Talent vs. Obsession: The Brutal Truth About Greatness You're Not Ready to Hear | Will 'WilldaBeast' Adams (Fan Fav)
Will 'WilldaBeast' Adams discusses his journey from aspiring NFL player to world-renowned choreographer and entrepreneur, emphasizing perseverance, uncomfortable growth, and the importance of maintaining relentless drive despite repeated rejections. He shares how Michael Jackson's death catalyzed his move to LA and how he's built a business empire while staying authentic and committed to unity through diversity.
Summary
Will Adams opens by reflecting on his pivotal transition from pursuing an NFL career to becoming a dancer and choreographer. After injuries derailed his football dreams in high school, he initially struggled with the disappointment but gradually developed a mindset that every setback contained hidden purpose. He moved to LA with only $800, driven by the belief that wasting time was unacceptable. The death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009, served as a watershed moment that crystallized his commitment—learning that his idol was gone made him realize he couldn't delay pursuing his dreams. Adams emphasizes that success requires both belief in inevitable success and relentless daily action. He explains his philosophy of 'amnesia'—the ability to forget rejections and setbacks quickly without letting them compound into despair. He's been cut from major TV shows (So You Think You Can Dance, America's Got Talent, America's Best Dance Crew) multiple times but treated each as temporary rather than definitive. A key insight he shares is the importance of making oneself uncomfortable: he deliberately pursues weaknesses rather than only strengthening existing talents, citing how avoiding ballet as a young hip-hop dancer later limited his range. Adams describes his approach to building his brand as involving ten daily actions to push himself, his brand, and his body. He contrasts genuine belief with passive faith, arguing that true conviction manifests through constant effort. When discussing his success, he attributes it to perseverance but more importantly to 'amnesia'—his ability to shed negative experiences and keep moving. On working with his fiancée Janelle, he describes it as a roller coaster that has taught him more than anything else, characterized by mutual belief in each other's gifts balanced against the challenge of two equally driven individuals. He reveals that his aggressive dreaming isn't about money but about providing security for his family—the ability to never tell his children 'we can't' but only 'we can.' His vision for impact involves changing how people perceive identity and stereotype: he wants people to see beyond his race and appearance to his soul, and to extend that seeing to all people. He frames his appearance (dreads, ripped jackets, off-necklace) not as fashion but as authentic self-expression that challenges conventional entrepreneurship aesthetics.
About this episode
<p>Fan Favorite: This episode originally aired on August 14, 2018. Footballer turned dance star, Will "Willdabeast" Adams took the attention earned on America’s Got Talent and became the entertainment industry’s go-to choreographer. His high-energy dance videos and undeniable work ethic helped create ImmaBEAST, a community dedicated to elevating and uniting everyone through dance. The man picked by Usher, Demi Lovato, and Nike to choreograph discusses changing paths and what it takes to make history on this episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu. </p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>SHOW NOTES: </strong></p> <p>Will speaks on changing paths after his football career ended. [2:45] </p> <p>Will gives advice on dealing with “no’s” while pursuing a dream. [5:32] </p> <p>Will breaks down the “train like we suck” mentality. [9:45] </p> <p>Will on cultivating self-belief and dealing with fear while doing so. [13:51] </p> <p>Will tells how Michael Jackson dying changed his life. [15:48] </p> <p>Will explores the Unity Through Diversity principle. [20:20] </p> <p>Will and Tom discuss entrepreneurship in the social media age. [23:12] </p> <p>Will explains his drive to dream so aggressively. [29:01]</p> <p>Will reveals the impact he wants to have on the world. [32:52] </p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>FOLLOW WILL WILLDABEAST ADAMS: </strong></p> <p>YOUTUBE - <a href="https://bit.ly/2dVpQkM%20" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2dVpQkM </a></p> <p>INSTAGRAM - <a href="https://bit.ly/2veMTAO%20" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2veMTAO </a></p> <p>WEBSITE - <a href="https://bit.ly/2LYkKVC" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2LYkKVC</a> </p> <p>TWITTER - <a href="https://bit.ly/2mSiwwg" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2mSiwwg</a> </p> <p>FACEBOOK - <a href="https://bit.ly/2LMuplp%20" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2LMuplp </a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS</strong></p> <p><strong>Vital Proteins:</strong> Get 20% off by going to <a href="https://www.vitalproteins.com" target="_blank"><u>https://www.vitalproteins.com</u></a> and entering promo code IMPACT at check out</p> <p><strong>Allio Capital: </strong>Macro investing for people who want to understand the big picture. 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Key Insights
- Adams developed a belief system that rejections and missed opportunities weren't failures but redirections toward his actual path, which he consciously applied throughout his career when cut from major TV shows and auditions.
- He attributes much of his success to 'amnesia'—a deliberate psychological ability to forget setbacks, criticism, and rejections quickly so they don't accumulate into despair or paralysis.
- Adams distinguishes between passive faith ('I believe everything happens for a reason') and active faith, arguing that genuine conviction must manifest through relentless daily action (ten daily pushes minimum).
- He intentionally pursues his weaknesses and areas of discomfort (ballet, marketing meetings, Photoshop) rather than only leveraging his strengths, because he views comfort as a danger zone that leads to stagnation.
- Michael Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, functioned as a crystallizing moment that transformed abstract dreams into urgent action, prompting him to move to LA within four weeks.
- Adams rejects the 'focus only on your strengths' advice, arguing instead that sustainable success requires continuously surprising people with new capabilities while building on core strengths.
- His motivation for aggressive career pursuit isn't wealth accumulation but the ability to provide his future children with security—never telling them 'we can't' about anything, rooted in his own childhood experiences of limitation.
- He argues that people's inability to pursue dreams stems primarily from fear—fear of relationships, job changes, or disappointing parents—rather than lack of talent or opportunity.
Topics
Transcript
Right now, I want to talk about a bet you're losing every day. Someone says something important in a meeting, a client drops an offhand comment that matters, a teammate floats a half-formed idea, but you know it's gold, and then you bet yourself the same thing every time. I'll remember that. But nine times out of 10, you lose that bet. Everybody does. Your brain wasn't built to retain 40 hours a week of dense conversation. And the cost isn't just a forgotten detail. It's the follow-up you never make, the promise that you don't keep, the connections that slip through your fingers. And Ploud is built to make sure you win that bet every time. It's an AI-powered…
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