Click and Priorities
Hi, everyone. One of the things that I have been thinking about lately is the nature of setting priorities. This was reinforced to me as I watched the movie Click on the Fourth of July. For those of you who haven’t seen this movie, it came out six years ago and stars Adam Sandler as a workaholic who can’t seem to find his way to have enough time for everything in life. When going to a Bed, Bath, and Beyond, he meets a mysterious man named Morty who offers him “a universal remote control to control your universe.” There are a few requisite jokes once he figures out what he has, such as pausing his boss to slap him around after he orders him to work over the Fourth of July weekend, and hitting the slow-motion button when a woman is running. However, if you think of this movie only in terms of the joke, you will miss the larger point.
What Are Your Priorities?
The lead character has a family that wasn’t rich, but one that was full of love growing up. Seeing other kids enjoy the material things in life, he decides to try to work to make for a better life for his kids. This takes the form of hitting the “skip” button to avoid dinner with his parents so he can focus on designing his next project. Later, he has a fight with his wife, and he fast-forwards through the whole thing.
*SPOILER ALERT* Ultimately, when he gets passed over for a promotion, and gets frustrated after having to take his kids’ bicycles back, he decides to skip to his promotion. He finds out that it takes him forward one year. *END SPOILER ALERT*
One of the key elements of the story is that, eventually, the remote starts to program itself based on the preferences of the user. Thinking that he was getting the life he wanted, he realizes how much he misses along the way, but he learns this lesson at a huge cost.
Hollow Success
This reminds me of the concept of hollow success. No matter how much people think that financial success is the end-all, be-all of existence, it is something that must take its place in a well-rounded life. After all, what good is having all of the money in the world if there is no one to share your life with? As Jim Rohn reminds us, when we neglect one area of our life, it tends to show itself in other areas of our life. So, rather than focus on only one thing in life, it is important to become a well-rounded individual. Rather than focusing on only one thing, be sure to spend time with the people who love you, and improving as a person.
What things do you do to make sure that you aren’t fast-forwarding your way through life?
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Tags: Adam Sandler, balance, Click, family, priorities, workaholic
This entry was posted on Friday, July 8th, 2011 at 11:43 pm and is filed under Business, Culture, Movies, Personal Development. 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.
July 9th, 2011 at 9:16 am
Hey Steve,
I love the lesson you have expressed here and I had the same take away from Click, which did have a powerful message for those who chose to see it..
It is imperative that we strive for a life/work balance. It isn’t always easy to achieve…your interactions and the time that you spend with the people you care about will be the major source of the pleasure, enjoyment and satisfaction that you derive daily.
This type of shift in priorities will also result in better physical and mental health and will lessen the amount of stress that we all have in our lives.
Keep inspiring us,
Marc
Marc Korn´s last [type] ..Who Is Responsible For Your Success ?
July 10th, 2011 at 3:43 am
Steve, your insight is shows no limits…
I agree, with Marc and yourself with sharing time with people who love you, and you love. This is a key to keeping the balance, and support of your family.
Taking time out of being involved in so many projects, that you loose track of what really matters. Enjoyment of living and sharing all that memorable time, with family and friends. Something to look back on like adventures, and simple relaxation.
Hey, go fishing with the boys. Travel to Disney with all your family. Go, bowling with friends and just get silly. Laugh and smile on a wonderful movie. Just take what your blessed with, and be happy. Once time has past, you would want something to look back on, that involved all loved ones smiles and general happiness. Being available and accountable for taken valued time, to experience the fun things in live, with people who love you. Now this is priceless. Nothing compares to continued joy and happiness surrounding you. It attracts more of it, in huge piles of smiles.
It gets easier, if you involve love one’s in the creative process of your business. They learn how to support others with ethical activities. They learn what is your passion and how dedicated you are to them and others. It works if you keep a constant awareness of sharing yourself.
The business building is a lifetime journey, and not a race. Your love ones are the center stone of your health and welfare. Think about if everyone is happy and involved in some aspect of your business. It makes them feel awesome. Just knowing that you believe in them, and their abilities. Then to be trusted with the operation of your business. Not as employees and should never be treated as one. Only involve them in something that they enjoy about the business.
