The Most Important thing I took away from the Fight Club movie
and it’s not what you think it is.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Fight Club (1999), based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk, is one of the most important movies of the Millennial generation. Love it or hate it, but you can’t deny it has carved its place into the history of modern cinema. Everyone who has seen it has been touched one way or another. Whether you’re a film connoisseur drooling over the production design or someone with a penchant for black comedy and social satire, there’s something in it for everyone.
The dialogues, in particular, have seared themselves into the memory of even those who simply watched it in passing. This one is particularly famous:
“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need.” — Tyler Durden
And this one:
“You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis.” — Tyler Durden
Some people agree with it, some don’t. . . it doesn’t matter. I’m not here to talk about either of those right now. I wish to talk about the real nugget of wisdom which is, strangely enough, often overlooked by even the most die-hard fans of the franchise.
“No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide.”
This right here is a hell of a lot more relevant to our times that anything else that the extraordinary movie (and book) presents. In the day and age of creativity, where people all over the world are more motivated that ever to give shape to their ideas it’s all the more important to constantly keep this at the forefront of your mind.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a budding entrepreneur just starting up her first business, or an aspiring writer composing her first novel, or simply a desk jockey doing the work she loves at her dream company. . . as long as you create, as long as you love what you create, you must always remember:
No Fear: Fear is often the one thing that holds us back from doing what we set out to do. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of letting down those who believe in us. . . there are all kinds of fear that bind us, shackle us and hold us down. But if you truly wish to achieve your dreams, then you have no other choice but to overcome it.
Understand that fear is a natural response to the unknown. Everyone feels fear when they’re taking their first steps down an unknown path. Even the great Julius Caesar hesitated before crossing the Rubicon, the final step in his declaration of war against his old friend Pompey.
Which is why the first step to conquering fear is to accept it. Once you do that, you’re free to use whatever technique you will and follow whichever doctrine you’re most comfortable with. As far as possible, learn to cultivate a fearless attitude in your life towards everything: love, family, friends, career. .
You’d be surprised when you find out how much you’ve really been underestimating yourself.
No Distractions: There is no dearth of distractions in the Digital Age. The internet probably has enough content on it to fulfill a thousand generations’ need for mindless entertainment. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a little relaxation every now and then, but the insidious manner in which the internet eats away at your time is. . . frightening to say the least.
Worse, practically all content generated these days on the net is designed to get reactions out of the public. Explosive headlines, controversial statements, over-the-top-advertising of movies, video games and other entertainment media which is almost as distracting as the products themselves. . everything is carefully constructed to garner a visceral reaction from you.
The only way to steer clear of all this mayhem is to simply stop reacting. Remember that nothing worthwhile has ever been created by folks who binge-watch Netflix every night and tweet about the color of socks they’re wearing to work in the morning. So turn off that Twitter feed, log out of your Facebook page, disable your WhatsApp notifications and learn to focus upon your tasks.
For that is what it takes to create meaningful content: single-minded, laser-sharp focus. You must learn to tune out all distractions, which is a lot easier than it sounds once you actually make a sincere attempt towards it. Visualize your goals the best you can, never mind if it’s a bit vague at the early stage. Get your head into the game, focus upon your long-term objectives and work hard to get out of the reactive mode that so many things in life seem to lock you into.
And this doesn’t just apply to the internet either. There are plenty of distractions out there in the form of meaningless relationships. Nobody’s asking you to become a complete recluse, but you must learn to accept that there are some people out there whose existence adds nothing of value to your own; worse, their very presence is toxic and every interaction with them only succeeds in making you feel more lethargic and disenchanted with your own life. Folks like that are best avoided like the plague.
So keep your family and friends close, stay true to your professional commitments. . . but learn to weed out those who do nothing but eat away at your time. Learn to say ‘no’ to the late night drinks party that will bring you nothing but a massive hangover and another unproductive day, stay away from the pointlessly expensive vacation in the Caribbeans that your acquaintances drag you along to. Prioritize you dreams and creativity above aimless entertainment.
Believe it or not, it pays to be a little selfish from time to time.
The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide: This is probably the most important part of it all. It sounds similar to the portion above, but is a different thing altogether.
How often have you gone into work in a grumpy mood because of some foolish driver who wrongly cut you off on the road? How often have you gone back home in a towering temper after a particularly unproductive day at the office? How often have you taken out your frustrations on your loved ones because of something which had absolutely nothing to do with them? How often have you gone to bed, flush with shame and guilt, wondering what you ever did to deserve the kind of life you’re leading?
If the above describes even a single day in your life so far, just relax. We have all been there at one point of the other.
The road to success is a hard one, filled with many challenges and bumps along the way. Realizing one’s dreams is a long and arduous process, one that eventually takes its toll on even the strongest of us. What makes it all the more difficult is that there is only so much energy we can afford to spend on everything around us.
Our time in this world is limited, our energy even more so. There is only so much a man or woman can take before they burn out completely. As such, it’s necessary to have a clear idea of when to expend your strength and when to simply let things slide.
Learn to let go of minor frustrations. Learn to let go of things you cannot change. Rather than driving yourself insane over things that are simply beyond your control, learn to take it in stride and move on, your eyes continuously on your goal. As long as you’re moving forward, as long as you’re dedicating yourself to the things that matter, everything else is just noise.
This goes for everything and everyone: the nasty co-worker whose job is to ensure others don’t do theirs, the obnoxious consumer who insists on spamming your mailbox with unsolicited opinions about your work, the idiot on the road who yells at you even when you’re going well under the speed limit, the cashier who messes up your order so many times you’re convinced he’s got a grudge against you. Save your reactions as these people are unworthy of your emotional attention. Save it for your loving partner, your wonderful children, your kind parents, your awesome friends, your hard-working colleagues. . . the only people who, in the long run, truly matter.
Change, real change, is always accomplished one step at a time. You cannot change the world; what you can do is put in your effort into creating something that is capable of doing so, something that is capable of enabling someone else to do so. Focus on doing meaningful work, concentrate on creating important content, and step-by-step you will find yourself making a significant contribution into turning our world into a better place.
So go out there and do your thing! And always remember the mantra:
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