A Lesson on Quality from ‘The Lone Ranger’ #atozchallenge

“Forget the movie; I’d pay ten bucks just to look at this picture,” said David Letterman during his Johnny Depp interview for the upcoming action western, “The Lone Ranger.”

Letterman loves the still photo of a horse-riding scene where Depp plays a North American warrior named Tonto in the movie.

There is little room for error in the making and marketing of this $200+ million budgeted Disney flick. So, when an Emmy-winning talk show host like David Letterman delivers positive remarks about the smallest of details – a photo being just as worthwhile as the movie it represents -- you know the producers, cast and crew have done well by executing on one of key factors that makes all the difference in whether or not we live exceptional lives: Quality.

It is important to aim for quality in what you do as well as in the materials and services received from other people. This doesn’t mean you should meet or expect perfection always without fail; setting yourself up to get it right every time puts you in a better position to excel or come closer to doing so, right out of the gate.

• Put your best foot forward when participating in activities at home and at work. Don’t throw something together just to get it done. Do the kind of work that you’d be proud to share with others or at the very least, satisfied enough to want to repeat it or revel in it. 

• Put yourself in another person’s shoes and ask if you would pay for the work that you’ve done, the advice that you’ve given or the acts of service that you received. If the answer is yes, then chances are that it is of some quality. If the answer is no, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board to make improvements, or else you’ll be flirting with a state of mediocrity – and that does you no good.

• Give your undivided attention to the people who you interact with and the tasks you’re engaged in at the moment. Imagine how off-putting it feels to share a meal with someone who is so busy on his or her phone that the conversation between you two lacks substance. Think about how (not) fun it is to be in a car surrounded by drivers who are so busy texting, doing their makeup or participating in other distractions that they aren’t even looking at the road.

• Accept and use items that are built to last; cheap products and lots of mass-produced goods do not spell Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y. Buy local if you can.

While there is no guarantee that you will get high quality results in all areas of life that involve both short and long-term needs, refusing to settle for the easiest or most convenient options will likely backfire, eventually leaving you unfulfilled.

David Letterman considers Johnny Depp’s horse-riding photo from “The Lone Ranger” to be so fantastic that it “looks like a Charles Russell rendering,” especially since the actor looks like he knows what he’s doing on a pony.

Interestingly enough, Depp, who slipped, dropped and was almost “horrifically mangled” by this horse during one speedy obstacle run while shooting, told Letterman that the photo is the result of a few seconds before things went very sideways on set. Depp’s experience with what Letterman calls an “excellent” movie reminded me that while you don’t need to be perfect, you can find grand moments in the rubble of almost any circumstance to create, consume and engage in something of merit. This applies in the details of a thing; the pieces of a puzzle; not just in the main attraction.

What are one some of the things that affect YOUR Quality of life for better or worse?

Can YOU an item, product or service where you refuse to skimp on Quality?

When was the last time that YOU put convenience (or size, name, referral, color, price, familiarity, smell, texture, brand recognition, etc.) over Quality?

What Johnny Depp Can Teach Us about Perfection #atozchallenge

“We’re all damaged in our own way. Nobody’s perfect. I think we’re all somewhat screwy; every single one of us.” – Johnny Depp

The legend of Johnny Depp (a mysterious, boundless, hot, untouchable hero who men love just as much, if not more than women) is one of a mythological figure that even the actor himself doesn’t live up to. He smokes, drinks and threatens to bite the noses off of any paparazzi who snap photos of his children.

These characteristics illustrate how Depp is simply a man; a talented man indeed, but, a man nonetheless. Those of us who adore him have kept the legend alive by putting him up on a pedestal of perfection but there are two things we can learn from the man that perfected the art of being strange.

Lesson #1 - Perfection lies in the Versatility of a Thing

This Oscar nominated actor’s rise from the horror film “A Nightmare on Elm Street” to upcoming western “The Lone Ranger” and a long-standing role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise can be attributed to his adaptable nature. If you compare the average person’s quest for perfection to Depp’s performance in each of his roles, however, flexibility is rarely among anyone’s top priorities.

As precious as time is, it’s troubling how much of it we waste trying to be perfect in every way. People seek a perfect appearance, perfect relationships, perfect mates, perfect jobs, etc. while trying to be perfect cooks, perfect hosts to house guests, perfect athletes – the list goes on.

If Johnny Depp teaches us anything, it is that a little lot of versatility can take you very far on the path to being the best in whatever role you choose to play. Want to be a perfect mountain climber, runner, writing professional, employee of the month or whatever has you putting in those extra inches of time and effort?

Consider being flexible in how you reach that desired level of perfection. Doing so will likely get you closer to your goal – you’ll just have to realize that a perfect toned body doesn’t have to look like an exact replica of the Olympic swimmers or gymnasts to be deemed a success.

You also don’t need to have your name in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the slimmest, most muscular or healthiest person alive to be the perfect YOU – whatever that looks like throughout your exterior and interior selves. The same goes for professional goals and personal interests.

Lesson #2 – All you have to do is be perfect at one Thing

The Guardian says Johnny Depp is not the best actor in the world, yet, possesses a “kooky freakery” that cannot be matched by anyone else. Despite Depp being what many people would describe as a weird individual, he is able to channel that into his work, resulting in large box office returns and critical acclaim. That goes to show that one need not be perfect in every sense of the word to excel in life.

