There are some things you just can’t see coming. Just recently I was intellectually blind sided by a movie I picked up for pure entertainment value. Quite to the contrary, it was a metaphorical haven of invaluable insights applicable to anyone with a bit of an imagination that had me spinning hard on human potential, critical (and very personal) questions, and a few copious philosophies.
The movie was Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, the story of a female
boxer going from trash to champ. By rethinking the movies unexpectedly profound content, once again I was reminded of the value of being open to finding new insights from unexpected terrain. It was a great example of how much we miss by looking for the big answers in our typical linear fashion – go to the appropriate site, listen to the guru en vogue, read the best-selling book, clutching onto that single perspective in hopes of experiencing some sort of resolution.
The Problem
With over 150,000 self-help books available at present, not to mention a multi-million dollar coaching industry out there, the stats for people being content with their life choices remains disturbingly low. What is being missed here? What other considerations might there be to potentially thwart this enigma?
The Solution
Beyond the literary and mentor-driven choices you decide to investigate which most certainly should be in play, strive to heighten your awareness and start seeing the plethora of messages right in front of you, present time, that for whatever reason you’re just not catching. A situation, an encounter with a friend or business associate, an unanticipated event, and yes, even a movie could give you insights into the “why” of your actions, or inaction for that matter – if, you’re paying attention and take the time to think about it.
As an example of this premise, here are just a few of the deceptively prolific (and universal I might add) one-liners that got me thinking from Clint’s movie which I’ll expound upon and tie into 21st Century realities that I feel confident will get you spinning on how to potentially re-evaluate your work/life persona. And these insights that triggered my thinking are right out of the boxing manual. I don’t know about you, but this is kind of the last place I’d be looking, and I hope my point has been made.
“Tough Ain’t Enough”
The message is fairly obvious in context, but I immediately ran to one of the newer challenges of the 21st century workforce.
So you’ve toughed it out and did all the academic homework in terms of your profession. You’ve studied hard to be able to position yourself as an authority in your field and stand confident in terms of approaching the job market – without a doubt, a wise and admirable move. Then we look at the work done by Daniel Goleman, author of Working with Emotional Intelligence. Goleman interviewed the CEO’s of 150 companies in 30 countries asking them what they were most concerned with when hiring an individual. His findings showed that 2 out of 3 CEO’s were more concerned with an applicant’s emotional intelligence [Emotional Intelligence is basically one’s soft/people skills] then IQ and technical knowhow. He goes on to mention that “a study of Harvard graduates in the field of law, medicine, teaching, and business found that scores on entrance exams – a surrogate for IQ – had zero or negative correlation with their eventual career success.” Bolster up on the effectiveness of your soft skills because tough just ain’t enough these days.
“Sometimes, the best way to deliver a punch is to step back – but if you step back too far, you ain’t fighting at all”
Time and time again we’re encouraged to take the big leap forward, seemingly wise words as we live in a very aggressive business culture. How many of us simply leap at a better paying job offer? In the 21st century, some of the most successful people out there made the decision to step back from the offer, that mentality, and put their focus on building their own enterprise, as challenging as that may seem. Words of the business icon Robert Kiyosaki echo in my head. “Take responsibility for your finances – or get used to taking orders for the rest of your life.”
Sometimes, you simply need to step back and access a situation before engaging in it. It’s the art of intelligently balancing the aphorisms that occasionally trigger your actions. “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today” has to occasionally be balanced with “look before you leap.” I’d recommend bending that last aphorism into think before you leap. Your best punch just might be your ability to step back, be more observant, and think it through. But, as the quote also reminds us, don’t step back too far. Stay in the fight and focus on shifting more wisely. As Hemingway reminded us; it’s all about grace under pressure.
“Show me a man with nothing but heart, and I’ll show you a man ready for a beating”
I admittedly have a tough time with “heart” issues – nothing but heart; follow your heart, etc. In the words of Edward Monkton: “I mean it’s just a heart, right? It’s not the Dalai Lama.”
