“…A Roof Is a Man-Made Thing”

“Don’t create imaginary constraints. A leading role, a blue ribbon, a winning score, a great idea, the love of our life, euphoric bliss… Who are we to think we don’t deserve these fortunes when they’re in our grasp? Who are we to think we haven’t earned them?

If we stay and process within ourselves, in the joy of the doing, we will never choke at the finish line. Why? Because we’re not thinking of the finish line. We’re not looking at the clock. We’re not watching ourselves on the Jumbotron performing. We are performing in real-time where the approach is the destination, and there is no goal line because we are never finished.”

― Matthew McConaughey, Greenlights

This passage really hit me. 

At some point, we have to stop asking (metaphorically), “How many words are necessary for an ‘A’ in life?” And, we must stop thinking we will one day “arrive,” and all will be well. It’s important to chase our dreams, our next personal best performance, AND to keep running past the finish line! There is no end. That new personal record becomes your baseline–your starting point to the next location on your journey. 

To some, thinking this way might seem exhausting. However, I encourage you to embrace it. It’s far less disappointing to think of the “finish line” as a new beginning rather than arriving at “said goal” and realizing it didn’t really satisfy you.

Later in this same section of the book, Matthew McConaughey goes on to say…

“The greatest snipers and marksmen in the world don’t aim at the target, they aim on the other side of it. When we truly latch on to the fact that we are going to die at some point in time, we have more presence in this one.”

Be proud of where you’ve come, and aim past the target!

Embrace YOUR journey. It’s all you can really control anyway. 

Want to leave you with the last part of this Greenlights passage–

“Reach beyond your grasp, have immortal finish lines, and turn your red light green, because a roof is a man-made thing.”

Let that sink in…” a roof is a man-made thing!”

No more imaginary constraints, my friends. Do the dang thing!

Side Note: Not sure who needed to read this today, but again…I love this book, and quite honestly, I don’t want it to end. Lol. Did I mention that I’m reading the physical book and highlighting like a madwoman WHILE listening to Matthew read aloud to me on Audible? You have to listen to him read it; it’s an experience.