Vive la Vida Like You're The Hero in the Movie
Three Point Essay #45 | Camera Crews, Failures Into Triumphs, Creating Your Own Story
Jeff Sullivan’s Three Pointers
I.
One day I was listening to Joe Rogan’s podcast when some words inspired me. Him and his guest were discussing a mental model that goes like this: imagine that a camera crew from this moment onward is going to be following you around. They tell you they are documenting every action you take on your road to success.
You then consider how different you would have to behave if this was a reality.
Would you still be smoking weed and playing video games? Would you still be blacking out every weekend? Would you still be taking days off from physical activity? Would you still be scared to speak your mind? Would you still be hanging out with people who don’t make you better? Would you still be doing what everyone else is doing? Would you still be waiting to execute on your ideas? Would you still be so embarrassed by the thought of failing that you don't even try? Would you still be a cynical piece of trash?
II.
Another powerful thing Rogan said—which resonated with me at the beginning of the pandemic—was that you can 'live your life like your the hero in the movie and right now you're at the part where you’re a fucking loser. And just decide to not be a loser anymore. Become the hero in your own movie.’
III.
When I was in elementary school, I played on an AAU basketball team called CMAC. I was one of only two white kids on the team (shoutout Steve)—and the slowest, weakest, overall worst player. On top of that, I was in 6th grade but the rest of the team was 7th graders. Our coach also only put us in 8th grade tournaments as a challenge.
Every other day I would get destroyed by older, better, stronger kids. Struggled to score, got pushed around, got shit-talked. All while barely being able to breathe. I had extreme asthma at this age and would have coughing fits during athletic activity. We practiced 3 times a week and would finish with bare-crawl suicides. Often I would be wheezing so hard that I would run to the bathroom and throw up. Everything about it sucked. I was always angry and discouraged. I felt like a loser.
But I kept grinding. Shooting in my driveway every single night. And I would always pretend people were watching—watching me transform.
Fast forward to high school when I didn’t have coughing fits anymore, had been lifting weights, and was still practicing every day. Because of the hellish AAU experiences, I had a huge chip on my shoulder. This chip propelled me to become a starting captain for one of the most talented teams in Worcester, make the all city team twice, and lead the team in scoring my senior year. None of that would’ve happened if I didn’t go through exceptional levels of embarrassment on the court when I was younger.
It’s not like this is a Hollywood sports success story. But the point is—things that piss you off or make you sad can be a blessing in disguise. Feeling like a loser is the ultimate motivation to improve.
Think of some stories you’ve probably heard before—someone who gets made fun of for being skinny becomes ripped. Or someone who hates themselves because they’re overweight loses the fat and becomes a joy. Or someone with a stutter becomes articulate. Or someone gets their heart broken and moves on to become a better version of themself. Or someone who people mock for being weird makes it big doing something creative. Or someone addicted to drugs becomes sober and healthy.
Perhaps some of these apply, or can apply to you. The common theme is using the negative stuff as fuel to grow. Take Batman. What was he like before he was a superhero? Scared, weak, afraid of bats. He became brave and powerful, he became the Batman.
Yes it’s a fictional character, but you can still draw inspiration from it. If you need someone more heroic than Batman, consider my story. I used to get killed on the court, so I became a killer on the court. As Ernest Hemingway said, “the world breaks everyone and afterwards some are strong at the broken places.” You can transform weakness and fear into strength and courage by taking lessons from pain.
HE WAS AFRAID OF BATS SO HE BECAME BATMAN.
ESPECIAL! HOLA CARNAL.
Converting your weakness to a strength is the definition of success. Great read Jeff.