This Friday is the movie premiere of Sanaa Lathan's new movie The Perfect Guy. The movie is about Lathan's character who breaks up with her longtime boyfriend who isn't ready for marriage, for someone who appears to be the perfect guy, but turns out to be a crazy stalker.

I'm by no means for, nor do I encourage stalkerish behaviour of any kind, however watching a short interview with the cast (attached below), I actually found 5 things that someone who's pursuing their dreams can apply to be successful.

1. Persistence

Michael Ealy's character is the persistent charmer turned stalker in the movie, and Lathan discusses in the interview that there's a fine line between being persistent and stalking. As someone pursuing your dream though, a bit of persistence will get you far. You can't be easily defeated or discouraged on this journey or you're likely to give up. I mentioned before that faith makes all things possible, not easy, so be persistent and don't give up. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, once said

2. Patience

Morris Chestnut's character is the longtime boyfriend who wasn't ready for marriage yet and Lathan's character was tired of waiting. Now when it pertains to relationships I think everyone needs to be honest with themselves as to how long they're willing to wait for what they want and evaluate accordingly. However when pursuing your dream, you can't necessarily be on a deadline. I know a lot of people give themselves x-amount of years to become successful, and if it doesn't work out, they'll go back to the familiar, the cubicle, the 9-5, the "guaranteed" paycheque. I'm sure you've seen the image below floating around on Instagram. Let it serve as a reminder that you never know when your breakthrough will come. 

3. Investigate

Ealy says in the video below that finding someone's address isn't that hard if you look hard enough. Although that's creepy, a bit of investigation can save you both time and money on your journey. In 2015 with Google at our finger tips, there's little to no excuses, and good ol' fashioned books are a mine of information. Tiphani Montgomery, self-published author and 7-time Essence Magazine best selling author, including the no. 1 spot, says on Periscope to read 10 books on the subject matter of which you aim to pursue. What you don't know can hurt you badly.

4. Fear

Lathan expresses in the interview as it pertains to fear that "everything comes from your imagination and the circumstances around you". This is so true because what you tell yourself is inevitably what you will perceive. If you believe the journey is going to be horrid and awful, and let fear hold you back, you create a self-fulfilling prophesy. When you're mind is convinced of something, you subconsciously look for evidence to validate your opinion. The same is true if you believe you can be a success though. So switch out your fear for faith and watch God work.

5. Be Bad

 Yes, being a bada** can serve you depending on the circumstances. Ealy mentions "that you're much more free when you're bad because you don't have the constraints of what society deems proper or responsible." Please understand that I don't encourage illicit behaviour at all. However, sometimes what society deems proper and appropriate is simply rooted in unwarranted fear. Is it "proper and appropriate" to want your script read so bad that you will dig for the private email of a director or producer (we all know how 'efficient' those general mailboxes can be), for it to have an honest shot? Maybe not. But as long it's not breaking any laws or hurting anyone, I say go for it. Check in with your moral compass, but ultimately be free enough to not let others opinion of you determine what you can do and achieve.

Be blessed!