In fact, as Johnny Depp would have it, you might be better off staying in your lane and making it work to your advantage instead of worrying about the areas where you fall short. If you are a great cook, then who cares if you can’t draw or paint worth a damn?! If you won the genetic lottery and are drop-dead gorgeous, then why are you stressing about the length or color or texture of your hair?! First, be glad that you have hair and food on the table to work with in the first place.

Perfect the things that you are best at and let those qualities shine through. The rest can probably be obtained or developed later as you go through life – or not. Either way, at least you can rest with the confidence of knowing that you are perfect the best great at something – whatever that something is.

Just as the definition of beauty varies depending on whom you ask, perfection is not something that we can put an exact finger on since it looks different from one person to another. Unfortunately, many of us forget that as we try to live up to certain standards that are skewed in the interests of public opinion and then measured against our own inner critics. It is a recipe for disaster in a never-winning battle.

Think these lesson are full of crap? Well, embracing quirks worked for Johnny Depp – and who is going to argue with a man who lives in three different countries and sits among the highest paid actors in Hollywood?! I’m not dismissing the importance of you striving to make yourself better, especially when it comes to getting out of your comfort zone every now and then. On the contrary, I am suggesting that the fastest route to perfection may be finding your thing, embracing it and working the hell out of it until you’re a master at it – and even then, there will continue to be more work to do.

If YOU could perfect one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Do YOU think perfection exists? If so, how does one obtain it? If not, then why are people trying to obtain it?

*A to Z Challenge Alert as of Saturday, April 20th, 2013: I'm not feeling well this evening and thus, the posts for Letters Q and R will be posted tomorrow on Sunday, April 21st, as a double feature.

What Joanna Cassidy Can Teach Us about Juggling #atozchallenge

Let’s get something clear first – I’m no professional juggler. I’m also willing to bet that you aren’t a juggling phenomenon who tosses multiple balls around at once, while catching each of them, either.

Arlee Bird, founder of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, is the only person I know so far who has the skills and history of touring acts to literally juggle it all. So, why do the rest of us keep pretending we’re some type of paid performance artist who can toss -- and catch -- everything that falls into our hands?

You may not be handling balls or clubs per se, like Arlee Bird, but you’re still trying to juggle the variables that make up your daily routine. I do it too. We all do it. Everywhere I turn, there’s somebody tossing around things, readjusting schedules, overlapping tasks – ahhh, the sweet smell of the multi-tasking life where everything is a blur and he or she is just trying to get through the day. We’re juggling PTA meetings, play dates, traffic tickets, gym memberships, part-time jobs, Facebook status updates, Twitter streams, active sex lives, thriving careers, social calendars, home repairs, grocery lists, and mid-term exams and so on.

The juggling act that we try to pull off reminds me of a teenager named Sue Ellen in the comedy “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” (one of my favorite childhood movies) starring Christina Applegate and Joanna Cassidy. In this movie, Sue Ellen lands a high-level corporate job after falsifying her resume to pass as an adult. She finds ways to cover the living expenses for herself and four younger siblings while their mom is away on vacation. This girl soon realizes how the demands of adulthood are not always as fun as they may seem when she finds herself spread thin between work and family life.

All the while, she also tries to keep up the facade of being “on top of it” all but faces a lot of trouble down the line.

At the same time, she’s maintaining a romantic relationship with a former co-worker and playing pseudo-mommy to her siblings – complete with enforcing rules and trying to carve out quality time for the needs of each one.

The instructions that Sue Ellen’s boss, Rose Lindsey – played by actress Joanna Cassidy, gave her for doing her job well at their company, is the exact way that we should approach juggling:

“Don’t feel overwhelmed, just do one thing at a time.”

As easy as Cassidy’s line sounds, you’d think that we would’ve adopted this way of living, already. The fast paced world we operate in, however, isn’t exactly conducive to a one-thing-at-a-time philosophy. To many people, that’s not the way to get things done, but rather, a way to get left behind. It’s a funny thing about juggling – if you have more balls than you can handle at once, you’re bound to drop some. Now, how’s that for a halfway approach to getting things done! Rose Lindsey a.k.a Joanna Cassidy is on to something with how she told Sue Ellen to handle this new executive assistant position in “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s dead.” I think that something is not only doing one thing at once but also the importance of prioritizing.

If you believe in living each day like it’s the last one you’ll ever have, let’s make these days count by doing the things that are most important to you. The other stuff can get done whenever they get done.

Maybe there will be time for it later, maybe it won’t, but I’ll tell you one thing -- most people who are terminally ill or already on their deathbed probably don’t make statements like “I’m so glad that I just finished that load of laundry this morning,” “I’m at peace because my hurried trip to the carwash was time well spent after running that red light a few roads back” or “I can rest now that I’ve made it to my lunchtime nail salon appointment.”

Granted, this is not a classic movie quote of epic proportions that goes down in history as the greatest line ever spoken in a scene. My hope is that you’ll take it for what it’s worth – a simple and effective approach to juggling all of the balls that life hands us as well as the balls that we willingly pick up, as if we already don’t have a full load to toss.

What are YOU juggling right now?

Do YOU prioritize your activities or are YOU just going through the motions, trying to keep your head above water?