YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU: Controlled Anarchy Meets Capitalism in the New Wild West

Four minutes and 22 seconds of insight from the 1938 film…

You Can’t Take It With You:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2PNsiI5eGk

1938 America: The depression about to turn, unemployment still high, people’s bank accounts dried out, and homemakers everywhere have learned to never throw anything away. Hard times… Hollywood boomed with movie-goers finding 108 minutes of escape once a week, while Frank Capra produced an award-winning film. Starring Lionel Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart and the versatile Jean Arthur, the message of this piece of art is timeless: You can’t take it with you. A metaphor for living in the now, questioning authority, the true meaning of purpose, and the need for innovative invention. Because when we die, our bodies and all the stuff we collected become food for worms.

Now. This moment. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. Clichés for some, but for me, this is music to my ears as I strive, strain and sweat my way into looking at life as if I am about to die in 3 hours. So far, so good. I recently shared with an audience of 90+ Professionals in Transition and New Entrepreneurs: “If you listen to someone who is dying of cancer, their levels of grace, authenticity, honesty and gratitude for every minute they have on this planet are profound, and have inspired me to live in this moment, as if I have nothing to lose… You know, like in Mr Capra’s film, You Can’t Take It With You.” They nodded their heads and smiled in recognition. This resonates.

Leadership, negotiating, influencing, getting the buy-in from your teams or convincing a Hiring Manager or Prospect to say YES could benefit from this wisdom. Imagine what life might look like if the psychology in our gray matter decided that we had nothing to lose. We might just authentically tell the truth no matter what, talk about the White Elephants, pay attention to the realities of our environments, listen to other people’s actual words, live authentic personal and professional lives, and stop wasting precious time on this beautiful and complex earth. We would certainly take more risks, enjoy the process as much as the results, and decide once and for all that we belong. Right here. Right now. No matter what.

What would happen to this small sphere we live on, if success were measured by friendships… and pursuing contentment, creativity, and contribution were the ultimate signs of leadership and happiness?

This 1938 film is now iconic and followers of its message post comments on the web. You Tube highlights some of its more poignant moments as the script courageously confronts taxation, government irresponsibility, controlled anarchy, and even refers to the birth of solar technology. The capitalist in the film, a powerful Wall Street banker called Kirby, finds a new direction at the end while playing harmonica. And the hero, Mr Sycamore – named after the tree known for its camouflage bark, which peels away to reveal a myriad of whites, tans and grays – orchestrates the players with grace, a burst of pointed outrage and his ever-present mischievous grin.

In the New Wild West of Commerce after the October 2008 global economic crash, we have all been given a golden opportunity to wake up and smell the Ten by Ten that just hit. We can either be a part of the problems, or we can choose to contribute to the solutions. Although righteously complaining about our lives, jobs, governments and those “difficult people out there” feels good (it is certainly healthy to vent now and then – I’m a big fan)… this does not actually create positive forward momentum. I was just talking to a client, who recently opened up a medical cosmetology business, about taxes and finding a CPA who stretches the numbers as far as possible within the law. We talked about her relationship to money, and how she is fundamentally shifting how she looks at scarcity and abundance – not just as an idea, but also as an activity. She is a part of the solution in my book, and her personal sense of responsibility is awesome.

2010 America: The recession still sitting in the Rabbit Hole, contracts and jobs are slowly trickling into people’s lives, innovation is percolating via incubators of business like Paper Street Incubator for Creative and Industrial Business in Ferndale, MI. Yet we still seem to allow our extraordinary efforts and intelligent resilience take a back seat to our comfort zones, and we are taking life for granted. What might need to happen to get us to step up, get out of our own ways and create positive forward momentum in our personal and professional lives? Do we really need a thousand more Ten by Tens upside the head? Like addicts of behavior, mind-sets and sticking to our stories of Reality-Is-How-We-Do-Things-Around-Here, hitting bottom is what may just save us.

I ‘hit bottom’ years ago and have been working on staying ‘clean’, metaphorically speaking, since then. I learned how to pay attention, live in this moment, and authentically tell the truth no matter what. This is how I also make a living, by sharing this insight and knowledge with others. Right now, I am about to either hit quite a prosperous tipping point for my business or I am going to choose my exit strategy (it is wise to always have a Plan B). There is a picture of five musicians playing in front of a culinary market on a street corner in the French Quarter as my screen saver. Their faces, bohemian clothes and New Orleans vibes pop out of my PC and add a moment of creativity to my day. These heroes of musical resilience speak to my soul, and I may join them and the culinary world of the Gulf Coast someday… or soon.

I hope not. There is still much work to be done here in Detroit in the Heart of the Recession. I just finished watching You Can’t Take It With You on TCM, unplugged with a glass of expensive French wine (a gift), and used the moment to write my weekly blog. This film never gets old as it speaks to this controlled anarchistic soul of mine, to my capitalist libertarian brain (with a social edge). Yes, there is still much work to be done, money to earn to pay our way, moments to pay attention to, contributions to make in our own small, medium and large ways. So, what will I do with today? Will I spend this autumn enjoying the leaves in Michigan or start a new life in New Orleans? Because one day, maybe this Thursday afternoon, my earthly stuff will be food for worms.

