What you need to know about Jim Carey’s 60-second commencement speech
And why you need to take what he said at face-value.
Lately, on social media, I’ve seen a lot of link-baiting regarding Jim Carey’s inauguration speech.
“In just 60 seconds Jim Carey can change your life.”
“See how Jim Carey changes your life in 60 seconds.”
“See how my shitty blog tries to get click-thru for one post.”
I’ll be brief. Jim makes a very sound argument — it is possible that the safe route can fail you. More importanly, he makes a poignant speech that plucks at our very heartstrings. It’s not easy to chase your dreams, but in the end, why would you do anything else? If you’re just as likely to fail at the safe route, why take it?
Are you just as likely to fail at the safe route? That’s the question everyone should be asking themselves. We should all sit ourselves down and have a very, very real talk about what is realistic and what is possible.
On the topic of what IS possible, Jim Carey fails to address the following, sounder arguments, some of which are VERY. HARD. TRUTHS. TO SWALLOW*:
1) As far as possibilities are concerned. FAR More often than not, the safe route is safe.
2) For every 1 Jim Carey, there are thousands, hundred of thousands, maybe even millions of hopefuls who are bar-tending, with a wife and kids, with no health benefits, no 401k and no chance of EVER being Jim Carey*.
3) Jim Carey’s dad was fired and left with a valuable skill, a skill set based in a very stable market that pays a very decent and competitive salary.
4) Again, for every 1 Jim Carey, there are thousands, hundred of thousands, maybe even millions of hopefuls who are bar-tending, with a wife and kids, with no health benefits, no 401k and no chance of EVER being Jim Carey.
I’m not trying to undercut the importance of appreciating your dreams, but I do think that Jim Carey EXTREMELY undervalued the notion of the “safe route.”
THE FACT IS, some things are FAR MORE likely than others. And at the end of the day, besides never starting a sentence with a preposition, we shouldn’t paint the process to be so black and white. I wish Jim Carey had the presence of mind to preach the “Grey Scale” of success.
There is a place where you can balance what you think is safe with what you really want to do.
Life is about finding your niche. I agree with Jim in that too often in life we go toward the safest option. In this example, we’ll use accounting. The safest route would be finding the largest accounting firm, with the most clients in the most common field. What we should all come to appreciate though, is how the “Grey scale” could apply to being an accountant. For example, RHYMESAYERS has an accountant (I know because I met him.) YOUNG MONEY MILLIONAIRES has an accountant. BILL GATES PROBABLY HAS AN ACCOUNTANT.
What I’m trying to say is, finding a career is about applying your rational mind (the mind that understands your responsibilities) to your passion. It’s about finding that middle ground. It’s a lot more difficult than the “safe route” but it’s a whole hell of a lot safer than going off the Jim Carey deep end. More often than not, you’ll find that you’re able to find that little place of heaven that you can reside in.
At the end of the day, you should always do what you think is right for yourself. You should make decisions based on confidence, based on your understanding of your own self-worth. However, never, EVER be afraid to align what you want to do with what you think you ought to do. Don’t be afraid to listen to that voice. It’s not trying to trick you. It’s trying to bring up a very, very valid point. It might not be as romantic as you’d like, but consider it next time you look your spouse, your child or your parents in the eye and tell them that they don’t have to worry — that you’re going to take care of them.