When someone says to you ‘Don’t mess this up’ then you know where you’re standing and what that person means and the implications of what could happen if you were to mess things up. 

The same goes with the next couple of examples, which came about when two actors were told how to handle their trajectory into the acting world and both were given simple, concise and straight to the point opinions by their sibling or parent albeit to do with toilet matters. 

The first came about when Matthew McConaughey, way before he became an actor and in his early 20’s, was thinking of packing in his studies of becoming a lawyer right after doing his sophomore year. He wasn’t decided on whether he’d like to pursue the path of law or whether he should heed his friends advice and, being a good storyteller, follow his heart and go study at film school instead. 

His dad, at the time, was paying his tuition fees so it was only fair to call him up and tell him about his plans to pack in his law degree and pursue film instead. Dreading to have the conversation with his dad, Matthew eventually gathered the courage to call him up and told him of his plans. His dad took a few seconds to respond but when he did he was firm with his answer of ‘Don’t half ass it.’ 

A slightly different version of the next story is told when Neil Connery, younger brother to Sean, decided to star in his first acting role in ‘Operation Kid Brother’ a spy parody of the previous Bond films his older brother starred in. The film failed to make its mark and bombed at the box office. 

Having done a couple of more roles that didn’t get him any further notice Neil wasn’t sure whether he should proceed in the acting game and his brother, Sean, gave him the following advice ‘Either shit or get off the pot’ which tellingly explained what his younger brother had to do. 

Of course, his younger brother never got to become as successful as his older brother which perhaps goes to show that the pot was just too big for his derriere – in other words he wasn’t as committed to the path as Sean was to begin with.

Matthew McConaughey could’ve gone down the same path as Neil Connery but he didn’t and today he is known as a respectable Hollywood actor who can command a fee for his acting in the millions. Sean did the same back in the days and was still considered a heart throb well into his 70’s and 80’s. 

So, what makes these two men distinctively different? Is it hard work? grafting? putting in the effort? Or just having talent? You could say it entails some of those elements. But more than anything it’s about being persistent, determined and resolute to see things through and to put your butt on the seat when it’s required and get (pardon my French) shit done!  

Being half assed or getting off the pot are to a certain degree interchangeable. One is only putting some of the effort in and the other is can’t being bothered to sit long enough to do what’s required.

It’s about deciding to do something and sticking with it no matter what. 

It’s about not pussy footing around and wasting valuable time. 

It’s about being fully invested, committed 100 per cent and going all the way. 

Matthew explains this in very simple terms of conceding, pivoting and persisting. If you can’t be bothered to pursue what it is you feel is right for you then concede and move on. But if you do then start to pivot towards that direction and once you do then persist and keep at it.

If we can distill all this into a word it would probably be commitment. 

Commitment to the path

Commitment to being consistent 

Commitment to being potty trained 

And commitment to being fully arsed to what needs to be done

So, let’s start showing some commitment to what it is we want to do in our lives, to not concede, but to pivot and persist on our path or in Sean’s case to the pot(ty).