I read Greenlights by Mathew McConaughey on my husband’s company trip last week. I think he is a phenomenal actor and I have listened to his Oscar acceptance speech and thought he seemed insightful. He is also a bit quirky and reading his memoir will showcase that and give an insight as to why. He has been through a lot in his early life. But haven’t we all been through a lot? The human experience may have unique circumstances for us all, but in the end, no matter what we go through, life on this earth will end and that should be a unifying concept. I’ve mentioned previously that I have always been a sucker for poetry. He has his own and others’ poems scattered throughout the text. I thought this elevated his talking points and stories. Here are a few of my takeaways from the book, whether you decide to read it or not.

He tells a story about his old truck. He loved that truck. The girls all loved that truck, but he thought everyone might like him more if he had a red sports car. He bought it. He started parking in a different parking lot to prevent dings in his doors. The further he parked from school, the further his friends seemed to get as well. He realized that having the car was changing him. He was checking himself out in the mirror more and checking on his car more. He soon understood what he needed to check was his ego. He returned the car for his old truck, started parking in the lot he used to, and stopped looking in the mirror. He learned a valuable lesson in high school through that experience that unfortunately takes some people years to understand. It’s not what you have or how much you spend on something that brings connection or makes you important. Don’t let things or money dictate how you are as a person.

He told the story of when he called his dad after his sophomore year in college to tell him that he no longer wanted to be a lawyer, but an actor. He was terrified that his dad wouldn’t give his blessing. He was worried he would disappoint him. His dad said something to the effect of—no matter what you decide to do, make sure you give it your all. I think as parents, caregivers, and educators we should remember this. What we say matters. How we react to things matters. We need to make sure our kids know how much they matter to us and that our love doesn’t depend on excelling in a particular class, sport, or career if they try their best. I’m watering it down a bit because his dad seemed like a tough son of a gun, but remember these are my takeaways.

Lastly, I was impressed with McConaughey’s focus on family. He mentioned multiple times that he always wanted to be a father. Once he found out he was going to be one, he immediately took his record company and another business endeavor off his plate so he could focus on being a dad. He didn’t want multiple things taking up his time. I think we could all learn from this. Our culture’s need for busyness takes away from what is important—the ones we love. The word balance is tough because I think to give something your all means something else isn’t getting it. When he realizes he is out of balance, missing family things or missing his art and acting, he pauses to find himself again so to speak. That’s how Greenlights even came to be. He disconnected to reconnect with himself. The only person you will never get away from—you. I’ve mentioned before how important it is to take care of yourself. To fill your cup so you have enough to fill everyone else’s. Let’s take a note from his book. Let’s recenter ourselves so we can focus on what’s truly important in our lives.

My greatest takeaway of all is to work towards our own “greenlights” and teach our kids to do the same. I enjoyed this book. It made me think, it made me squirm a bit, and it made me laugh. Let me know if you’ve read it. Don’t forget to look around this weekend and be grateful—sunshine, flowers blooming, kids laughing…sounds like a greenlight to me.

Have a great weekend and as always, happy reading.