If we just go beyond placing pictures on our computers and desks, of our families. Those are reminders in times that you find it difficult. Having a real person around you will keep your spirit charged, and your motivation going.
Have fun and release that thought of you have to work like your still doing that 9-5 stuff. Hey, your in control of how much time to spend. When to take off for pleasure and relaxation. Being recharge by enjoying outside activities that do not involve business, will increase your overall wellness and production level. You just think clearly and have unlimited energy to really focus on what needs to be accomplished.
Steve, great subject matter that can be responded in unlimited ways. This is an amazing blog, and I look forward in returning soon.
Your are wonderful and empowering leader in our industry. Everyone who has a chance, no honor to be involved with you. They will have great experiences, and appreciate a passionate, dedicated mentor as yourself.
William Earl Amis Jr III´s last [type] ..In The Beginnings
July 11th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Thanks for another thoughtful article Steve. I’ve seen Click and agree that there is an important message behind the usual Adam Sandler silliness.
I believe getting really clear with ourselves about our priorities begins with the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and then taking action to support those stories. For example if a man sees himself as a loving and attentive father, then for that to be true he needs to decide exactly what actions he needs to take to support that – those then are added to his list of priorities.
The real challenge comes from the fact we all have many stories – work, family, love, happiness – and how to establish priorities that allow all of our stories to connect in a way that adds value to our life and those around us.
marquita herald´s last [type] ..284 Million Reasons to Recycle Eyeglasses
July 12th, 2011 at 2:00 am
Hi Steve,
Thank you for writing this post. I haven’t watched this movie but by reading your article, it really makes me take a look at my priority again. And, I am glad to find out that my priority is not changed and it stays. However, your article helps me realize I need some changes in the family and work area. Sometimes, I spend too little time with my little one when I can’t finish my work. So, this is not healthy and can be avoided. Time to readjust certain thing in the middle part of the work.
Great information, Steve. Many thanks again
Cheers
Pearly
PearlyQuah´s last [type] ..Use Video Email With Appreciation
July 12th, 2011 at 7:58 am
Hello Steve, I absolutely agree with the need for being well rounded in life. Jim Rohn had it right when he said that neglecting one part of our life shows up in other parts. If one part of our life is totally out of balance and sync, everything else is affected in some way, whether we realize it or not.
Eldon Beard´s last [type] ..Conquer Distraction and Grow Your MLM Business Faster
July 12th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Hey Steve- This is a great post and resonate with right where I am at the moment. I had been so focused on doing all the computer stuff I need to do in order to get my online business functional that I was leaving other things behind.
So I felt no guilt whatsoever when I took this past week off to do many of the things that I had left behind as I was sequestered in my cluttered little home office.
Now I am rethinking my priorities and taking deliberate time to enjoy life while I work on other things too.
Jim Talbott´s last [type] ..Caserta Royal Palace: The Park
July 12th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Hi Steve,
I really enjoyed your article about setting priorities in our lives. Using the movie, Click as a metaphor to illustrate the point that we must focus on balancing our lives and not acquiring “hollow success.”
I really liked the movie, except for a couple of the typical “Adam Sandler” benchmark he always leaves in his movies. Anyway, the interesting part about the movie is when the remote begins to program his life based on his preferences. This is profound because we tend to shape our lives by the habits and preferences we have. We can go for year’s doing the same things over and over and not realizing that if we see where we are and change some things that we do, we can greatly improve our lives.
Many people make the mistake of placing too much emphasis on material assets. Napoleon Hill talks about the blessings we receive at birth which was handed down to him from Dale Carnegie. One of the blessings is Material Riches of Your Own Choice and Quantity. This blessing is perfect because it gives us the freedom to decide what we feel reaches the level of what we recognize as wealth. One man could think having a yacht symbolizes “wealth” and another would not want to bother with the technicalities of owning one, and may choose a different symbol to his liking. It may or may not be of the same monetary value. The most important thing is not the “stuff” but the balancing the stuff and not focusing too much on material assets.
My favorite quote from the article is “Rather than focusing on only one thing, be sure to spend time with the people who love you, and improving as a person.”
Thanks for sharing. This is a very insightful article.
Raena Lynn
Raena Lynn´s last [type] ..Do You Have to Start Out Small and Get Big?
