This week I rewatched The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith and his son, Jaden. It’s a heartfelt, true story of a man down on his luck that works and grinds his way from poverty and homelessness to a lucrative job as a stockbroker in San Francisco. It’s also the best movie I’ve ever seen about sales.
There’s a scene where Will is walking Jaden to daycare and Jaden tells Will a story he learned. It goes like this:
A man is drowning in the ocean and someone in a boat comes by, offering to help. The man says “it’s okay, God will save me.” Later on, another boat comes by, offering to help. The man replies “it’s okay, God will save me.”
The man dies and goes to heaven. There, he asks God why he wasn’t saved. God replies “I sent you two lifeboats, dummy!”
The joke is told lightheartedly but can have some real depth to it. It can be a prompt to be introspective.
I don’t know which God(s) exist or which religion is right but I do believe that there’s something out there more powerful than us. You almost have to. And I believe the Universe can help guide our path if we listen closely enough.
Take some time to noodle on it.
Whether you’re religious or not, what is the Universe telling you? What are you being too stubborn or shortsighted about?
It could be a new business opportunity, or a fight with your spouse or maybe it’s just your body telling you to slow down.
Let’s take that thought with us this week: where are we ignoring lifeboats that the Universe is sending us?