Jerry Maguire’s Mission Statement — My Riff
The movie is a guilty pleasure. Well maybe not guilty, but a well kept secret. The movie gave us memorable lines like, “Show me the money!”, “You had me at hello….” or, “You complete me.” But for me it’s the manifesto that he writes at the beginning that struck home. I was thrilled when I found the full version on Cameroon Crowe’s site. Reading it now has moved me to give my own spin on it.
From JM: “There is a cruel wind blowing through our business. We all feel it, and if we don’t, perhaps we’ve forgotten how to feel. But here is the truth. We are less ourselves than we were when we started this organization. I care very much about the fact that I have learned to care less. We are losing our battle with all that is personal and real about our business. Every day I can look at a list of phone calls only partially returned. Driving home, I think of what was not accomplished, instead of what was accomplished. The gnawing feeling continues. There is a good bet that I will erase all of this from my laptop, and you will never read it. But if you are reading it, and you’re reading it right now, it is only because I was unable to stop. I was unable to forget the quiet questions. When you asked me some of these important questions, chances are, I said something that you expected, maybe even wanted to hear. But it wasn’t the truth, and it wasn’t what I felt. And if you ever wondered about the drawbacks of being quiet about important things, talk to yourself in the mirror some time, say the truth. Yell the truth to yourself, when no one is listening. See how good it feels?”
My Riff: “We’ve learnt to accept “it”, we don’t try to fight this “cruel wind” anymore, maybe we’re even dismissive of those who still care. But we all felt strongly when we began, didn’t we? What changed and when did it happen? Doesn’t growing older mean I become kinder and wiser in my dealing with people and myself? Why do I feel silly for even thinking this, as if I should somehow just discard these ideals and be more pragmatic. What’s so great about being pragmatic anyway? Is it fear? I’ve heard that love and truth casts out all fear. Maybe that’s what we need more of — love and truth. No more games. I still feel just a little silly, but that’s ok — I’d rather feel silly than not feel at all.”
