Sobering Reflections on the Movie “Click”

Imagine you are given a universal remote control – one that flips more than just sports, movies and news. What if this universal remote control does more? What if you could control your entire life through the remote control, enabling you to fast-forward, rewind, search by chapter, and freeze-frame your life? Wouldn’t this be nice? I know this sounds nonsensical. But, bear with me right now and I need you to put on your creativity hat and read the rest of the article as if you were a five-year old.

Well, this is the basic premise behind the movie Click. Adam Sandler who plays Michael Newman has a beautiful wife, two children, and a good paying job at an architect company. He feels, however, like many others in life. Absolutely exhausted and drowned from all the vicissitudes in life.  This is when he is given a supernatural remote control from a weird scientist Morty (Christopher Walken). Before I share the sobering insights from Click, I must tell you I really had no expectations about the movie. I merely wanted to have a good time with my girlfriend – a normal two hour thoughtless escape from all the craziness in life. So the philosophical undertones pleasantly surprised me. If you haven’t watched the movie, I highly recommend it. (This blog post is not mean to spoil the plot for you.) So here’s key lessons I learned from Click.

Choices Make Who You Are

How often do we realize that we are at a crossroad in our everyday life? The food we eat, the friends we socialize with, the movies we see, the books we read – all these choices culminate into our uniqueness. It determines who we are, our potential for growth or lack of, what our future will look like. Depending on what choices we makes, we will either nourish or damage ourselves. Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) is an extremely busy man. He scrambles to get his act together as a dad of two adorable pre-teen kids. He also attempts to be a faithful husband to a wife who supports him. He needs to excel as an architect and climb the corporate ladder. Sandler is firefighting every day of his life. He attempts to fulfill all these roles, but he fails to realize that all of this cannot be achieved at expense of another. Thanks to the universal remote control, he makes ‘adjustments’ to his life. He fast-forwards part of his life where all the whining, arguing, and “meaningless or trivial” part of his life. During this time, Michael is on autopilot. After skipping all the bad parts and transitioning into the best part of his life, Michael realizes that though he has been widely regarded as the most reputable and eminent architect, he has failed in the most important part of his life: his relationship with family. He discovers himself as a total freak. He has gained over 100 pounds, dismissed his father who has passed away, neglected his son and daughter who no longer loves him, and divorced with his wife who has found an another man. In all for what? Career? Reputation? Money? All these efforts led him to an unhappy, unfulfilling, meaningless life that led to physical death. The underlying philosophical message is clear. 

The choices you make, makes you. Choose wisely.  Especially as young adults, we never really think about this, but choosing wisely is utterly important. We need to choose our life based on what matters most important for us.

A corollary question emerges. What are your core values? What are the most important priorities in your life? Many people deceive themselves by thinking they really have a solid answer to this question. The reality, however, shows so many people live without intentionality.

A book that I recently read from Andy Stanley entitled ThePrinciple of the Path writ large after watching Click which conveys a similar idea. Unlike cars and computers which have problems to fix, people’s lives can’t be fixed. Rather, directions need to be changed. Stanley says “direction – not intention – determines your destination.” We must break the cycle of self-deception and choose the right path which will lead to the destination. Please watch the short clip where Andy Stanley talks about the principle of the path. 

I would like to challenge you to write down on your journal on what matters most to you. Reflect your current lifestyle. What kind of choices are you making and why are you making it? Do know that all of these choices will lead to inexorable consequences.

Be Present

Adam Sandler struggles to multi-task the various roles and projects in his life. He is absolutely deluged with so much stuff going on. I noticed that he doesn’t seem to be “present” in whatever he does. He is always thinking about something else. 

Learning to be present in life is something I continually struggle with. I always seem to be focusing on the future. I’m planning every new project, day, and activities and become worried how all my efforts will turn out. The movie helped me realize that what all I really have is now. The past is gone and the future is uncertain. Michael Hyatt says that this moment should be a gift.

Every moment is precious and life is way too short to be squandered. Rick Warren is right: “life on earth is a parenthesis of eternity." If that still doesn’t ring a bell for you, let’s try to quantify what this really means.

Let’s assume that you will have a lifespan of 85 years. That turns out to 1020 months or roughly 31,000 days. So, you have a total of 1020 months to live from the time you were born. I’m currently 25 years and 7 months old (307 months). That means I roughly have 713 months left.

Now, let’s think about all the time where I’m inactive and non-value added things that must be happen in our life.

Sleeping – People spend one third of their lives sleeping. So, out of the 713 months, really only have 474 months of time (39.5 years)  that I’m actually awake from now.

