There have been rumors swirling that one of my favorite movies is about to be re-created, and I’m not sure if that’s going to be a good thing or not. That movie is known for one of the most incredible bank robbery scenes ever. In fact, the scene was so well done that police academies use it for training on how to properly reload an M16, among other weapons. I’ve even driven down that street several times in Los Angeles and each time thought about how epic this movie scene was.
That scene, of course, was from the movie Heat with Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, and Al Pacino, among others. Recently, rumors have been swirling that it’s going to be remade with actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Stephen Graham, and Christian Bale in a modern-day take. I can’t wait.
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The original Heat movie features incredible moments of cinematography, clips that you’ll find on social media, and a storyline that was impactful, but there is one quote that has hit me recently that I think is valuable for all of us to consider.
If you’re not familiar with the movie, it’s about career bank robbery criminals who are planning a major heist, and the cops who are tracking and chasing them. De Niro plays the lead organizer of the criminal group, while Pacino plays the lead Detective trying to chase them down.
During a meeting at a coffee shop, De Niro tells Pacino his motto for life as a criminal:
Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.
Now, this comment was geared toward the idea that if the police are chasing you, you should be able to run. You can’t have relationships, houses, bills, or life holding you back in the moment that you have to escape.
But as someone who writes about careers, I spin this in a slightly different light.
To me, it’s about the optionality of choice in your career.
When things get tough, you should be able to prioritize decisions that are best for you.
When you get frustrated in your career, you should be able to make decisions that you ultimately value.
When you are faced with difficult environments, bad leaders, toxic work drama, etc., you should be able to do what is best for you, rather than have to be held back by all the scenarios that will ultimately hold you back.
I know, it sounds utopian. It doesn’t sound realistic, and in some cases it might not be, but I guarantee you that if you create a world around you that allows you to be able to make decisions that are best for you, then you’ll shed so much stress and anxiety that will fill up around you as a result of your career.
I had a call this week with someone who is frustrated. They’re stressed, they’re over it, and they want a change. In reality, they don’t want a change, but with everything they’re dealing with, they would welcome one. However, like most people, their life isn’t set up to just walk away and start a new one, but usually in the moment we sure wish it was.
This isn’t a call to say don’t have relationships, don’t buy a house, don’t own a car, don’t have roots, and be detached from reality. But it is a call to be mindful that every time you get more deeply ingrained in life, it reduces your ability to flex on a life that you want.
When I moved to California early in my career for my first manager job, one day my skip-level boss came into my office and started asking questions.
“Are you going to buy a house here?”
I sort of looked at him sideways, “No, we haven’t thought about it,” as we were renting at the time and still owned a condo back in Seattle.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because the more debt you accrue here, the more likely you are to stay and never leave.”
That was the ultimate version of, “Lock yourself in, don’t leave, and remain focused on your career here where you don’t own the decisions; we do.”
This past week I also got a text, “Fuck loyalty, Scott; I just got laid off after almost six years.”
Another example of decisions being made for us every single day, and when our lives aren’t set up to be able to detach and walk quickly, we have to scramble, and then the stress and the anxiety pile up.
I don’t want this to be a fear-driven piece; rather, I want it to be focused on the fact that the more optionality we carry in our careers, the more likely we are to be able to prioritize decisions that are best for us. Optionality in everything we do gives us leverage, it gives us strength, and it gives us power to choose what is absolutely best, rather than settling for the thing we have to do to survive. Life is about survival.
You don’t have to be ready to disappear in 30 seconds flat, but you should be building a life where you are not terrified of what happens if the heat shows up. Keep your resume updated. Keep relationships alive. Save what you can. Build skills that travel with you. Create enough room in your life that one bad boss, one layoff, or one company decision does not completely own your future.
The goal isn’t to care less about your career. The goal is to make sure your career never has so much control over you that you lose the ability to choose. Build a career you care about, but never build one you cannot leave. You may never need to walk away in 30 seconds flat, but there is tremendous peace in knowing that if you had to, you could.