Three Things

If you’ve known me even a little well over the last ten years since my move to Chicago, you probably know that I am a Kevin Smith fan. Kevin Smith is the writer, director, and actor of such great films as Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, etc. Mr. Smith plays Silent Bob – the character who speaks very seldom but always with profoundness.

A few years ago, I wrote a speech to deliver to my Toastmasters group about the three things I have learned from Kevin Smith movies. While I am at a point in my life in which “professional adult” outweighs “fan girl” a little too much for my liking, I still hold true to myself these lessons. Here’s a recap:

1. You have to love your work. Face it; if you don’t get some enjoyment out of what you have chosen as your profession, you are going to miserable in every other part of your life. If Clerks taught me nothing else I learned that if you don’t like your station in life, change it. It is a standard I hold people to. You CAN change your life if you put your mind to it.

I realize that in the world we live in today, this is easier said than done. With so many people out of work and/or stuck in jobs they may not want or even jobs they for which they are overqualified, it is tough out there to still love going into work everyday. I even struggle with this sometimes, but then I am thankful that God gave me the opportunities I’ve been given to find work that I love.

2. You have to work at love. So many people don’t realize that relationships are work. They are organic – they must be paid attention to and cared for and worked at to keep them thriving. A very wise woman told me that a marriage is not always 50/50. Sometimes it’s 70/30; sometimes it’s 60/40, and sometimes it’s even 90/10. You and your spouse have to hold each other up sometimes. One of you will have to pick up the slack during trying times. My mother is a smart woman, huh?

Another very wise woman told me once that she wakes up every morning and chooses to love her husband. She makes a conscious effort to work at that relationship and make it great. Whenever I’ve been unsteady in any relationship (friend, family, significant other) I remember those words and make an effort to hold up my end of the deal. My baby sister is and always has been wise beyond her years.

3. You can work a movie quote into any conversation. Kevin Smith does this with ease – my favorite is during Clerks when Randall is moving a tortilla chip through a jar of salsa and says, “Duh Dun...Duh Dun... Salsa Shark! We’re going to need a bigger boat!” Come on admit it – that makes you smile. I would wager that my husband and I work a movie quote in AT LEAST once a day...the moments when you can reference something with another person that is almost an inside joke bring you closer together because they remind you of something you shared.

So, there you have it...my three life lessons I’ve held strong for the last ten years. What are yours?