Bathroom – People spend more than 20 minutes every day in a bathroom doing things they must do. This doesn’t seem much, for the remaining 474 months (39.5 years) this amounts to 6.58 months in the bath room. Now, I have a total of 467 months left.

Eating – Assuming people eat three meals per day, we can say it takes roughly 2 hours per day eating. That means I will be spending about 38.9 months (3.24 years) eating from now to when I’m 85. After all the eating is done, I have about 428 months left (35 years).

Waiting – They say an average person spends about 5 years waiting in line and queues (i.e., 6 months waiting for traffic lanes). Since I’ve lived 25 years already, I’ll estimate that I have about 3 years (36 months) waiting a line. This leaves me to a mere 392 months. (32.6 years)

Working – If I continue to work until retirement around the age of 60, I have 35 years left to work. Given that I work approximately 260 days each year for 40 hours per week, I spend time about 93 months (7.75 years) working. I am left with a mere 24.85 years.

There is probably more ‘sunk’ time which I haven’t included, but this leaves me to 24.85 years or 298 months. Out of all the things that aren’t listed here, I need to prioritize my life so I can include quality family life in the mere 25 years. So, do you understand now I don’t have 60 years left, but a mere 25 years on earth?

Now, think about all the things you have taken for granted. Your cozy house, school you attend to, adorable children, a good physical health without major disabilities, money to buy food and amenities. I became more humbled as I reflect over the plethora of blessings God poured out in my life. I hope you could take the time to really live in the present. Live with foresight, not hindsight. Don’t live life like you’ll have another chance. This is your only chance. Unlock your potential, achieve your purpose, and glorify your Author and Savior.

Spiritual Lessons from Viticulture

You may want to stop reading the rest of this article if you can’t answer the following question in the affirmative, since it will be a waste of time. Have you ever felt a disconnect when you read the Bible? The context by which the Bible is based on is one of an agrarian culture which starkly contrasts with today’s suburban culture filled with Costco, Safeway, and Fred Meyers. Have you often had difficulty understanding the message with your head but failing to understand with the same poignancy with your heart? 

If you find yourself struggling to answer the question with a convicting ‘yes,’ I encourage you to read on since you are not alone. Let me introduce you Margaret Feinberg – a godly woman gifted with such discernment and wisdom. In her unquenchable thirst for learning more about God and the exact meaning of the Scripture, she embarked on a journey – literally crossings thousands of miles in United States to bridge the gap between the head and heart. She decides to visit Oregon to spend time with shepherd, Nebraska to observe farmers, Colorado to learn from beekeepers, and California to study from vintners. Now this is what amazes me. Feinberg says, “If spending time with vintners allowed me to grab hold of one more layer of truth or depth about our wondrous God, how could I not god? How could I not share what I learned along the way with everyone I knew?” I truly admire her initiative and consuming passion for God. 

Why Vintners, Vines, and Vineyards?

Feinberg shares a story about her journey to Napa Valley. She wanted to gain a first-hand experience from a vintner’s perspective on what Jesus really meant by abiding in the vine. Before I continue, you may ask yourself what on earth does learning more about God has to do with vintners, vines, and vineyards? The fact of the matter is the Bible is filled with “three hundred mentions of vines and vineyards in the Bible.” In fact, Feinberg remarks vines and vineyards provide a backdrop to some of the Scriptures most memorable stories.” For instance Balaam and his donkey encounter an angel in a vineyard. Elijah’s spiritual battle with followers of Baal takes place on the top of Mt. Carmel, aka “vineyard of God.” Isaiah portrays Israel as God’s vineyard. Feinberg superbly comments how the loss of vineyard indicates a sign of judgment where fruitfulness signals God’s restoration, promise, and blessing. In Genesis, Joseph is known as the “fruitful vine” which is interesting because the vine was part of a dream where Joseph interested for the chief cupbearer. In the New Testament, Jesus calls himself as a vine, inviting us, sons and daughters, to remain in him order produce fruit. 

Lesson #1: Respond to Where You’ve Been Planted

Feinberg in her book Scouting the Divine shares her drastically different experiences with two vintners. One from Napa valley and the other from Fresno, California. The vintner from Fresno focused on techniques and strategies which enabled “maximum production.” That is, thousands of acres of grapes in Fresno were undergirded by sophisticated machinery and irrigation systems to prune the vines and fertilize the soil. Many of these grapes dried in the hot California sun in order to become raisons, grace juice or wineries. 

On the other hand, her experience in Napa Valley was very different. The vineyard was incomparably smaller than Fresno’s. The goal for the vintner in Napa was interested not in maximum production but rather the “character and the flavor of each grape.” All the work was done manually and the vintner ensured the grapes were touched several times and pruned the vines to ensure the grapes received the perfect amount of sunlight. 

