Will Smith Shares How A 9-Year-Old Willow Taught Him A Shocking Lesson About Burnout

When you level up and finally achieve the boss status you've been working relentlessly to reach, burnout can easily become your best friend. Buying into the idea that sleep is for the rich will leave you mentally fatigued AF, and Will Smith says that at only 9 years old, his daughter taught him a vital lesson about the power of investing in your mental wellness.

In a recent episode of HBO's The Shop, the 53-year-old father-of-three explained that while he was proud that his daughter had a Top 10 single before she turned 10, his pride caused him to miss the emotional struggle that Willow was experiencing at the time.

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2F2018%2F09%2Fwillow-smith.jpg%3Fw%3D888&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com&s=600&h=926cb907217c4079dbd65ee37c0d670698720d70caa4d79bfc13261397ebe041&size=980x&c=2519237634 image-library="0" pin_description="" caption="" photo_credit_src="https://peopledotcom.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/willow-smith.jpg?w=888" crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252F2018%252F09%252Fwillow-smith.jpg%253Fw%253D888%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%26s%3D600%26h%3D926cb907217c4079dbd65ee37c0d670698720d70caa4d79bfc13261397ebe041%26size%3D980x%26c%3D2519237634%22%7D" expand=1 photo_credit="Instagram/@WillowSmith"] Instagram/@WillowSmith

"Willow hit me hard. We went on the 'Whip My Hair' tour and like she's 9 years old with a Top 10 single. And before that, only Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder had done it at that age. She's in Dublin, she's on the Justin Bieber tour. She comes off stage ,and I'm like, 'Hey baby. That was great.' And she was like, 'Oh daddy, I'm ready to go home.' And I was like, 'Well, no baby. You can't go home. You got to finish the tour.' She's like, 'Yeah, daddy, I'm finished.' And I said, 'Well you can't be finished, babe. You promised Mr. Jay-Z that you were going to do the 30 days.' And she was like, 'No, daddy, you promised Mr. Jay-Z.'"

Although Will was used to having the last word when it came to his family, the next morning, Willow made a statement that couldn't go unnoticed. We can all take a lesson from Willow when it comes to making a point, because… go hard or go home, right? And that's exactly what she and her family did after her bold decision to shave her head bald in the middle of her tour.

"She went to her room that night. I went to my room, she comes down that morning. She shaved her head bald in the middle of her 'Whip My Hair' tour. She taught me such a valuable lesson. I was like, 'Baby, I got it. Yup, we can go home.' "

While some parents would have seen Willow's decision as an offense warranting punishment, Will saw the experience as a teachable moment. In 2017, Will said that the experience taught him the importance of mental stability, especially when it comes to children.

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fwill-smith-b7d52a04-bb56-4bd8-af70-155107c4a7fb.jpg%3Fw%3D660&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usmagazine.com&s=184&h=827ae8a2bf37851bb0cdd76fa1073a16d6e7d33f762d4780534b4742e09d8fd8&size=980x&c=2829288575 image-library="0" pin_description="" caption="" photo_credit_src="https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/will-smith-b7d52a04-bb56-4bd8-af70-155107c4a7fb.jpg?w=660" crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252Fwill-smith-b7d52a04-bb56-4bd8-af70-155107c4a7fb.jpg%253Fw%253D660%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.usmagazine.com%26s%3D184%26h%3D827ae8a2bf37851bb0cdd76fa1073a16d6e7d33f762d4780534b4742e09d8fd8%26size%3D980x%26c%3D2829288575%22%7D" expand=1 photo_credit=""] Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

"For me, it was that soldier that was pushing and wasn't paying any attention whatsoever to what was going on emotionally with this beautiful little creature in front of me."

Willow said "no" to a commitment that compromised her mental stability. When she felt herself on the edge of burnout, she decided to clock TF out. Willow didn't let the hustle mentality hustle her out of her peace of mind. We should all be more like her.

To watch the full clip, click below!

The Shop: Uninterrupted | Will Smith Shares Why Willow Smith Shaved her Head (Clip) | HBOwww.youtube.com

Featured image by Instagram/@WillowSmith.

Did you know that xoNecole has a podcast? Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to join us for weekly convos over cocktails (without the early morning hangover.)