Succeed Or Fail - It's Up To You

It's incredible when you realize that
the people who GET somewhere awesome
in this world, without exception, all
seem to have the same characteristic-
they know deep deep down that in fact
they CAN do it, no matter how "illogical"
it might seem.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough
to see James Cameron in person, as
he received an honorary degree at
Ryerson University for his achievements
in film. This was just after "Titanic"
had broken all records.

James Cameron is the man responsible
for creating such classics as The Terminator,
Aliens, and Titanic. Not only did he direct
these films, but he also conceives the
very story idea, he usually writes the
entire script, he edits the films, and
has a major hand in just about EVERY
element of his movies- this is what gives
his movies that "look and feel" that
is uniquely his.

Guess what?
James Cameron never even went to film school.
He was driving a truck at the time, and
devoured the books on filming from the
university library.

And he took apart every camera he could
get his hands on to learn how they worked.

Guess what else?
Just about EVERY film he has ever done
started out with all the "experts"
predicting the film was going to be
a failure, because it would be too
costly, too experimental, too this
or too that.

I still remember his speech at Ryerson,
where he explained that when it came to
Titanic, while the film was still in
production, the "experts" all predicted
it was going to be a total failure,
because, after all:

1. "The film is a historical period
piece- nobody wants to see those
kinds of movies".

2. "Everybody already knows the story
of the Titanic- they already know how
it's going to end! No one wants to see
that!"

3. "The film is too long- nobody
wants to sit through a movie that
is about three hours long- especially
a historical period piece!"

4. "The film has no major movie
stars, nobody is going to want
to come see it". (This was
before Leonardo DiCaprio was
famous.)

And then at the speech, James
Cameron said, "Well, I guess
they didn't know everything!"

Cameron was so dedicated to making the
movie and getting it done properly
that when the studio wanted to cut
the funding of the film because it
was going over schedule and over
budget, he gave up his OWN director's
salary! He was willing to use his
OWN money to ensure he could get
the movie made the exact way he
envisioned it.

Now THAT is congruency.

And now, almost a decade later,
he is again revolutionizing film:



My point is this:
Congruency is everything.
You have to be COMPLETELY committed
to your goal.

Congruency means that every level
of your behavior is alligned and
consistent:
Your thoughts, your goals, your
actions, your lifestyle, your words,
EVERYTHING.

If you want a great woman, then you have
to STOP any type of actions that are
INCONSISTENT with this goal.

A great woman is looking for a great man,
and she will spot the inconsistencies-
be it a negative attitude, be it a lazy
attitude, be it hatred against women,
be it a closed-minded attitude, be it
lack of conviction in your self-worth,
be it a lack of sense of purpose, etc.

It really is up to you, no matter
what anyone else says, no matter
how good your excuse is for
failing.

The key though is to find out what
YOU are passionate about, and do that.

James Cameron didn't try to "fit in"
with everyone else so that he could
get a "normal" job. He found his
passion, and pursued that, no matter
how illogical it seemed.

It's not like he was 19 and in film school
with no 'adult' major responsibilities on
his mind.

At the time he made the decision to make
movies, he was 31 and a truck driver.

So, not having money is not an excuse
either for not pursuing your passion.

The next time someone says "you can't"
just remember the words of Mr. Cameron:
"I guess they didn't know everything."

Till next time...

Michael Marks
www.GetAGreatGirl.com