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My Thoughts

Greenlights is the biography of the first 50 years of Matthew McConaughey’s life. He is a great storyteller and narrates the audio version himself, which makes it even better. Listening to the book feels like sitting in his home while he tells you his life story. There are many pearls of wisdom in his stories.

To fully understand Matthew McConaughey—actor, spiritual advisor, and all-around good-time man—one must first understand the concept of “greenlights.” Fortunately, McConaughey lays it out clearly. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. Book Description: From the Academy Award®–winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction “Unflinchingly honest and remarkably candid, Matthew McConaughey’s book invites us to.

My Favorite Quotes

• Knowing the truth, seeing the truth, and telling the truth are all different experiences.
• To lose the power of confrontation is to lose the power of unity.
• It’s better to jump than to fall.
• The intellect should simplify things, not make them more cerebral.
• We often don’t get what we want because we quit early or we didn’t take the necessary risk to get it.
• We are all made for every moment we encounter.
• If we stay in process and within the joy of the doing, we will never choke at the finish line.
• Have immortal finish lines.
• Sometimes which choice you make is not as important as making a choice and committing to it.
• Some people look for an excuse to do, others look for an excuse not to.
• It is not about whether you win or lose, it’s about accepting the challenge. When you accept the challenge you have already won.
• Great leaders are not always in front, they also know who to follow.
• We must be aware of what we attract in life, because it is no accident or coincidence.
• Time and truth, two constants you can rely on. One shows up for the first time, every time, while the other never leaves.
• I hope to give my children an opportunity to find what they love to do, work to be great at it, pursue it, and do it.

What’s a Greenlight?

Green lights mean go! We don’t like yellow and red lights, but sometimes they give us what we need.

Catching greenlights is about skill, intent, context, consideration, endurance, anticipation, resilience, speed, and discipline. We can catch more greenlights by simply identifying where the red lights are in our life, and then change course to hit fewer of them.

Catching greenlights is also about timing, the world’s and ours. We can catch them by sheer luck by being in the right place and the right time.

This is a book about how to catch more yeses in a world of nos.

Part One: Outlaw Logic: A Wednesday Night, 1974

His parents taught him not to hate, never say “I can’t” and to never lie.

Words are momentary; intent is momentous.

His parents didn’t hope they would follow the rules, they expected it.

A denied expectation hurts more than a denied hope. A fulfilled hope makes us happier than a fulfilled expectation. Hope has a higher return on happiness.

The value of denial depends on one’s commitment to it. His mom beat cancer twice on nothing more than aspirin and denial.

Matthew grew up thinking he had won the “Mr. Texas” award as a child. It wasn’t until 2019 that he noticed the photo of him “winning” actually said runner-up.

Knowing the truth, seeing the truth, and telling the truth are all different experiences.

His dad made sure his children learned the fundamentals before expressing their individualism.

To lose the power of confrontation is to lose the power of unity.

Conservative early, liberal late. Create structure so you can have freedom. Earn your Saturdays. We need discipline, guidelines, context, and responsibility early in any new endeavor. This is the time to sacrifice, learn, observe, and take heed. If and when we get knowledge of the space (the craft, people, and plan), then we can create. Creativity needs borders.

Part Two: Find Your Frequency: Spring 1988

In high school he was really popular and drove his truck around school with a megaphone on the front, he would take girls mudding after school. He sold his truck for a red sports car and lost his popularity.

When he sold his truck in high school, he lost the effort, hustle and fun. He was too busy leaning against his sports car. He had gotten lazy and was relying on the sports car to “do the work” for him.

Process of Elimination and Identity

The first step that leads to our identity is usually knowing who we are not, as opposed to knowing exactly who we are.

We develop our identity by process of elimination. We should get rid of the excesses in our lives that keep us from being more of ourselves. When we decrease the options that don’t feed us, we eventually have more options in front of us that do.

Knowing who you are is hard! Eliminate who you are not first!

Boundaries to Freedom

We need borders, gravity, and resistance to have order. This order creates responsibility. The responsibility creates judgment. The judgment creates choice. In the choice lies the freedom.

Later in life, he realized that the suffering and loneliness he experienced (as a foreign exchange student in Australia) was one of the most important sacrifices of his life.

Before the trip to Australia he was never introspective. The trip forced him to look inside himself for the first time.

We cannot fully appreciate the light without the shadows.

It’s better to jump than to fall.

The future is the monster. We should lift our heads, look it in the eye, and watch it heed.

You have to know who you are before you know what you want to say. Knowing who you are is the base that everything else comes from. You know who you are when you become independent enough to believe your own thoughts, and become responsible for your actions, believe what you want, and live what you believe. Live what you believe!

