Greenlights

I want to hang out with Matthew McConaughey. Not because he is handsome, rich and famous….but because he is interesting.

I recently saw an interview with Matthew McConaughey, who is currently promoting his new book, Greenlights. I have always been intrigued with his ‘I don’t give a crap what anyone thinks’ attitude and I wondered if it was real. So I launched into his book. Not only is he a great story teller, he has some great stories to tell.

As a fellow Texan, the way he speaks, his poetry and some of his turns of phrase, resonate with me. It reminded me of stories I have been told and musings I have read written by my maternal grandfather. A Texan would rather tell you a story than why you should or shouldn’t do something and let you figure it out for yourself.

In Greenlights, Matthew recounts some of the wildest tales you have ever heard and honestly, it’s a miracle he’s still alive. I felt the same about Steven Tyler after I read his autobiography. It must be very freeing to just live how you want to live.

But what was so fascinating to me is that this guy, even after he became famous, thought about quitting acting numerous times. He began writing in a journal at the age of 15 and has written in one every day for the last 35 years. He had goals and he committed them to paper, a lesson for all of us in the power of putting something in writing to stare back at us until we achieve it. He personifies the saying, when you commit to something, be all in. The action speaks volumes.  

He has led a colorful life in his 50 years on this earth and he is a product of his upbringing (good and bad). As they say, there is a fine line between genius and madness and passion and anger and he (and his parents) danced along it for sure. Traveling the world gives us a different perspective on life and his was broadened and enlightened from his unconventional travels. His main goal in life was to be a father and his wife and family keeps him grounded. He learned what love is and is not from his parent’s tumultuous marriages (multiple marriages and divorces to each other). But the message that really resonated with me is sometimes you have to rebrand yourself to get what you really want, no matter how painful. He coined a term for it…McConaissance.

When I told a friend of mine I was reading it, he said “Why, what has he really ever done but be famous?” Matthew McConaughey’s story so aptly reflects on why many people give up when they hit roadblocks. But what we need to pay attention to is that many of those are only speedbumps in the road disguised to slow us down and make us seek another path. Being famous gave him an audience, but his story is worth telling and it’s definitely worth reading.

Some words of MM wisdom:

“It’s not a risk, unless you can lose the fight.”

“Persist, pivot or concede. It’s up to us, our choice every time.”

“Sometimes which choice you make is not as important as making a choice and committing to it. “

“Sometimes we have to leave what we know, to find out what we know.”

“Just because it says anonymous, doesn’t mean it has no author.”

“Stepping in shit inevitable, so let’s either see it as good luck, or figure out how to do it less often.”

“There is a difference between art and self-expression. All art is self-expression. All self-expression is not art.”

“Greenlights can be disguised as yellow and red lights. They say no, but sometimes they give us what we need.” 

Alright, alright, alright. I think we could all use more margaritas and green lights in our lives.