Hi everyone, and welcome to Marc’s Book Club! Every month, I will be reading a new book of my interest and sharing my thoughts and insights – whether it is personal, financial, or both! I have loved reading since a young age, and it is something I like to do in my free time for both comfort and personal growth. I am excited to take you along this journey with me!

This month’s book is Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. I have always enjoyed movies he has been in, as well as his witty and wacky Lincoln car commercials. Naturally, I read Greenlights, his autobiography published in 2020. This is not a traditional autobiography, though – McConaughey begins the book by explaining, “This is not a traditional memoir…This is an approach book. I am here to share stories, insights, and philosophies that can be objectively understood, and if you choose, subjectively adapted…This is a playbook, based on adventures in my life.” I will detail some of the stories and insights that resonated the most with me and that I feel that we could all apply to our own lives.

After high school, McConaughey thought he was going to be a lawyer, as that was always what his father and his family wanted him to do. But in the middle of college, he decided he wanted to pursue storytelling and apply to film school. Nervous of how his father would react to the news, McConaughey procrastinated on telling him. When he finally told him, his father’s only reply was, “Don’t half-effort it.” A huge weight was lifted off his shoulders, and he writes, “With those words he not only gave me his blessing and consent, he gave me his approval and validation.” Anything we decide to do in life, we should go all in and do it with all of our ability and full effort.

McConaughey details how in the middle of his acting career he was experiencing great success, but was feeling unfulfilled. He has been pigeonholed into being cast in rom-com movies, and felt he was not being challenged. He yearned to be cast into more serious roles. He made a bold decision to decline any opportunity that came his way unless he felt it was a serious role that would push him outside of his acting comfort zone. Two years went by without any work, before he was finally offered a role in Dallas Buyers Club, which he earned an Oscar for Best Actor. Stepping outside of our comfort zone and taking calculated risks, often leads to the biggest opportunities for growth in our personal and professional lives.

Finally, McConaughey stresses the importance of discipline in perfecting one’s craft. He writes, “Create structure so you can have freedom…Learn to sail before you fly…We need discipline, guidelines, context, and responsibility early in any new endeavor.” This is especially true in relation to one’s financial journey.  This is especially true in personal finance. Before we invest, we need a solid financial foundation—an emergency fund, adequate insurance, and a clear understanding of our cash flow. Only then can we confidently take steps toward financial freedom. At Verde, we specialize in helping clients build that structure so they can achieve their goals with confidence.

Greenlights has many different stories and anecdotes that will inspire you and make you laugh. McConaughey has a way of writing that is easy to understand and can be relatable to anyone. He challenges you to “think with the end in mind” to consider what we truly want to pursue in life. Come back next month for the latest edition of Marc’s Book Club!