Part Three: Dirt Roads and Autobahns: July 1989

When you know what you want to do, knowing when to do it is the hard part.

Matthew decided to leave law school because he didn’t want to miss his twenties preparing for the rest of his life.

In his dorm room he found a copy of The Greatest Salesman in the World by Augustine “Og” Mandino. He picked it up and read for two and a half hours straight until he got to the first scroll of the book. Shortly after that he decided to switch from law school to film school.

DNA and work, genetics and willpower, life is a combination of the two. You need to both utilize your genes and have an incredible work ethic.

We earn belief in ourselves first, then with others.

Travel and humanity have been his greatest educators.

We are not here to tolerate our differences, we are here to accept them. We are not here to celebrate our sameness. As individuals we unite in our values.

Less impressed. More Involved.

The sooner we become less impressed with ourselves and everything in our lives, the sooner we get more involved and get better. We must be more than happy to just be here.

If you are not a starter and you think you should be, give them no choice, play so well that it’s undeniable.

Taking the road less traveled is not necessarily the road with the least traffic. It may be the road that we personally have traveled less. The introvert may need to get out of the house, the extrovert may need to stay home and read a book.

Part Four: The Art of Running Downhill: January 1994

The intellect should simplify things, not make them more cerebral.

We have to prepare in order to have freedom. We have to do the work to then do the job. We have to prepare for the job so we can be free to do the work.

We must learn the consequence of negligence. What we don’t do can be as important as what we do.

We often don’t get what we want because we quit early or we didn’t take the necessary risk to get it. The more boots we put into the back side of our “if only” dreams the more we will get what we want.

Made for the moment. We are all made for every moment we encounter. Whether the moment makes us, or we make the moment. Whether we are helpless in it, or on top of it. We are made for that moment!

Don’t create ceilings over yourself.

Don’t create imaginary constraints! A leading role, a blue ribbon, a winning score, the love of our life, euphoric bliss, a winning score, a great idea. Who are we to think we are not worthy of these when they are within our grasp?

We get too focused on the outcome and we miss the doing of the deed. If we stay in process and within the joy of the doing, we will never choke at the finish line. Why? Because we aren’t thinking of the finish line, we are performing in real-time where the approach is the destination. There is no goal line because we are never finished.

Have immortal finish lines. A roof is a man-made thing.

We all need a walkabout. We need to get alone. Put ourselves in places of decreased sensory input. We can hear ourselves again. Time alone simplifies the heart. Matthew McConaughey took a walkabout to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert.

We don’t always need advice, sometimes we just need to hear that we are not the only one.

Prescription/Prayer
God, when I cross the truth…

• Give me the awareness to receive it
• The consciousness to recognize it
• The presence to personalize it
• The patience to preserve it
• The courage to live it

Part Five: Turn the Page: October 23, 1999

Sometimes which choice you make is not as important as making a choice and committing to it.

Some people look for an excuse to do, others look for an excuse not to.

It is not about whether you win or lose, it’s about accepting the challenge. When you accept the challenge you have already won. This was said after he accepted a wrestling challenge from the champion of a village in Africa.

Great leaders are not always in front, they also know who to follow.

We are going to make mistakes, own them, make amends, and move on!

Part Six: The Arrow Doesn’t Seek the Target, the Target Draws the Arrow: March 2005

We must be aware of what we attract in life, because it is no accident or coincidence.

We must chase what we want, but sometimes we don’t need to make things happen. Our souls are infinitely magnetic.

In 2005 he had five major responsiblities:

1. Family
2. Foundation
3. Acting
4. Production Company
5. Music label

He felt like he was getting a “B” grade in all five. He decided to eliminate the last two and focus on making an “A” in family, his foundation, and acting.

The genius can do anything, but does one thing at a time.

Matthew Mcconaughey Greenlights Audiobook

Three things that will give you clarity, remind you of your mortality, and give you courage to live harder, stronger and truer.

1. Death (the end of a life)
2. Family Crisis (trying to keep a life)
3. Newborn (welcoming a new life)

Part Seven: Be Brave, Take the Hill: Fall 2008

Here is a good plan when facing any crisis:

1. Recognize the problem
2. Stabilize the situation
3. Organize the response
4. Respond

Life is not a popularity contest, be brave, take the hill. What is your hill?

Time and truth, two constants you can rely on. One shows up for the first time, every time, while the other never leaves.

Part Eight: Live Your Legacy Now: November 7, 2011

Matthew’s life by decades:

• In his first twenty years he learned the value of values: respect, accountability, creativity, courage, perseverance, fairness, service, good humor, and a spirit of adventure.
• His twenties and thirties were contradictory decades, years when he eliminated conditions and truths that went against his grain.
• His forties were an affirming decade where he started to play offense with truths he had learned and put them into action. An era where he doubled-down on what fed him.

