You want to do the minimum amount of work to afford the maximum amount of time doing the thing that you love. That’s the way I want to be.

You may have heard about this guy who was born and raised in West Philadelphia. After spending most of his days on the playground, shooting some b-ball outside of the school, he got into trouble with a couple of no-good neighborhood kids. Long story short, he moves in with a rich uncle in Bel-Air, works with Jeff Goldblum to save the planet from aliens, partners up with Tommy Lee Jones to fight extraterrestrial threats, and turned down the opportunity to take a red pill from Laurence Fishburne.

He’s Will Smith, of course. Many fans of my generation know him best as the Fresh Prince (parents just don’t understand). Younger readers may know him better as “that guy from I Am Legend” or “Jaden Smith’s dad.” (Side note: What ever happened to Willow? She whipped her hair back and forth and then she vanished without a trace.)

I mentioned the Fresh Prince on Friday when discussing authenticity and false positivity on the Internet. He said that everyone has their struggles. If we were to look at his public persona, aside from what we read in gossip rags, it would appear that Will Smith leads an extremely happy existence. He’s always so jovial, so friendly, and so full of smiles. And this positive outlook on life is clearly reflected in his latest endeavor too.

Did you know that Will Smith “quietly” started a vlog a couple months ago? (I have one of those too, but that’s neither here nor there.) In one of his vlogs, he says the words at the top of this post. I think that’s largely true. For the most part, many of don’t really want to work; we really want to do the thing we love, whatever that thing may be. If you’re lucky enough, you might find a job where you get paid to do that thing, but not everyone is so lucky.

Work to live. Don’t live to work. You are not your job or your paycheck or your khakis.

Do what you love, even if it’s only on the side and for no money. “It’s still worth doing,” Zen Habits blogger Leo Babauta once said, “even if you have to do something else to put food on the table.” Because that’s how you’ll be able to act all goofy and dance in your glamorous hotel room as you travel halfway around the world with a film crew, promoting your newest blockbuster movie on Netflix.

How’s that for a “bright” idea?