, which I would be interested to learn more about. In particular at the end of the book, where he spend some time sharing his experiences with ayahuasca, I would have been more interested in other aspects of his life.
What is my takeaway from this book?
As I said, I wasn’t expecting this book to trigger some new perspectives and questions. I believe this book belongs to a league of its own, because of these triggers, this book is a 5 star read. At the same time, in other aspect it’s a one star read. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend to read it, even if you are not a fan of Will Smith.
My key take away of this book comes from how Will viewed himself and related to his family. It triggered the question for myself:
How do my family members relate to the person who I am today?
First of all, it triggered the question for myself “Who are the key family members for me and what mark have they left on me?”. Since I didn’t have all the answers straight away, I delved into a few courageous conversations with my family members to found some answers (and even more questions). Today, the process still continues and I have no doubt that it will continue.
The key to continuing this pursuit and expanding my perspective is determined by the quality of questions that I will (continue to) ask myself.
You can find more about the Art of Powerful Questions here.
