In the movie Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman's character avers, "Get busy living, or get busy dying. That's damn right!"
I love that movie and have seen it at least 30 times. When I find a movie that speaks to me, I tend to watch it over and over for the next few months or years. It's the same with songs, poems, etc.
This quote hold a person accountable. It brings the respondent to the precipice of decision, of immediate decision. I know that I have a tendency to put off difficult decisions for a period of time if I can. I tend to delay, distract, and divert away from unwanted tasks.
A man in prison facing no hope comes to a point of realization. He sheds the shallow concerns of choosing pizza or hamburger, buying the red car or the blue car, going to a movie or playing golf. When we find ourselves in dire straits, it is time for action.
Many of my colleagues and friends in the housing / real estate industry are finding themselves in this situation. There are far fewer invitations for lunch, hallway jokes, and smiling faces. There is real desperation in some offices. Many have abandoned the profession while others have taken full- and part-time jobs to make ends meet. Circumstances have depleted the fun of our industry.
Another of my favorite movies is Anchorman with Will Ferrell. It is the story of the "Golden Era" of local news casting, a day when scotch in the afternoon soothed a weary soul and media professionals were worshipped as gods. (joke) You have to see the movie, but it depicts an office environment of absolute confidence and nonchalance. Be careful or you might get jealous.
The point is, we are not in a free-wheeling, happy-go-lucky time. We have to work now. We have to think and learn and try and conserve and innovate.
From where does the will to change emerge? Though we can use external resources to motivate, change only comes from within. Finding the "Change Point" within ourselves requires asking questions and seeking answers. Those are two very different actions.
Let me suggest something. We are not motivated primarily to escape the bad but rather to pursue the good. We may fear being "broke" but we pursue wealth. We may fear rejection but we pursue acceptance. The mindset provides the motivation.
Take time to think..............then act.
