A while ago I listened to an interview with Matthew McConaughey, the world-famous actor. A highlight was McConaughey’s recollection of the day he plucked up the courage to ask for his father’s blessing to deviate from his lifelong plan of going to law school, to go to film school instead.
In his distinctive Texas drawl, McConaughey explained how he expected his father’s reaction to be:
“You want to do what, boy? What the hell?”
But when McConaughey dropped the bombshell, his father paused, and said:
“You sure that’s what you want to do, son?”
“Yes, sir”, responded McConaughey nervously.
Again, his dad paused.
And after a few seconds of tense silence, he answered:
“Alright then, but…don’t half-ass it.”
McConaughey refers to it as the three greatest words he’s ever been told. The fuel that motivated him to climb the gruelling ranks of Hollywood.
The weekly newsletters are a labour of love, and I put my heart and soul into crafting them during my spare time. However, my wife and I are expecting excitement and distraction in our household over the next few weeks as we are eagerly anticipating the imminent arrival of a baby boy. So, as you can expect, I won’t be able to give the newsletter the attention it requires. It feels uncomfortable going against my instinct of wanting to push through, but I’m taking McConaughey’s advice. I’d rather pause for a while than half-ass it.
But I promise I’ll be back once the dust settles. Hopefully, the break will give me some fresh ideas, and I’ll return with some newfound fatherly wisdom.
PS - If you’ve been reading my newsletters, I’d really love to hear from you. I’m constantly thinking about how to improve, so any feedback, good or bad, will be highly, highly appreciated. To do so, just reply to this email, or comment below.
Have a fantastic weekend. See you soon.
- Robert
Always such a pleasure to receive this for the entire Crosse family. Keep up the good work - you certainly are not Half-assing it.
All the best to you and M for the exciting new chapter.