Will Smith's Two Things

Way back in 2005, Will Smith shared some powerful wisdom with the audience at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

“The keys to life are Running and Reading.

When you're running, there's a little person that talks to you and says, "Oh I'm tired. My lung's about to pop. I'm so hurt. There's no way I can possibly continue." You want to quit.

If you learn how to defeat that person when you're running, you will know how to not quit when things get hard in your life.

For reading: there have been gazillions of people that have lived before all of us.

There's no new problem you could have--with your parents, with school, with a bully.

There's no new problem that someone hasn't already had and written about it in a book.”

This is a powerful idea, and probably the source of inspiration for my early conviction that someone, somewhere, had figured out the Secret to a Great Life.

As we stand here, 15 years removed from Will Smith’s speech, his words ring truer still.

I can only hope that young people now have loved ones in their lives who continue to pass on this kind of wisdom.