John Wick 3

I came away from the movie with a few lessons you probably wouldn’t have guessed…

If you listen to the news you might think I’d come away from such a gory violent film with the desire to slaughter a small Japanese village.

And there's something to that because according to one study — violent movies make aggressive people more aggressive.

But for me I came away with a desire to…

1. Be More Professional

Bloodied and beaten, John Wick collapsed under the hot desert sun.

As he was about to close his eyes for a final time, he was rescued by a man on camelback. He was then taken to a canopy where there was a hot bath and a new black suit awaiting him.

In other words — even in our darkest, hottest moments its important to dress well.

All the main characters in the film look so glossy and are so deliberate in their movements. Their style and behavior reminds me of the quote,

“How you do the little things is how you do everything.”

2. Join an Organized Crime Ring

Okay, maybe not, but there’s something to be said to belonging to a larger group of people who share similar interests, talents, values, goals, and rules.

You never know when you might need someone to stitch up your bullet wounds.

3. Live by Rules

Part of what makes the movie so interesting is the paradox of how a lawless underground society is so strongly governed by laws.

I am a firm believer in setting personal rules, but they can be difficult to adhere to when there aren’t any clear consequences for breaking them.

John Wick 3 is all about consequences.

“Consequences.” — John Wick

It’d be a lot easier to not skip “gym day” if you knew that in doing so an army of trained assassins would come to kill you.

“He knew the rules. He broke them.” — Winston

As the movie argues — rules are helpful because they are the only thing that separate us from animals.

“Rules… without them we live with the animals.” — Winston

4. Become Great at Something

Whoever comes, whoever it is… I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all.” — John Wick

I don’t have any interest in becoming great at Kung-Fu but watching someone be great at something inspires me to want to be better at the areas I care about.

Mob Boss: It’s not what you did, Son, that angers me. It’s who you did it to.

Son: Who?! That fucking nobody!?

Mob Boss: “That “fucking nobody” is John Wick. He was an associate of ourselves. We call him Baba Yaga.

Son: The boogeyman?

Mob Boss: John wasn’t exactly the boogey man. He was the man you sent to kill the boogeyman.

Son: Oh

5. In-Case-of-Emergency

When we’re young we don’t have as much of a safety net for when things go wrong, but as we get older we start building up our cache of guns (metaphorically speaking, of course ;).

It’s smart to build up a cache of tools: duct tape, locks, pepper spray, financial diversification, backup credit cards, etc.

Better to have multiple-lines of defense for when the inevitable storm comes.

Do these things and you just might be called, Baba Yaga.

#ThursdayThoughts

When you don't have money, you think money is going to solve your problems —and to some extent it does. 

But at a certain point it brings its own problems with it. 

Having money is like a having a child. 

You have to care for it, you have to tend to it, and you have to watch it every minute! 

You do this not only to make sure it grows, but to make sure it doesn’t shrink. 

Money is alive and volatile! 

That means I am constantly thinking about my money. 

If you’ve never experienced it, it might be hard for you to understand. 

Amazing feeling! But that’s what’s crazy. I mean, I enjoy all this stuff well enough. 

But as far as my possessions go, honestly — and I’ve really thought about this — I get more pleasure from my FAMILY than anything else. 

That’s the truth, the absolute fucking truth. 

Materially, I don’t need much to be happy. 

I already have everything I want. 

What I am working for, if I am entirely honest, is just the thrill of making more money. 

It’s like playing a game, a game in which the prize is power, the power that is represented by that money. 

Power for what? It doesn't matter! 

The prize is the power itself. It is the feeling of power. 

There is a sensation I get when I make money… If you haven’t experienced it, I can only compare it to sex, or gambling, or a drug. 

It’s exactly like that — maybe even better. 

So my investments and my business ventures are like various casino games, except in my games the odds usually favor me…. And what I live for on a daily basis — this is the darned truth — is just the thrill of playing those games. 

I first started to realize how fucked I was when I found myself thinking about other people’s professions in terms of the bottom line. 

I mean, I have a pal from childhood who is a doctor, and I found myself thinking what an irrational job choice this was for him. He cares about money too, and I just thought, what a waste, how inefficient a use of his time and talent… there are so many better ways to make money. 

Crazy, huh? 

I don’t know what the hell it’s like to be a doctor, but I would guess there’s a whole level of meaning there that people get off on. 

I am not sure I like who I am. 

But I have no choice, no more than a lifelong drug or sex addict does. 

I see businessmen bullshit themselves about why they are really doing it — you know, that they are trying to improve society, or it’s all for their family, or whatever other bull crap. 

That could just be PR, but it also can be self-deception. 

Don’t fool yourself, I think! 

I know you! 

You’re just feeding the monkey! … So, that’s my story. 

I am not entirely proud of my life, but I accept it. 

I try to be as comfortable as I can, to have as much fun as I can, but I’m not in denial about anything. 

I know I’m basically just a junkie living for the next hit of MONEY.

Wednesday Wisdoms

The best way to get even is to forget.

Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death.

God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

Some folks wear their halos much too tight.

Some marriages are made in heaven...
but they ALL have to be maintained on earth.

Unless you can create the WHOLE universe in 5 days...
then perhaps giving "advice" to God, isn't such a good idea!

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up.

Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous... 
You will get knocked down by the traffic from both ways.

Words are windows to the heart.

A skeptic is a person who...
when he sees the handwriting on the wall claims it's a forgery.

It isn't difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill; just add a little dirt.

A successful marriage isn't finding the right person ...
It's BEING the right person.

The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.

Too many people offer God prayers, with claw marks all over them.

The tongue must be heavy indeed, because so few people can hold it.

To forgive is to set the prisoner free... 
and then discover the prisoner was you.

You have to wonder about humans... 
they think God is dead and Elvis is alive!

It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again... 
Just be sure to flush when you are done.

You'll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out it's neck.

If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence... 
you can bet the water bill is higher for sure