If God sends you down a stony path, may he give you strong shoes. –Irish Blessing
At one point in my life, my solitary goal was to write a screenplay that would turn into a box office sensation. Not just a summer popcorn movie, but something with heart and substance. The type of movie that would be remembered for generations. As I methodically embarked upon this journey, I navigated all the logistics, both great and small, to make this dream a reality. I quit my job on the East Coast and convinced my wife to transfer out West. We found a small one-bedroom apartment by the ocean in Santa Monica, and I eventually landed a job at Creative Artists Agency, in the power center of Beverly Hills. Now it was just a matter of finishing that screenplay. Details, details!
I leveraged connections with some Hollywood insiders to help me tweak the story and maximize the potential for the screenplay to sell. I received invaluable feedback and eventually reached a point where I felt it was done. (Works of art are never finished, but sometimes, they are done). I took the “final” draft to one of the agents at our firm in the hopes of gleaning additional pearls of wisdom. He was generally complimentary of the writing and asked me my goals for the future. I did not hesitate.
“I want this to become the next great American movie classic!”
The agent paused a bit and calmly asked another question.
“What is your worst fear for this project?”
Again, I did not hesitate.
“My worst fear is this story becoming a bad movie.”
The agent smiled and leaned forward.
“There is no such thing as a bad movie!”
Huh? Had he not seen “Ishtar’, “Showgirls”, “Howard the Duck” or any movie with Carrot Top? There was an entire library of bad movies littering the streets of Tinsel Town. What was he talking about? He clarified.
“Every movie that gets to the big screen is an incredible accomplishment. Someone with authority has said YES and believes in the story. That in itself should be celebrated.”
It was an interesting take on success and something that has stuck with me throughout my career, particularly through the lens of resilience.
Failure is Not an Endpoint
If we are lucky enough, we will have more ups than downs in our careers. Success is not a linear journey. We can rise to the top of our game only to experience failure at the highest level. In those moments, it feels like a zero-sum loss. All we see is the immediate disappointment, with no appreciation for the hard work and victories it took to get us there. Perspective has a funny way of narrowing our view to the most immediate negative outcome. But our career is a journey and not a point on a map.
Think about the worst professional coach in any sport. Haven’t they experienced incredible success at some other level? Think about the least successful trial attorney. Haven’t they completed law school and risen to the point of being entrusted with a case? Think about a failed CEO or founder of a company. Haven’t they been endorsed by a board or at least turned their vision into a reality? Think about a college professor who fails to gain tenure. Haven’t they demonstrated consistent performance for the bulk of their careers?
And on a much more basic level, think about any person who has been hired by any company, team, or institution. Haven’t they demonstrated skill or success at some point in their careers? After all, in a field of competitive candidates, they were hired for the job or chosen for the team. They demonstrated some level of competence that convinced someone to say YES. Regardless of the outcome, this should be remembered, celebrated, and leveraged for motivation!
Keep Gringing for Success
Of course, we don’t want to sugarcoat it. We live in a results-oriented world. Disappointing numbers, lopsided losses, and poor execution can cost us dearly in our careers. This is the life we signed up for and we understand the consequences. Substandard performance should not be rewarded. But these negative results should never define our lives.
We can glean motivation from any failure. Past success can cushion the blow of disappointment in the moment. A healthy perspective can provide the motivation we need to work even harder to bounce back. Previous positive experiences can provide a buoy of confidence to attack our future goals. Every loss is rooted in some prior victory. Earning the opportunity to perform is in itself a victory. Earning a YES at any point is in itself a victory. The act of yearning and striving toward a worthy cause is in itself a victory. Results matter. But that is not the entire picture.
The effort, enthusiasm, and grit it took to create the opportunity will provide the resilience necessary to bounce back if the results fall below our standards. And our next effort will be worthy of our tenacity and talent.
There are no bad movies. Only future blockbusters ready to be unleashed upon the world!