The “10x-level” professionals we serve consistently state that being free to live and work as they choose is the most important factor determining their exceptional productivity. We were gratified to hear this belief echoed in an interview with Bill Murray, whose Zen-like disposition and carefree curiosity has made him an endlessly inspiring pop icon.
In 7 Steps to Living a Bill Murray Life, by Bill Murray, Murray’s sixth piece of advice is about career performance:
Step six: Stay relaxed and success will follow. “Someone told me some secrets early on about living. You have to remind yourself that you can do the very best you can when you’re very, very relaxed. No matter what it is, no matter what your job is, the more relaxed you are, the better you are. That’s sort of why I got into acting. I realized that the more fun I had, the better I did it, and I thought, Well, that’s a job I can be proud of. I’d be proud to have that job, if I had to go to work and say, ‘No matter what my condition or what my mood is, no matter how I feel about what’s going on in my life, if I can relax myself and enjoy what I’m doing and have fun with it, then I can do my job really well.’ And it’s changed my life, learning that. And it’s made me better at what I do. I’m not the greatest or anything. But I really enjoy what I do.”
As we’ve discussed before, Fear is the (company’s) mind-killer, and staying positive in a positive environment around positive people can tremendously improve the quality and sanity of your work. A good environment allows you to relax and be yourself, so express your individual qualities and talent. Which brings us to Bill’s final piece of advice in the interview, an audio recoding of his reply to the question, “How does it feel to be you?”
Step seven: Remember that you are you and no one else is.