Will

by Will Smith

Our hopes had finally collided. And these hopes were inherently incompatible with each other. One had to give way. One of us was going to have our heart broken. The thing I’ve learned over the years about advice is that no one can accurately predict the future, but we all think we can. So advice at its best is one person’s limited perspective of the infinite possibilities before you. People’s advice is based on their fears, their experiences, their prejudices, and at the end of the day, their advice is just that: it’s theirs, not yours. When people give you advice, they’re basing it on what they would do, what they can perceive, on what they think you can do. But the bottom line is, while yes, it is true that we are all subject to a series of universal laws, patterns, tides, and currents—all of which are somewhat predictable—you are the first time you’ve ever happened. YOU and NOW are a unique occurrence, of which you are the most reliable measure of all the possibilities. I’ve always loved the scene in The Pursuit of Happyness on the basketball court, in which Jaden’s character shoots the ball and yells, “I’m going pro!” My character, Chris Gardner, discourages him from pursuing basketball but catches himself: “Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something, not even me. . . . You got a dream . . . you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period.”