I’m sure you’ve heard it said that it’s all been done before. There are no original ideas anymore. That everything is just a rehash, recycle or reboot. I beg to differ.
In every industry there are pioneers. There are visionaries with incredible ideas. Ideas just so crazy… they might actually work. These are the people raising the bar, setting the standard and redefining our reality. As an avid lover of film, I thought I would use the film industry as my case study or ‘pudding proof’.
“Victoria,” is the fourth feature film by writer/director Sebastian Schipper. It was shot in one continuous, uninterrupted take and is an example of cinema at it’s finest. Nobody believed Schipper could do it. They were wrong.
“The Revenant” is the first film to be shot using only natural light, meaning the entire crew had only a couple of hours each day, in temperatures reaching 30°C below zero, to get the shots they needed. With crew often fighting hypothermia and frostbite, director Alejandro Iñárritu, simply would not accept anything less than perfect. And he nailed it.
These are but two examples of idealists in an industry that is often thought of as stale, and having hit a ceiling. By breaking through that ceiling, these directors have changed the perception of what is possible. And once something seemingly impossible has been achieved, it can (and will) be replicated. They have established a new norm.
So what are we doing to push the boundaries in either our personal lives or our industry? What are we doing to raise our standards and accept nothing less than exceptional? What are we doing through our thought and action that is inspiring our community to just be better?
Not enough. I know I’m not doing enough. And unless your name is Elon and you’re hurtling people through hyper loops, landing rockets on barges or flying people to Mars, then you’re not doing enough either.
So what are we waiting for? Let’s get off our asses and shift the needle. Let’s craft our own reality rather than simply existing in one dictated. Let’s push harder when it starts pushing back. Let’s turn normal on it’s head and kick it to the curb. Let’s push the envelope, open it up, rip it to pieces and start all over again.
It all begins with a single thought. A single idea in your head that says I don’t accept this. I don’t accept mediocre. I don’t even accept excellent. It begins with you. It begins with me. What are we doing tomorrow that is new, that is different, that is life-altering? What is the new standard we are setting for ourselves and our world?
What is the new norm?
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