My experience with “matters of the heart” if you will has always been a bit of a pragmatical eye-opener for me. It more or less becomes a consistency paradox where I truly understand the relevance of following your heart in a manner of speaking, but I’m on the fence with it representing the only true path to follow. Now we’re approaching the jest of the line from the movie which I interpreted as “heart” being a great starting point, but it’s not a gestalt in the sense of everything will manifest under its aura. But, once again, the pendulum seems to swing right back as it’s been said that the heart can many times see what’s invisible to the eye, and I don’t find myself dismissing that aphorism. So maybe it’s about some serious introspection on your part to see where issues of the heart work most effectively for you, something only experience will be able to answer. Here’s a one-liner to consider. “Follow your heart, but don’t lose your mind along the way.” – Zack W. Van.
“You’re not working the bag – the bags working you”
The bags working you – hard to not immediately equate this to the corporation, company, or people we give our valuable time to. I don’t think I need to go into the questionable financial hierarchy of most corporations – common knowledge to most. It’s the longstanding trickle down effect (of wealth) in full force. Right along side of that is the cog in the wheel status cleverly designed to push the don’ts – don’t be too outspoken, don’t make waves, don’t challenge authority, and then make sure to count your blessings. The bag is working us well.
The only viable move to make under these conditions is to clearly understand the following: It is your value to the marketplace that is your greatest opportunistic tool. You can bitch and moan, cite unfairness, or the worst move which is doing less on the job in retaliation to your circumstances. Bottom line is, it’s only your perceived value to “whoever” that has any chance of catching their eye. It’s also clearly an unfair world out there, and your potentially unquestioned value to the company might still be ignored. Don’t waste your time getting angry – just get busy and stay on a continual upgrade of the value you have to offer. Have the confidence that someone – somewhere will eventually recognize and appreciate your value and compensate you fairly. That’s the win you’re looking for, much less deserve.
“It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream nobody sees but you”
The phrase “nobody sees but you” is the true magic in this statement. Anyone you share your vision with will typically consider your quest from there own vantage point – from their intellectual, cultural, and sociological perspectives. What choice do they really have but to follow that mental landscape? As much as they’ll strive to meaningfully share your vision, the reality is only you are in a position to see it in its entirety. A state of cognitive dissonance (contradictory beliefs) might arise as you listen to their appraisal of where you should go, and basically agree knowing full well you have another objective in mind that shows equal merit…a challenging space. Gaining new perspectives is without a doubt an invaluable step, but it would be counterproductive at best taking advice from people without considering what you see necessary to enact in conjunction with the advice they are offering. With that combination, “risking everything” might get beyond the dream stage and look a bit more pragmatic.
“He’s a businessman – he can’t teach you nothing”
I love where this goes. There’s the “art” of what you do, and then there’s the “business” of your art that are in contention here in terms of this quote by Clint. He’s the trainer, the mentor that taught her everything. And then there’s the “business” of success, and is it necessary to look to someone else to handle that? In a 21st century work environment, addressing this question in my eyes is critical, and here’s a humble opinion.
Focus on the “art” of what you do first and foremost, working with a mentor that’s equipped to get you to the next level. I’ll spare you from a plethora of quotes that basically state you “have” to have the goods. Meanwhile, make the effort to go the extra mile and self-educate in terms of the business of what you do “in conjunction with” with working on your art. Will it be challenging? Of course! But is it reachable? Absolutely!
The technology available today has never been better in terms of helping you to accomplish this task. And back to the question; is it necessary? That’s your call. If the monetary end of what you do weighs heavily in your plans and you desire that type of guidance, go for it. But I can also assure you there are those who choose to keep the focus “on their art” and let the financial side of their psyche slide a bit that live extremely fulfilled lives. The only question that really remains, as overly simplistic as it sounds, is what makes you happy? This is the exquisiteness of free will.
“Instead of running from the pain like a sane person would, you step into it”
It’s pretty clear. Who the hell wants to step into the pain? But new global realities are quickly working their way into our lives, and many of these realities fall into what is easily perceived as the “danger” category. Business, politics, human rights, a failing economy, and for some simply a sense of survival are all being challenged in a seriously accelerating world. One might ask, what’s my responsibility to myself in this mass of intimidation? To wit:
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.” Amelia Earhart
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” T.S. Eliot
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Dale Carnegie
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” Vincent Van Gogh
This is not about merely dropping a bunch of quotes. It simply the fact that there is no way I could have said any of this any better. Screw the pain – make a move! The sane person probably won’t.