July 12th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Hi Steve,
sounds like an interesting movie that I haven’t watched so far.
Well, to me it sounds a bit like the old slamming of love against money. We don’t have to choose either the one and the other, we can have both when we choose it. Love and money are equally important and they can’t replace each other.
The problem of the lead character is not the he sarcificed his family for financial success, the problem that he thought he had to sacrifice his family for financial success.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
Oliver Tausend´s last [type] ..MLM Success With Think And Grow Rich And Oliver Tausend Pt. 10
July 12th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
I nearely cried after watching “Click” for the first time. It made me realize that my job was taking over my life at the expense of my family. Recently I was forced to quit my job due to health issues. It was good in a way as it has forced me to get closer to my family and follow the dreams and passions I have been putting off for the last 40 years of my Life.
We only get one Life to Live unfortunately (depending on your religious beliefs of course), so I am now making the most of it.
Danny´s last [type] ..Health Benefits Of Oatmeal
July 12th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
I enjoyed Click too Steve, thanks for reminding me about it. Best of all the movie carries the inspiring message you’ve shared here.
Happiness is really the goal, and that is best supported by a well rounded development. Too much focus on just one side of life (whichever it may be) will tend to leave you lacking in other areas.
Choose wisely how you spend your time… That’s the key!
Jym Tarrant´s last [type] ..Speed Up Your Blog With Ease – Slow Blogs Lose Readers and Rank Lower (part 2)
July 13th, 2011 at 3:13 am
HI Steve,
This would be a movie worth watching. Funnily enough, with a full life with family, sports, working on makeing the world a beter place, and making money, all from home, each year last an eternity for me.
When I look back, I marvel at how far I ahve come from the year before and understand why I had the frustrations I had, due to lack of knowledge.
I am not perfect by any means. When I live in the moment, everything flows. It is a place where we forget about past and future. The more time we spend there, the happier we will be.
John Gaydon´s last [type] ..Abundance – It’s All In The Mind
July 14th, 2011 at 2:22 am
Thank you for your reply, Marc! It really is amazing what happens when we find that balance. However, I think that we tend to miss that balance too often because Quadrant I things can get in the way of the really important things in life in Quadrant II. I guess the real question is how to figure out the best way to avoid being distracted by emergencies.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:26 am
Thank you for your reply, William! It reminds me of something that Suze Orman reminds us in her books. She insists that we take every vacation that we are entitled to. If we don’t, we end up being burned out and lose perspective. Even if you have to do a stay-cation where you turn off the phone, sometimes it’s a good idea just to get away from the pressures of the office world. I know that with the problem of burnout, a lot of churches are requiring (not asking, but requiring) the pastor to take one Sunday off every quarter because of burnout. There are some people who seem like they might actually be better off if they had such a policy in their career.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:30 am
Thank you for your reply, Marquita! You are so right about all of the different hats that we have to wear in life. I was watching a video presentation by Stephen Covey based on his book The 8th Habit, and in the video, he starts by putting a bunch of pebbles in a bowl. A participant from the audience has a bunch of rocks that represent vital areas on life, and she has to decide how to fill the jar. She can’t do it because the pebbles are in the way. When the jar is emptied, and she puts the most important things in first, she even has room for all of the pebbles. Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves what is a pebble and what is a rock.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:34 am
Thank you for your reply, Pearly! It’s great to hear that you are now thinking of ways that you will be able to spend more time with your kids. I don’t have any of my own, but I know that there are so many stories where I think about them and I am shocked to realize that they happened 10, 20, or even 25 years ago. Sometimes, I wonder if a remote control that has a slow-motion button really would come in handy
July 14th, 2011 at 2:35 am
Thank you for your reply, Eldon! This is why I have to disagree with the people who insist on focusing on just one thing. You might want to do that for professional things, but if that takes up your entire life, any success you end up with will be very hollow indeed.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:40 am
Thank you for your reply, Jim! I know how easy it is to get lost in building things on the computer. I think I’m going to have to make a rule of no checking Facebook before noon
It’s always good to enjoy life so you now what you are building for. Building just to be building will never fulfill anyone.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:43 am
Thank you for your reply, Raena! You are so right about the part of the movie where it starts to fast-forward for him. He insists that he never wanted it, but Morty reminds him that he had been fast-forwarding his way through life long before he ever met him.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:48 am
Thank you for your reply, Oliver! If you watch the movie, it’s not so much a question of having to choose one or the other. By all evidence, even though he saw his parents lifestyle as embarrassing because it wasn’t extravagant, it’s pretty obvious that they weren’t poor. Family vacations every year, plenty of time to visit families, and they are clearly enjoying their retirement. However, the main character saw status as the big indicator in life.
