Some five or six years ago, I found myself entranced for the first time by Almost Famous, a movie that introduced me to the idea, as dreamily exclaimed by Penny Lane (or was it one of her friends?), that “It’s all happening!” At fifteen, I didn’t give much thought to the implications of such a statement and merely accepted the words, enjoying them for their brevity and simplicity—their ability to fully capture the seemingly loose, carefree world in which the movie’s flower children basked.
When asked at Wednesday’s Lunch and Learn what the most rewarding aspect of his job is, CFO Mike Dost, after a moment’s contemplation, provided his answer: “making things happen.” As CFO, he has the power and knowledge to set the company’s world—an extremely real world that is far less unencumbered and far more worry-filled that of the fictional Almost Famous—in full motion. In hearing Dost’s response, a chord was struck within me, and I was instantly reminded of the movie and the quotation mentioned above. The notion that “It’s all happening” contrasts vividly with the notion that one is “making things happen.” Passive but comfortable, the former thought intimates that one is standing still as the surrounding world ebbs and flows as it pleases, pushing and pulling here and there. The latter perspective is more intimidating; it implies an active existence in which one does his or her best to exert influence, to understand and control (when possible) the movement of the surrounding world in order to create something new, something better, or simply to maintain a status quo. After listening to Mike Dost acknowledge and describe the invaluable capability of “making things happen,” I hope to better adopt that latter, active perspective both here at Fairway Talent and beyond.
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