A few recent movies-perhaps one that will surprise you- have prompted me to give some thought to what my life’s work is. Our time on this Earth is brief; what do we all intend to leave behind? It doesn’t have to be monumental. But it does feel like we could be more deliberate about it. It’s not something to leave up to chance.
Retirement, while still some time away for me, is something I think about fairly frequently. And not just because work can be seriously annoying sometimes! 🙂 It’s not just the financial side of things, although that’s pretty important. But it’s also about making sure that I wrap up this career, this life with some meaningful accomplishments. Sure, I created a lot of powerpoint, email, meeting invites in my life. But I hope that’s not all my life’s work was about!
I’m under no illusions that I’m going to cure cancer or start a billion dollar company. But I can be more targeted in how I contribute and make an impact.
Three recent movies, watched almost back to back, have prompted me to think more deeply about this topic. When I pack it all in- either from work or from life- what do I want to have accomplished? Better to think about it now rather than later.
Turning the Page
I’ve been diving back into Robert Caro’s LBJ series recently. And when I heard about this movie about Caro and his longtime editor, Robert Gottlieb, I knew I needed to watch it.
Both men have devoted much of their lives to creating amazing books. And Caro in particular has been singular in his focus on his two subjects- Robert Moses and LBJ. Gottlieb died recently, but Caro continues working on the final volume of his LBJ series. I’m not sure there’s a clearer example of someone who keeps his life’s work as a priority throughout most of his adult life.
You could also add Robert Moses and LBJ to the list of people who had a sense of their place in history. I’d argue that they both had numerous failings- but there’s no argument that they both had a huge impact on the world over the course of their lives.
Living
Dear Husband and I teed up the next movie in our queue, Living, shortly after watching Turn the Page.
A very different level of impact made by one person! Just a simple playground. But the character played by Bill Nighy, at the very end of his life, finds the energy and drive to give some meaning to his life’s work. He was determined not to end up as another bureaucrat who largely accomplished nothing. His life had value to the children who lived in that neighborhood- he made their lives better. Wouldn’t we all like to say that at the end of our days?
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
This one will probably surprise you. How could an action movie inspire me to think about my life’s work? Well, it’s hard to watch the movie and not think a bit about Tom Cruise and his personal life. He’s made some…interesting decisions. But aside from all that, I honestly believe that his life’s work is to entertain his fellow human beings. Just watch this video on his efforts to deliver on this during one famous stunt from the movie.
He is willing to risk his life to deliver the most awesome entertainment he can. He may be a lousy father, a bit of a weirdo, but his legacy as an entertainer will live well past his death. And perhaps there’s no other life’s work as noble as being in service to your fellow human beings.
These three movies have given me a lot to think about on this topic. Judging by these movies- the answer seems to be to be in service of others. Large or small, create something that makes the world a better place for those that remain. I’ll be thinking more deeply about what that means for me in the coming months and weeks.
