Jerry Maguire and Purpose

“I just want to be inspired."

“I love him! I love him for the man he wants to be. And I love him for the man he almost is."

“The key to this business is personal relationships.”

“Roll with the punches. Tomorrow’s another day.”

“This is going to change everything.”

Quotes from the film Jerry Maguire

I like the movie Jerry Maguire because it is about a man who follows his heart at great cost to himself.    Maguire, played by Tom Cruise, is a sports agent who suffers a nervous breakdown as a result of compromising his principles.  Still, he is a good man and he writes a mission statement, "The Things We Think and Do Not Say: The Future of Our Business.”  In it he cites, among other things the need for greater personal attention to the client, more self-care, and a return to the love of the game.

As a result, he is fired.  He loses all his clients except one, the demanding and temperamental Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.  One employee, Dorothy Boyd, played by Renee Zellweger, who is inspired by his mission statement, quits to work with him.   Throughout the film Maguire negotiates his way through love friendship and work as he realizes he has a lot to learn in all three areas.

Still, he is a good man and while I won’t give away the ending, I will say that it is a warm and emotionally satisfying movie.  What’s best is watching Maguire mature emotionally and professionally as he moves into and lives out his Purpose.

This is the beauty of Purpose.  Commitment to Purpose is commitment to one’s highest calling and one can not help but grow in all areas when one decides to grow in one area.  Maguire learns his trade better, but he also learns how to be a friend and a committed and loving husband.  None of these things come easily to him because, although he is a good man, he is also a man who is afraid of close emotional ties.

Many men struggle with this.  Men were born and are raised to hunt and kill, some literally.  In a non-literal sense, many men learn the importance of a trade, but not necessarily how to be a good husband or father.  It doesn’t mean that they aren’t or can’t be; it’s just that it takes a different kind of learning.  Curiously, Tidwell, who becomes his best friend, is better at emotional issues but not as good in his professional life.  Together, the two men learn from each other.

This is another benefit of Purpose.  Lately, I have found myself surrounded by the right people. I was motivated to write almost 50 more blogs in 20 days.  Another friend told me I could do this no matter how hard it seemed.  Another friend turned down a job to begin his own writing.  People in their Purpose inspire others who are ready to be in their Purpose.  The people who are in Purpose with me have helped make me a better man.    

This is my 149^th blog and I could not have done this alone.  Though I did the writing by myself, I was never alone.  Purpose was with me and so were the people I love. 

So, tomorrow morning, when I write my 150^th blog, they will be with me, too.  So I will tell them now, “Thank you and I love you.  Get Started and Keep Going…and rent Jerry Maguire.”