He hopes to give his children an opportunity to find what they love to do, work to be great at it, pursue it, and do it.

P.S.: 10 Goals in Life

He wrote these goals on 09/01/1992 in his journal and found them while writing this book. This was two days after finishing his first acting role in dazed and confused.

1. Become a father
2. Find and keep the woman for me
3. Keep my relationship with God
4. Chase my best self
5. Be an egotistical utilitarian
6. Take more risks
7. Stay close to mom and family
8. Win an Oscar for best actor
9. Look back and enjoy the view
10. Just keep living

Related Book Summaries

Hope you enjoyed this and got value from my notes.
This is the 55th book read in my 2020 reading list.
Here is a list of my book summaries.

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'There are three things that I need each day. One, I need something to look up to, another to look forward to, and another is someone to chase.' - Oscar acceptance speech by Matthew McConaughey.

This amazing actor published his memoir / biography last year - 'Greenlights'. 'Coz he's turned 50 and wants to share his poems, aphorisms or ‘bumper stickers’ on living life. He compiled his journals (started at the age of 14) and wrote the entire book in 52 days.

McConaughey starts the book by diving deep into the title of his book and explains the metaphor of greenlights means.

He believes that “a greenlight is being kind to our future self. It’s things in our life that affirm our way, they say ‘go, proceed, more, please carry on.’

While yellow and red lights make us slow down in life — they can be crisis, hardship, intervention, interruption.”

He explains further “The verb of the greenlight metaphor is really in the yellow light, meaning you have the choice to slow down and stop and let it become a red light, which sometimes we need to do in life when we need to have some introspection.'

Finally, he says, “I found all the red and yellow lights in life revealed themselves to have at least a greenlight asset in the future. They have a lesson in them that we were supposed to learn.

Any hardship, any pause we took, any intervention, interruption… they have greenlight assets that will be revealed to us later.”

McConaughey adds, “Red and yellow lights eventually turn green in the rearview mirror.”

McConaughey gives many life lessons in this book. These are 8 life lessons I picked up.

1. Push yourself to take calculated risks:

McConaughey starred in a series of romantic comedies in the 1990s and this became his brand and made him rich. However, he realized he is not getting personal growth and wanted to change professions to become a teacher, a musician or a football coach. He called his financial manager, made calculations and then called his agent and told him he would not be doing any more romantic comedies, knowing the risk of never getting calls from any Hollywood producer ever. He unbranded himself.

20 months later, he finally started to receive offers for serious, author-backed roles that set him on the path to his Oscar. He had gambled and successfully pivoted his brand to a serious actor - which would never have been happened without the complete break.

He says, “I went through an unbranding phase to then rebrand. Again, process of elimination. I wasn't able to do or become what I wanted to become, but I did choose to say, ‘Well, I'm going to stop doing what I've been doing.’”

Think- are you happy with where you are and what you are doing? Can you take a calculated risk and rebrand yourself/ take a pivot? Are you moving forwards and learning something new or just happy with the comfort you have today?

2. Live A Big Life ( Not Necessarily With Big Stuff )

At the height of his superstardom and Hollywood money, Matthew McConaughey enjoyed living in an airstream caravan and travelled across the US with his dog. Whenever the fame and money clouded his judgement, he travelled with minimal possessions to far flung places. Like the best poets, he chose experiences and adventures over an extended period of luxury.

He takes self imposed sabbaticals to write and he puts his family and his spirituality first before material possession. It's inspiring to see someone with so much material wealth still lead a simple yet big life, one tied to values.

The next time you feel you need to buy a car or that new gadget, try and think back to your last purchase and your last holiday/break/adventure. Which made you happier and clear headed?

3. ‘Don’t half-ass it’

When Matthew McConaughey called his father from law school and said he wanted to be an actor instead, his father gave his blessing and said, ‘Don’t half-ass it’. This answer shocked the actor but he followed this maxim thereafter. He went all-in. The book covers several real-life interview tips and tricks as Matthew worked smart and hard to make his own path in the acting world. He went all-in.

This applied even to his lifestyle; music; foundation work; travel; choosing a life partner and bringing up his family.

He shows us how to go all -in on something - no point doing half the work or giving up early. If you fail, it shouldn't be because you failed to try.

4. Create your own greenlights.

A big point in this book is : Sometimes you have to take charge and guide your own way.

As McConaughey says, “I created a lot of the greenlights by taking responsibility today, which created freedom for me tomorrow.

