In the summer of 1999, Will Smith’s steampunk western action-comedy sci-fi film Wild Wild West was released to the masses. Costarring Salma Hayek as Will Smith’s love interest and Kevin Kline as Will Smith’s other love interest, the film was a financial success, but bombed with critics.
The most lasting mark Wild Wild West left in the business world, however, came in the form of the hit single from the film, which in a strange coincidence, was also titled Wild Wild West. Once I listened to it, I experienced an internal renaissance. I immediately stopped doing heroin, lost fifty-eight pounds, married a Latvian model and become the CEO of my own life. And you can too.
Here are the seven most important lessons I learned from Wild Wild West.
1) Don’t Be Afraid to Repeat Yourself
“Understand me son, I’m the slickest they is,
I’m the quickest they is, did I say I’m the slickest they is”
Sometimes your employees might not hear what you say. So don’t be afraid to repeat yourself! You want to communicate your message effectively and sometimes, the most effective method is repetition. So don’t be afraid to repeat yourself!
2) Confidence is Key
“Who dat is? A mean brotha, bad for your health
Lookin damn good though, if I could say it myself”
Do you think Will Smith would have become a captain immediately following the civil war, a time when racial unrest was at an all time high, if he lacked confidence? Confidence is the key component to achieving any life goal. So don’t be afraid to tell others how good you look. The only way to make people aware of your superiority is to constantly state it. That’s how Will Smith ended up with Penelope Cruz.
3) Pride is the Deadliest Sin
“Swallow your pride, don’t let your lip react,
You don’t wanna see my hand where my hip be at”
Mind your tongue. Or Will Smith will mind it for you.
4) Admit Your Shortcomings
“Can’t stand the heat then get out the Wild Wild West”
We can’t all be Will Smith. And that’s ok! If you’re having difficulty with a project, let your manager know. Even Will Smith needed help from Kevin Kline and Rosario Dawson.
5) Everyone Likes Compliments
“Any damsel that’s in distress
Be out of that dress when she meet Jim West”
Am I right, ladies?
VI) Change Things Up
“We going straight to the Wild Wild West
We going straight to the Wild Wild West
We going straight to the Wild Wild West
We going straight to the Wild Wild West
We going straight to the Wild Wild West
We going straight to the Wild Wild West, come on”
Once you become predictable, you become expendable. In this part of the song, Sisqo changes things up by adding a “Come on” at the end of the hook. Albert Einstein once said that insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different thing from that thing that you did the same. Insanity is also an intensive workout program. Change things up! Muscle confusion!
7) Fake It Till You Make It
“If you have riff with people wanna bust,
Break out before you get bumrushed”
I mean, I honestly have no idea what Will Smith is saying here. But it’s in the song.
Will Smith truly is the voice of a generation. And he’s an entrepreneur. So it’s important to learn these lessons he’s trying to teach us. For if we don’t learn them, who Will Smith, America? Who. Will. Smith.