I just watched Collateral Beauty, starring some of my favorite actors Will Smith and Kate Winslet. It was one of the most emotional films I have watched in a while, but the opening scene was as if it had been picked straight out of my head.  So much so that I felt I just had to share it with you – warning mini spoiler alert!

It begins with Will being introduced as a legend in the product marketing arena … he comes in and says: 

“What is your why? Why are you here? I know it is because I would fire you if you weren’t, but really… why.. What is your WHY? We certainly aren’t here to sales s**t. We are here to CONNECT.

Life is about people. Advertising is about explaining how our products and services will IMPROVE peoples lives!”  My soul cheers…

He goes on to say we are connected by Love, Time, and Death.  We all long for love, we all wish we had more time, and we all fear death.  These are the things that connect us. 

I won’t go into these three in case you would like to watch the movie, but I felt it was related our business.

Love… You must love the industry you are in, the people you work with, AND have passion about what you do in order to love the products you create and the service you offer.  At the core of what we do everyday should be a love or passion for doing it.  So what is your love/purpose? 

Time… past, present, and future… We should learn from the past, embrace the present, and look to build a better future.  This makes me think about our past innovators, our current workforce, and the passing of knowledge to our future generations.  This… maybe our biggest challenge!

Death… Look your fear straight in the eye and walk toward it… practicing this will only build your confidence and abilities.  We often fear the things that we don’t understand.. Get in there… understand what is happening… the fear will fade and you will grow as a person.  When one dream dies… another on is created… DreamOn… adapt… change… improve…. Grow!  

What is your WHY?