It is unquestionable that the two vintners were passionate about growing grapes, but how their approach in cultivating grapes were drastically different. Here, Feinberg makes a sobering remark; “Like viticulture, caring for God’s people and shaping culture in a meaningful way is a labor of love. And each leader’s labor of love will be very different, but no less important to God’s work.” She challenges us to think, “What kind of vineyard has God called you to cultivate? Are you in an area like Fresno, where you will cultivate thousands and thousands of acres where the fruitfulness will be overwhelming at times? Or have you been placed in area like Napa Valley, where your acreage is limited, but the character and distinctiveness of your work are unmistakable?” 

So this is question what really got me: “The question we must ask ourselves is not, ‘how big is the area God has called me to cultivate? Rather, How do I best cultivate the area God has given me’”? 

My perspective has shifted with this question. I always sought for an answer of how grand God will be using me for His purpose, which I still believe is an important, valid question. However, pondering exclusively on this question without thinking much about how to cultivate the current land I am in will result in simply no action. I know God is preparing me in this city of Portland to equip me to have a greater impact to others. I just know that though I can’t explain it logically. I know God has entrusted me with talents and strengths that I could use impacting a large group of others. However, success is not an overnight experience. Most successful people have started with humble beginnings where they learned about leadership in the trenches. That is what I feel as of now, which I humbly accept and am grateful for. 

Lesson #2: Embrace a Long-term Perspective

How long would it take for you if you were to start your career as a vintner to harvest your first crop? Feinberg surprised me that it almost takes four years to bring the first harvest. The first three years are the most important as you are trying to establish a good trunk and root system. After three years you may alter the way you train your plant without doing any sort of damage to the plant and hence you pick the best method for cultivating the vine.

 

Feinberg mentions that most vineyards in Napa valley won’t reach a breakeven point for their investment until year 15, 18 or beyond. When Jesus says that He is the vine, we are the branches, this isn’t a short-term approach. Feinberg makes a comment that have reverberated me with all the time. She would sometimes look at her own life and wonder “Why am I not more fruitful? And why does pruning have to hurt so much? Why does cultivating a healthy crop take so long? God, our vintner, understands that fruitfulness comes at a certain time and He is being very patient with me. I’ve written before how mastery of talent is a result of what Malcolm Gladwell calls 10,000 hours rule. You spend 4 hours each day for 10 years, and you’ll achieve a level of mastery over the subject. Often times, I find myself forgetting this formula and asking for immediate returns and seeking gratification. This is a hard lesson for me to be patient with myself. But, I think this is something I must surrender to God as we don’t know the result. As Proverbs 21:31 says “the horse is made ready for the battle, but victory rests on the Lord.” The harvest of all of your efforts may not pay dividends until decades away. I know this doesn’t sound encouraging but we know that God will use our fruitfulness for his glory. 

Lesson #3: Understand the Power of Adversity

Feinberg in her journey recalls how pruning is such an important process in cultivating grapes. It exposes lights to the grapes which they need to grow. One vintner said, “If a vine is not pruned, the quality of the fruit goes way down,” one vintner said.  As we think about fruitfulness, we often realize that it comes through pain and adversity. Only through this experience are we able to surrender ourselves to God and have Him take our driver’s seat. Who enjoys suffering and pain? Think about all the vicissitudes in your current life. I know God has been pruning me all the time. Interpersonal difficulties, loneliness, cultural and language barriers, psychological deficiencies are several things that come to my mind now. Of course, in hindsight I can fully appreciate and see the big picture and thank God for His divine providence and grace. However, in the midst of the “crucible” I couldn’t understand why God has put in me in these excruciating situations. When you hear words “abide in me” what images conjure up? Interestingly, the best soil for vine isn’t rich smooth soil but rockery stone filled land. Renowned places like Château Lafite are three-fourths gravel. So I encourage you to think about what has been the greatest source of adversity for you and how did it shape you to become the person who you are now. 

Lesson #4: Avoid Drunkenness

Interestingly, the greatest threat for success as a vintner isn’t bad weather or natural disasters. It is temptation, namely temptation to imbibe excessively. We are keenly aware of the intoxicating power of alcohol in our lives. Scripture warns against the abuse of wine. It’s simple. Intoxication makes people stupid. There are more than 75 biblical references on drinking alcohol. Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble. Lot was so drunk he didn’t even know he was doing; this led to immorality. The book of Proverbs says that drunkenness lead to poverty. Feinberg suggest that it isn’t wine that should the only source of drunkenness. This hit me hard like a brick. Are you intoxicated with bad habits, inappropriate behaviors, failure or even success? Each of us is different and we all have frailties in life. What most tempts you and what specific steps can you take to overcome this? 