I made decisions today, and sometimes even sacrifices, that teed me up for more pleasure or more of what I wanted tomorrow.”

Greenlights Matthew Mcconaughey Pdf

However, he acknowledges in a Stoic way that sometimes things just go your way - you have to accept it and do one of three things - 1. Accept and give up ; 2. Accept but find a way to pivot and do it ; 3. Learn something from it and make it into a new opportunity.

5. Find your frequency.

This one is easily my favourite. No matter what, staying true to yourself and who you are. We often find ourselves lost and directionless/ easily overwhelmed in life, just like the actor himself was. He broke out of those ruts by choosing travel, solitude, writing and introspection. He tried to understand time and again 'who he was' at that point in his life and what felt true to him.

I'll share a direct quote from 'Greenlights' that explains it.

McConaughey believes that “we all have the feeling when we’re on frequency when our relationships are going well — with our career, our selves, our God. We’re in the flow, we’re not going too fast, we’re in the flow of traffic, in our lane in our zone. What we give out to the world is what is returned to us. But that doesn't last forever and we get in a rut, and we’re off frequency.”

One way to get back in line, he says, is not to “put the pressure on what you want, just get rid of the stuff that we know isn't feeding our true selves by process of elimination — those people, places, things, habits that give us a proverbial hangover the next day.”

He goes on to say that defining who you’re not is key to finding out who you are.

He says, “If you get rid of enough things that don't feed you, aren’t giving you residuals, or teeing up green lights in your future, by sheer mathematics, you'll have more options in front of you that do feed your true self and will feed the greenlights in your future.”

The lesson here for all of us is to focus on who and what we want to become and remove everything that isn’t adding to it, even if the road to it may seem uncertain for now.

6. Turn “can’t” into “can.”

Matthew understand the sheer magic of the life we are given and the story of our life that only we can write - he asks us all to stop limiting ourself before trying for something not done before. If you need help to do it, ask for help. If you need a mentor, find one. If you need to be resourceful and learn more about it or hustle to win, then do it. Commit to your decisions and find a way to work it out.

McConaughey says, “Growing up, can’t was considered a bad word. You got in trouble for using it.” He says, “The lesson being: You may be having trouble, but don't say you can't. If you’re unable to do it yourself, you can seek help from someone else to give you the solution, so that doesn’t mean you couldn’t.”

Think back to your unfulfilled goals - how can you say 'I can...' and work them out?

7. ‘What does my future self think about the decision I'm making now?’

As the book states, it is good to be prepared and ready, even if we don't get what we want right away. Delay immediate gratification to build a better future and catch more greenlights.

McConaughey says, “Preparation does tee us up for delayed gratification, so we avoid that Sunday night stress about what we have to do on Monday morning. It's about having a long view. In all of our decisions as adults, we’re so into immediate gratification. Let’s think about ROI, what’s the decision right now? Sometimes it might be to sacrifice now so I can get more of what I want tomorrow.”

Greenlight Book Matthew Mcconaughey

He goes on to say, “If you can project into your future, tomorrow, next week,10 years from now, before you make these decisions, have a little chat with yourself and ask, ‘What does my future self think about the decision I'm making now?’

Our future is a compounding asset. The decisions we're making are part of that compound. As we’re writing the story and making the investments, understand that every decision will have a consequence.”

Your future success is a series of habits you inculcate today - what are you building? It's often as simple as saying no to going out/ watching another TV series to write an article of 1000+ words ( like I did with this one.....)

8. Do you want that extra zero? Define what success means to you.

What is the larger point of our life? What does success and legacy mean to you? How many more zeroes do you need in your bank account /paycheck to say it's enough. When do you choose to work in a way that builds others around you too?

“The question we need to ask ourselves is: what is success to us? More money? That's fine. A healthy family? A happy marriage? Helping others? To be famous? Spiritually sound? To express ourselves? To create art? To leave the world a better place than we found it?'

What is success to me? Continue to ask yourself that question. How are you prosperous? What is your relevance?

Your answer may change over time and that's fine but do yourself this favor – whatever your answer is, don't choose anything that would jeopardize your soul.

Prioritize who you are, who you want to be, and don't spend time with anything that antagonizes your character. Don't depend on drinking the Kool-Aid – it's popular, tastes sweet today, but it will give you cavities tomorrow.

Life is not a popularity contest. Be brave, take the hill. But first answer the question.”

I loved reading 'The Greenlights' and it has got me to revise a lot of what I thought 2021 would be about. Here's hoping you can pick up this roller coaster of a book too.

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About Me:

Hey this is Annesha! Ninja at reading difficult stuff and writing it in an easy way. Also make videos occasionally as AskAnnie.

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