Greenlights
“All because I chased down a wet dream, literally. GREENLIGHT.”
Who’s this for: Just about anyone wanting to explore the journey of life. Matthew McConaughey proves himself to be a master storyteller, and create a masterclass on being vulnerable. This will be one of my recommended must reads of the year.
Greenlight: An action or event that sets you up for success, prosperity, or happiness in your future.
I used to pride myself on stoicism, or an attempt at it. A person raised to believe that a man is there to solve other people’s problems, and maybe not admit they need help with their own. I try to be more and more vulnerable with those I care about each and every day, and it’s tough. Really fucking tough.
Greenlights is a masterclass from a man on how to do so. That it’s okay to share every single meaningful, and impactful moment of your life, either good or bad. It’s okay to share the most intimate moments of your life with the general public, and be damned with the judgment because this is 100% the person you are. Be genuine.
I think we all know Matthew McConaughey as someone who’s constantly perfecting his craft as an actor. I for one had my prejudices, as he’s someone that only has one writing credit to his name, a 1998 short film that I’ve personally never heard of. So what’s this Lincoln spokesperson know about writing? A great deal, actually.
It’s incredibly tough not to have his voice in your head as you’re reading words that feel as though they’re leaping off the page. It’s as if you’re sitting next to him with a beer in your hand, or marijuana in your system, next to a firepit in the outskirts of Austin, Texas, as he shares tales of growing up. I’m not actually certain if the stories are that interesting, if it’s his ability to not waste a word during a story that makes it engaging, or a little mixture of both. But what I do know is that many of the stories stuck with me.
It's a mixture of interesting stories, if you’re a fan of film. Notably one that will always be larger than the film itself, Daze and Confused:
“As I put the car in drive and slowly pulled out, … [I] said aloud,
Alright,
Alright,
Alright.”
And then those stories that felt close to home. The story of a man who found out he lost his father. Something I experienced mere months ago:
“Now, the world was flat, and I was looking it in the eye.
…
It was time to take care of myself.
…
It was time for me to become a man.”
And then there’s the story of how multiple wet dreams (yes the one’s you’re thinking of) would lead a man to take a spiritual quest to multiple continents, one to float on the Amazon, and the other to fight an African village fighting champion. Who the hell would do that? Who the hell could tell that story and be telling the truth? One Mr. McConaughey.
But no story is told in a way to brag, but to explore how each has led to a Greenlight in his life. How the red lights, turned to yellow lights… and how those yellows turned green. Or how even some red lights may be disguised as greenlights. I appreciated his ability to recognize when his fame may lead to changes from down-to-earth boy form Texas, the core of who he was that he didn’t want to lose. And he would take steps to exercise humility and seek help (such a common thing for people who get a platform to exercise their ego.)
It’s okay to have flaws. It’s okay to share those flaws, but most of all we should always be working on improving yourself.
This entire book put his somewhat odd, at least at the time I first heard it, Oscar winning speech in a better light. One that you can take more meaning from knowing how this boy from a small town in Texas, turned into a man, and now my town’s Minister of Culture. His Hero is himself. Not because there’s no one better, but because he needs to look up to the man and respect who he will become. I really like that.
I read this book in two days, not because it was stories about Matthew McConaughey. But because it was a story of how a boy became a man, full of life lessons that I’ll continue to revisit. I gave my copy to a close friend of mine, and bought another one, as well as the journal that was released.
I’m constantly exploring ways for me to become a better person, and man and look forward to testing out a new way to get my thoughts out, and understand what my Greenlights are in my life.
Highly recommend this book to anyone.
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