If you are interested in learning more about the Margaret’s book, click here for more resources.

Why Core Values Matter

Let me begin with my story. It was around the beginning of my junior year at UBC (University of British Columbia). You know that if you are a Commerce student, this is arguably the most critical year – a key stepping stone, if you will – in accelerating your professional career. Around junior year, most students come to this realization and start to frenetically attend multiple conferences, network like crazy, and embark on their job hunting journey. I was one of those students trying to find a way in to the corporate world and fight my way up the hills of the Great Recession. I cannot speak for others, though I presume a vast majority of them may share similar sentiments, but the journey I embarked on was difficult and onerous yet highly rewarding.

I simply cannot forget the countless hours spent in preparing for student-club and job-related interviews. It was a strenuous and time-consuming. I think I interviewed around 15 times during my entire university career. I would characterize the first half of my interviews weak and incomplete. As I became more serious about my professional endeavours in Human Resources, it suddenly dawned on to me the utmost importance of interviews. The fact of the matter is your entire image, perception, and future is created in 60-minutes or less.

Most companies employ behavioural questions since it’s widely known as the most valid and reliable measure of high performance and success in your job. However, I wanted to start with the basics – the foundation. First, I attempted to answer the foundational questions such as:

“What’s your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”
“Why do you want this job?”

“Why should we hire you?”

The most profound question I encountered  was, “What would be written on your epitaph at the end of your life?”

I found myself dumbfounded as I began to dribble nonsense on these ‘simple’ questions…. Consciously thinking and articulating my underlying values and beliefs was something unprecedented. I came to the conclusion that I lacked self-awareness.

When you come to think of it, the notion of an interview is quite simple. It’s about a dialogue between two parties who don’t know each other. It’s about telling your story and connecting it to the other party. Sounds easy, doesn’t it.. Now, who doesn’t dread interviews…The reason there is such fear is the lack of certainty and familiarity of who are we and what we stand for. Sounds crazy, but it’s quite true.

I felt worse and worse as I found myself struggling to answer even these simple questions. As days passed by, I wasn’t feeling any better either. I had to directly confront this situation. So, I began to ask my family, friends, and acquaintances what they thought of me. I began recording their candid thoughts and perceptions on my strengths and weaknesses. I asked deeper and probing questions, and what led them to think and feel in a certain way. This wasn’t an easy process. The hardest part was allowing myself to be vulnerable. I had to completely expose myself I could not argue back. I only listened, listened, and listened.

Next, I compiled and analyzed their comments and began to compare it with my own thoughts. There were some differences and similarities. The more time I spent time in isolation reading the Bible, praying and thinking, I felt better about myself. I had a stronger grasp of what constitutes my identity. Eventually, I discovered a pattern, a common theme, from the results of this undertaking. I decided I was going to write it down and etch it in my heart. This culminated in the five core values. Core values are a series of words or phrases defining who you are and what you stand for. They represent the internal navigation system for your life and the filter through which you process all of life’s decisions. They are the values you would fight for and the attributes you hope others say about you in your absence or after your death. They become key elements of your personal brand and define your character.

So here’s my personal core values:

·      Faith

·      Serving Others

·      Excellence

·      Integrity

·      Continuous Learning

All of this took about a year or so. The journey isn’t over. In fact, it’s a life-long process. I found myself much more confident, renewed, strengthened, now. One way I try to keep myself intact is writing a journal few times a week. This quiet time allows you to meditate and refine your thoughts and worldview.

Your Story:

So, now it’s your turn. What are your core values? Are you certain of who you are, what you stand for and believe? Everyone goes through this process and the earlier, the better. “With your values prioritized, you will see advantages when it comes to making decisions, too. Roy Disney once said, “It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” All jobs entail tradeoffs. Do you crave more prestige, higher pay, a chance to help others, increased job security, more variety, increased risk, and more independence? You may want them all, but the chances are good that you can't have them all. You have to make tradeoffs. The way to do that is by assessing each desire in light of your core values. Your values won't change, but you will decide which ones are more important to you right now in your present circumstances. Ultimately, values provide guidelines for answering the question: “What is most important to me?” When it comes to your career, there is no question more important than that.”

I stumbled upon a blog from a Sauder alumnus and consultant Mike Desjardins who shared his story of core values. He gave a speech at UBC and a core values worksheet with step-by-step instructions. For those who are still in the process of discovering your core values, I highly recommend you to take this seriously and start thinking about your fundamental personal values. This will truly change your life. 

Here it is video: Core Values Video

Here is the worksheet: Core Values Worksheet

If you have previously established a set of core values for your life, would you please take a couple minutes to share the impact your core values have had on your life in the comments sections below this post.