Are you Lit for TAA?

Late last year, I started to see sporadic banners of Matthew McConaughey around different multifamily events in Texas.? I looked into it and found that he will be the keynote speaker at the Texas Apartment Association Conference in April, which is a big deal.??

He will be a fantastic keynote speaker to speak for a phenomenal multifamily tradeshow.? It was around the same time a good friend told me about his audiobook Greenlight.? In short, it's a fantastic audiobook. I am on my fourth round of listening.? However, if you don’t have time to listen, I wrote this summary/commentary just for you.? TAA attendees will be in for a treat with a guest speaker like Matthew McConaughey.

I will be honest for me, it's the voice.? He has such a beautiful voice.? McConaughey’s voice is, there, I say it, legit.? ?He has a Texas accent, but what makes his voice distinctive is not so much his accent as the way he presents the words.? His voice will lift you and transport your mind like a magic carpet through a fantastic world where only McConaughey guides the voyage.? His smooth voice might put you to sleep, but the truth bombs he drops will wake you back up!? At other times I also felt like I was an accomplice.? This is where I picture Mccaunahey and I in a getaway car where he was the driver.?

But either way, I was rooting for McConaughey during his journey's tricky turns.? For instance, he decided to leave acting at the top of his career for a year and moved to Texas with his family.? He did that because he wanted to change the roles he was getting in Hollywood.? He had no idea what the future held for him.? When he finally got a call back from Hollywood after one long year on the sideline, I found myself whispering in unison: “Greenlight.”??

In this book, McConaughey shares stories and lessons from his life, organized around the “greenlights” that have guided him.? He urges readers to follow their greenlights, which may come as a sign, a gut feeling, or a coincidence.? Each chapter gives the reader examples of what could be considered a Greenlight.? But he also encourages us to understand that yellow and red lights are essential in helping us conquer the unknown. Don't be afraid to make mistakes......you're growing when you do, but when the lights are green, you need to get excited and "get lit" with no reservations.

Here are my takeaways.??

He is a fantastic storyteller.? He intertwined a collection of stories and characters that were clear to follow and connected each paragraph to the next. My favorite quote was, “The Arrow Doesn’t Seek the Target; the Target Draws the Arrow.” This part reminded me of my early days in the states.? I remember getting accepted at the University of Southern California a little over a year when I? arrived in the states; a friend trying to go to USC told me about it.? Later I found out his parents stressed him about the need to attend USC, but he was not a big fan.? For me, it was the opposite.? I was so grateful to just be here yet, I was hungry to learn and attend a school like that.? I got in, and he did not.? Greenlight.

Many times I think about that moment, but I never could understand.? But when I read this chapter, I realized that what we need will often come naturally if we are hungry enough.? That hunger will make us persist when others give up.? That hunger will bring the target to us instead of us chasing the target. ? Let's say this chapter was on target for me (pun intended).? But this audiobook is what you make of it.??

As a salesperson who networks for a living, the other takeaway is when he follows a recurring dream about Mali, Africa that results in him finding his current wife. This part gives you an idea of how special of a person Mccaughey is.? I always believe we are only afraid or apprehensive of people we don’t know. But it's not easy to create relationships with strangers.? I respect people who try to reach out to others and break bread with strangers.? When he acted on the dream to go to a place as far as Mali, I whispered, “Respect.”? Respect for anyone following their dreams and hunches.? Respect for breaking bread with strangers in a foreign land.? Respect to be open to learning life from a different point of view.? Respect for incorporating other cultures and sensibilities into his daily life and craft. Much Respect McConaughey, and thanks for a fantastic book.

Thank you for reading this far my friend.? It means a lot to me.? I would love to hear your takeaways.? I would also love to listen to some of your green, yellow, and red lights.? I will have some of my own in the comments.? Let’s chat and have fun with this.

Sincerely,

Stephane

P.S.? Have lots of fun at TAA, and don’t listen to any turtleneck-wearing person telling you not to eat queso in Fort Worth.?