“It’s not about hitting it hard – it’s how ‘good’ you hit it”
It’s hard not to think about Muhammad Ali in this scenario. He crushed fighters that towered over him. In this same light, Gandhi thwarted the most powerful nation in the world, non-violently. Japan wasted the all-powerful (at one point) American automobile industry by out-thinking them. The tiny country of Vietnam won the war over the world’s most powerful military force through pure tenacity. Many small businesses continue to find a way to survive (and some flourish) while the Walmart (Corporate America) contingency continues to dish out its one-two punch. But a lot of us are swinging hard, and to no avail, and then this quote begins to show its merit. My take – I believe how good you hit it is all about how good you think it. Just decide to overcome the odds like the examples above, apply some inductive reasoning, and then go ahead and throw your punch, “deceptively” hard!
“If you want to move left, you don’t step left, you push with the right toe”
So, what “is” pushing with your right toe? It’s simple. It’s counterintuitive. I can’t think of a more relevant word in today’s culture for enacting creative change on both a business, and personal level. Get past what Edward de Bono labels as the “arrogance of established patterns.” Generate alternatives, challenge assumptions, enact reversal thinking, and then strive to suspend judgment and give your ideas a chance to unfold – or, fundamentally, remain as part of the herd. The herd “will” step left.
“To make a fighter, you have to strip them down to bare wood – you can’t just tell them to forget everything they know, you’ve got to get them to feel it in their bones”
Here’s how you can perceive this potential axiom in a more relatable context. If we run with the part of the statement about the difficulty of forgetting everything you know, the thrust of this metaphor hinges on trying to get someone to rethink their patterns until the point where they actually “feel it.” Feel it in your bones – a rather obscure remark, but maybe not. Let me elucidate.
Science, or more aptly put, brain-science has at this point shown that our mind, our “thinking” can actually alter our body’s physiology. [Mind Over Medicine – Lissa Rankin] Wouldn’t it be fair to say that conversely, if you focused your thinking on self-actualization, the striving to realize your inherent talents and capabilities, and kept that focus consistently present, that you could start to actually “feel” that as well. This in a way is what the placebo effect is all about. The sugar pill (which obviously equates to your mental state because there is no medicine) can actually affect your health and makes you feel better. Might be time to take the self-actualization pill and start feeling “that” in your bones.
“You have to learn to keep your balance and then take it away from the other guy”
Let’s look at this quote from a business perspective. It’s most assuredly a competitive world out there, and many times within this competition we see
the equity theory (a motivational theory where workers strive to maintain fair and equitable relationships with co-workers) being seriously tested. Pseudorespect (or false respect) becomes part of the gaming process as well as the classic “kiss up – kick down” scenario, flattering those who have positions of authority and disparaging those of lesser influence.
By making the decision to adhere to being a truly respectful individual, showing deference to those around you, displaying a willingness to offer the benefit of the doubt, and establishing a good work ethic, you’ll “keep your balance” with those around you. Why? They’ll have no ammunition because you’ve kept your integrity in place. Would it not then be easier for those around you to see who then falls short in this area, and have you not in theory taken away “their” balance, and kept yours?
“She’s a better fighter – she’s younger, stronger, and more experienced. What are you going to do about that?”
You have to take charge of what might seem to be an impossible situation rather than letting it take charge of you, and I believe the best way to do that is to get emotionally charged. I remember reading an article in the paper along time ago about a women who literally lifted the front end of a car up because her son was trapped under it. I would consider that to be a pretty damn good example of what’s possible when we become “emotionally” charged. Motivational icon Tony Robbins spoke of this concept. He stated: “If we can generate the right emotion inside of us, we can get ourselves to do anything.” So, are you facing off with someone younger, stronger, and more experienced, or maybe an impossible looking job quest? Dig deep and put some emotion behind your smarts and your actions and lift the car. Raise your gloves with an emotional fever, and without compromise. Gandhi had a great take on this. “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
Some Thoughts
Personal insights like the above can be derived from any type of day-to-day experience as I hope this blog has demonstrated. My thoughts triggered by these aphorisms simply represent an imaginatively driven exercise in self-awareness and self-actualization, an individual becoming actualized in what he or she might potentially have to offer and take action on. Beyond that, this is an excellent film by Clint I’d have no problem recommending.
