Book Review: Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Possibly you’ve seen him in the movie Mud or maybe Lincoln Lawyer? Perhaps you’ve noticed him as the ever-popular brand ambassador for the Lincoln Motor Company. These distinctions barely scratch the surface of Academy Award-winning actor, Matthew McConaughey. Well known for many roles, his book, Greenlights, tells a diverse and often unexpected story in a narrative style as individualistic as the man himself. Just as he hunkered down, alone for 46 days to write this “love letter to life,” you’ll want to hunker down to read it.
Why are we reading this book?
We strive to leave one-of-a-kind fingerprints on every one of our projects. We’re reading McConaughey’s Greenlights because his “life’s fingerprints” are all over it with intention, vulnerability, and a writing style unlike any book of this genre. How does one describe the genre of Greenlights? First, by what it is not—a memoir, self-help, or advice book. Instead, he calls it an “approach book to try on for size and see what fits.” You just have to see for yourself what that means…Matthew McConaughey style.
Backstory:
Early on, McConaughey decided to become a lawyer. A year abroad in Australia and other life events confirmed his decision. At the end of his sophomore year at University of Texas, it wasn’t final exams that kept him awake. Rather it was a feeling that he didn’t want to spend his twenties “preparing for the rest of his life.” It was then that the book The Greatest Salesman in the World practically fell into his lap. Its first tenet taught him to be true to himself which completely changed his life’s trajectory. And he’s never looked back.
Challenge:
It was McConaughey’s 3.82 GPA that got him into UT’s film school honors program. It was his dad’s unexpected supportive comment, “Don’t half-ass it,” that gave him the “extra kick in the butt” to stop at nothing until he reached his goal. When common sense told him Hollywood didn’t care about his GPA, the challenge was acquiring relevant experience when he had absolutely no previous storytelling or acting background.
Solution Steps:
McConaughey’s ingenuity and often downright guts and grit to gain experience was nothing short of genius, as was his deconstruction of how to play a role that earned him his first acting gig. He’s more than qualified to offer his version of powerful insights for life’s success. A few are shared here exactly as he wrote them.
- “oneinarow”—Any success takes one in a row. Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more. Over and over until the end, then it’s oneinarow again.
- “less impressed, more involved”—The sooner we become less impressed with our life, our accomplishments, our career, our relationships—the sooner we become more involved with these things—the sooner we get better at them.
- “when you can, ask yourself if you want to before you do it.” Always thinking he wanted his jeans pressed, when the chance came along, he checked to see if that’s what he really wanted. Actually, he did not.
Summary:
McConaughey’s greenlight philosophy is the “super glue” that holds this book together. By his definition, greenlights mean go, advance, carry on and continue; they show up as “approvals, support, praise, gifts, gas on our fire, and attaboys.” Greenlights can also be disguised as yellow and red lights that slow or stop the flow of life. In his mind, even these obstacles can become greenlights of success with mental strength and perseverance. While the book has been designed to noticeably set off McConaughey’s nuggets of wisdom, you’ll want to keep a notebook and pen handy to jot some of them down for yourself. Alright, alright, alright!