To be absolutely ‘Frank’: it just doesn’t matter. I will nail it – this moment, my day, next month – no matter the outcome. This is freedom and peace of mind. This is what the film was trying to say. Thanks for the reminder, Mr Capra. Your body may now be food for worms, but your film has given us a banquet of food for thought.

For more information: www.VeloCityCoachingServices.com

Money Makes the World Go Around… Or Does It?!

Five things to consider for creating a new paradigm for living in various forms of transition…

 

MONEY… is an integral part of our lives (like Time, Love, Security, Health, Success, etc). It can shape and mold our experiences, worldviews and approaches to negative and positive Rites of Passage. However, money itself has no intrinsic value.

THE VALUE THAT MONEY HAS…

IS DIRECTLY WIRED TO OUR RELATIONSHIP TO IT

AND THE VALUE WE PLACE UPON IT…

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

• Some days a prospective client says YES to a 20-hour coaching program… the money flows, the confidence flows, the positive forward momentum flows.
• Other days I get a bundle of NO moments, feel defensive, say Screw-This-I-Am- Done. My connection to money gets toxic and my Action Hero goes on holiday.

One: MONEY AND SUPPORT… Money pays for the rent, mortgage, phone bill, networking events, professional services to get support and knowledge, gas for our cars, future investments. Contrary to popular belief, it does not create inner security.

• Do you have a plan?
• What is your bottom line monetary number to live your current life?
• What is YOUR RELATIONSHIP to money? How were you raised to think about it?
• What, when and who are your resources?
• Does it flow, is it toxic, does it paralyze you, does it contribute to your life in a positive way or a negative way… or both?

Two: NO ONE HAS “THE” ANSWER… There is no SECRET. Period. There are many questions, suggestions, things to consider. Experts, books and resources are invaluable. And when all is said and done and you have exhausted your research, efforts and knowledge… then you are the only person who can come up with an answer for you.

Three: THE MONEY CONVERSATION… Examining and saying the truth out loud are profoundly effective!

• Are you problem-solving and laying your cards on the table or are you stuck?
• Whom do you need to talk to in order to find out information, strategies, short-term and long-term plans of action?
• Are you telling the truth about your relationship to money, spending habits, sense of entitlement, scarcity mentality and unexpressed fears?
• Is there anything, any topic about money that you are avoiding?
• Do you have an aversion to accepting help and advice? Think about it.

Four: ASK FOR AND OFFER WORKABLE SOLUTIONS… The Law of Reciprocity holds true also for money, our relationship to money and the solutions that we need to consider in order to handle the “financial balancing act”.

• If you have a dollar in your pocket and spending that dollar will not have an adverse affect on your current financial life… and you have just been served a sandwich from the most professional and light-hearted server who made your day with her smile, why don’t you practice the “abundance mentality” and tip an extra dollar? See what happens!
• If that dollar has been set aside to buy apples for your family, then you need to buy apples for your family. Spend without hesitation… enjoy delicious apples!
• If you can carpool, do it. If you can do without an expensive haircut, do it.
• If you need to set up a “babysitting barter” with your cousin, then do it.
• If you want to start a business and you need a good website designer and host, network your network and see if you can set up a services exchange.
• If you owe $4000 on a credit card which has 19% interest, can you get a personal loan from a trusted friend or family member – and then set up a fixed-rate interest payment plan set at 7.5% over a 24 month period?
• Do your beliefs and past experiences tell you that you should NEVER mix friendship and family with MONEY!? Are you ready to do things differently?
• Do you have a financial advisor and / or planner? If yes, do you trust him / her?
• Are you still spending beyond your means in order to feel less “unemployed”?
• Are you so tight with your money that you are going on interviews in an un-pressed suit and dirty fingernails?
• Are you willing to have the condo / renting / relocation conversation?
• Are you a rich person with a “poor person’s” mentality? Are you actually poor?
• What can you do TODAY to ease your financial burdens?

Five: ACTION HEROES AND ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS… We are not alone with our struggles regarding money. And it still seems socially unacceptable to talk about money, even with close friends. Human history has consistently shown us that eventually, the truth will come out. We are now talking openly about addiction, depression, marriage problems, mental illness, cancer, therapy or getting a professional to help us out… Why does talking about money remain relatively “taboo”?

This is worth repeating: we are not alone. An effective way to start creating action plans for handling financial struggles is to set up ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS who are like action heroes in our lives. We can then offer our action hero skills and become Accountability Partners in reciprocation.

See how all of this works?

The choice is yours.

And by the way, you can do this.

For more information, please visit: www.VeloCityCoachingServices.com