“Look at them, Smithers. Goldbrickers… Layabouts… Slug-a-beds! Little do they realize their days of suckling at my teat are numbered.” -Monty Burns, The Simpsons
Quoting from an animated series, no matter how successful the run, would probably seem juvenile to many people. Now that The Simpsons movie has grossed $132,029,148 as of today, juvenile doesn’t seem half bad, now does it?
Mr. Burns, the owner of Springfield’s nuclear power plant, is complaining in the above quote the laziness of his workers. His frail, corrupt, little form stands as a monument against mediocrity.
I was thinking about the “M” word this week. I was going to post about “winning attitudes” and the sort, but honestly, it all sounded too cliche and saccharine to bear. Most people know by now that their thoughts dictate their behaviors which lead to their situations. Enough said.
Back to the big M. Mediocrity. Procrastination. Corner Cutting. All spawn of the same condition: Laziness.
During my college commencement ceremony, the valedictorian gave a speech about excellence. While the speech itself was contrived and peppered with predictable quotes (like most of the sort), I probably should have paid more attention.
Since I was a child, my work ethic could be described as lofty ambition with a touch of half-ass. Whether it was a 7th grade cardboard rendition of the Spanish missions or my literature review on the correlation between autism and thimerosal in children’s vaccinations for Statistics 301, I never really gave 100 percent.
Hell, I didn’t even give 60 percent. 50, on a good day.
And I still did well. My teachers would always make some comment about paying closer attention to formatting or instructions, or they’d scribble a comment about “unused potential,” but it didn’t matter to me. I still made A’s and B’s. In college, I even developed a formula (composed of Red Bull and Skittles) that allows crammed study material to enter one’s long-term memory (patent pending).
Fast forward to real life.
Last week I was preparing to submit a script of mine to a producer. This wasn’t just any submission. I was submitting a script of a TV show to the producer of said show. I knew it was a big deal.
The comedic script was pretty good. Everyone who read it laughed, or LOL-ed, if you’re under 30. But deep down inside, I knew that I’d cranked it out in my typical fashion. While it wasn’t a first draft, I knew it wasn’t tight. It wasn’t fine quality. It wasn’t the best I could do.
In that moment I confronted the mediocrity that I’d let rule for so many years and said simply, “Sorry, you’ve got to go. The stakes are too high.”
We’re not talking gold stars or pats on the back from professors anymore. This is my career. I knew it was time to care.
I spent the next 72 hours analyzing scripts of the show surrounded by the scripts of the show I had in my posession. I made outlines. I counted jokes, scenes and transitions. I wrote, deleted and rewrote.
It reminded me of how I feel when I’m in the dead center of a grueling spinning class; silently cursing the peppy little waif instructor and hoping she chokes on her headset.
And just as every exercise class must dismiss, I was done. In front of me was a completed project that I could be proud of. Probably not perfect, but it was good.
Yesterday I spent an hour on the phone with an award-winning screenwriter who’d read my work. He told me how to improve and none of his tips included anything “speedy.” He emailed me a few of the scripts he’d been working on and as I read them I thought, “So this is quality. I can do this.”
It took 24 years, but I finally realized that I’m not above the work. It’s possible to get a 4.0 and even a good education in college without breaking a sweat. I did it. Life is different. There are times when being a quick study pays off well and times it does not at all.
That is one of the reasons that I’ll only do what I passionate about. If I’m going to put in blood and tears, it has to be for love.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 at 10:36 am and is filed under Intentional Living, Focus, Lessons from Cartoons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.4 Responses to “Lessons in Laziness”
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August 12th, 2007 at 11:03 am
terrific article
absolutely true and timely
reminds me of when i was a child i thought as a child, etc.
i’m 58 and i just made the same change in my photography business attitude
best
patricia
August 14th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Thank you Patricia. It is comforting to know that we’re all on the same journey: growth.
August 14th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Amen! I am reminded of something my Mother used to say, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” Oh how it used to drive me crazy! Now I know it is simply the truth. And oh how it drives my daughter crazy!
Take care, Sandra - The Mompreneur Next Door
August 14th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Isn’t is funny how advice makes sense so many years post delivery? Thanks for the nice comment, Sandra.