There’s a scene in the 1993 Tom Cruise movie The Firm that I think about often.
The lead character named Mitch, played by Tom Cruise, is having a meeting with an FBI agent at a dog race track. We see the Greyhound dogs whipping around the track chasing a mechanical bone.
Mitch: Doesn`t the dog ever get the bone?
FBI Agent: Yeah. When it happens they can never get that dog to run again.
For most of my life I was chasing a bone. The “bone” in my case was financial goals and a home. I would do things like set up a money thermometer on my wall. I had my goals written out and posted on the wall as well.
As my business took off, I started catching the bones. I bought our dream home. I had this vision of building an arcade in my basement and I did that. I had emergency cash. I wanted to be debt free so I paid off the mortgage. I made a conscious decision that I would not keep upgrading homes, that our 5 bedroom detached home was where we would spend the next 30 years.
I came up with a new goals to build a backyard resort with in-ground pool, outdoor kitchen and even a cabana with a bathroom. There was something odd about that though, it was never part of my original goals or vision, I was finding new ways to spend my money. I increased my charitable giving. And that left me feeling… empty.
For all my adult life money was a bone I was chasing. It gave me clarity. It would change my life. Now I had all the things I wanted. What’s next?
I spent years trying to figure that out. How does one adjust to “post work”? Yeah, I get it, cry me a river. I don’t expect anyone to get it other than those that are in my shoes. But my mind began to shift. I could help those people.
This is a common theme when entrepreneurs exit or sell their businesses. They’ve caught their bone, cashed out, but the thing that drove them more than anything is now missing and spending money is a poor replacement.
Instead of touring the world, I went on a metaphorical journey. I saw myself paddling a canoe down a beautiful peaceful river. A journey of introspection and self-work. Of healing and learning about myself.
Catching the bone is an amazing achievement. But what do you do after? For me, that’s helping others like me figure that out.
Not to be contrarian but as an owner, the movie is wrong. When a pup catches the lure, they are so excited that the trainer usually lets them keep it to play with and enjoy. And if they catch the lure, they still rave and win again because they love it. They enjoy the life of chasing the lure because it’s what they’re meant to do. Perhaps there’s a metaphor there
Thanks for the info, Axelskater. This wouldn’t be the first movie in the world that got something wrong :-). It makes he happy to think of a happy dog.