I don’t think it’s a matter of love and money being equally important, but that they are both important in different ways. When people think that one is all that matters, that really leads to a lot of problems.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:51 am
Thank you for your reply, Danny! I think that this was a movie that was definitely marketed wrong. I remember seeing the commercials and thinking that it was going to be another goofball comedy, but it really wasn’t. I don’t know if it’s because the studio didn’t know what to do with Adam Sandler for a while after he did Punch-Drunk Love, but this is definitely one that moved me as well.
I’m sorry to hear about your health issues. I hope that you are now doing something that helps you find the things that help you find your place in life without affecting your health problems. I’m glad to hear that you are making the most of your time!
July 14th, 2011 at 2:56 am
Thank you for your reply, Jym! I can’t help but think about the scene in 30 Rock where Jack thought that he was dying after he had a heart attack, and (in a nod to that famous saying about people’s last words) said that he wish he had spent more time at the office because that was the only part of his life that he was ever really good at. I think that I would much rather see myself able to say “it is well” when my time comes.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:58 am
Thank you for your reply, John! I know what you mean about being amazed at just how many things that we do. There are times where it seems like it’s still not enough. I know that there are people who say that if they retired they don’t know how they would live. I think that the problem with this is tying your identity to only one aspect of your life. Do this, and when it is gone, it is pretty hard to regroup.
July 14th, 2011 at 5:40 am
Hi Steve
A great post to remind us that we need to prioritize and have a balance in our lives.You have set me back to thinking about making every moment count in our lives especially with our love ones and not to neglect them as we tend to when we are too engrossed in other areas of our lives.Its hard to recoup what we have missed out in life. Its never too late to start. Thanks for the reminder…
Irene Pereira´s last [type] ..Compromise in a Relationship
July 19th, 2011 at 12:09 am
Hi Steve:
Great illustration! I really enjoyed that movie for the same reasons that you mention in this post. It makes you think about priorities.
Without our priorities in the right order our life trajectory is going to change dramatically.
Blessings,
Kevin
Kevin Martineau´s last [type] ..How should we respond when our world gets turned upside down?
July 19th, 2011 at 10:56 am
Hello Steve,
After watching that movie, click, I was very saddened. I am not a real big fan of Adam Sandler, but that movie did have some life touching points in it if you were wise enough to see through the humor.
The part where he scolded his father and said he knew the secret of the coin trick, man that just tore through me.
You never miss the water until the well runs dry.
I want success, but not at the expense of my family and loved ones.
Willie Robertson´s last [type] ..Do You Have To Build A List To Build A Business? Pt 1.
July 20th, 2011 at 12:57 am
Thank you for your reply, Irene! I know how easy it can be when things just get so busy in order to overlook those around us. It reminds me a lot of the four quadrants as explained by Stephen Covey. I think that there are just so many times when we get so focused on Quadrant I that we get totally distracted from the most important quadrant of them all: Quadrant II. This is a movie that shows us what happens when we focus so much on emergencies that we miss the truly important things in life.
July 20th, 2011 at 1:36 am
Thank you for your reply, Kevin! I can’t remember who said it (I’ve heard Jim Rohn say it, but I’m not sure if it’s his or something that he quoted of someone else), but one great quote about that is “If you live your life without a plan, you’ll be going on someone else’s plan, and they don’t have much planned for you.” We certainly don’t want to live the life that the Ammers of the world would have for us.
July 20th, 2011 at 1:39 am
Thank you for your reply, Willie! That was really the part that got to me, too, especially knowing what you do about this part of his relationship with his dad at this point in the movie. Fortunately, we all have that choice, and we don’t have something that puts us on auto-pilot based on previous choices. We can always decide that we want to take another path when we realize we are on the one we don’t want to be on.