why six weeks.
March 30, 2008
In the movie Fight Club, Tyler Durden and The Narrator enter a variety store, and then exit the rear of the store, holding the night manager, Raymond, hostage at gunpoint. The dialogue goes something like this:
Tyler: “Raymond, you’re going to die. …[looks at Raymond’s I.D. card]… An expired community college student I.D.! What did you study Raymond?”….
Raymond: “Biology mostly”
T: “Why?”
R: “I don’t know”
T: “What did you want to be, Raymond K. Hessel? [Cocks gun] The question, Raymond, was – what did you want to be?”
R: “Veterinarian! Veterinarian!”…
T: “Animals.”
R: “Yeah animals…stuff”
T: “Yeah stuff, I got that – that means you have to get more schooling.”
R: “Too much school”
T: “Would you rather be dead? You’d rather die, here, on your knees in the back of a convenience store?”
R: “Please…no…”
T: “I’m keeping your licence. I’m going to check in on you. I know where you live. If you’re not on your way to becoming a veterinarian in 6 weeks you will be dead. Now run on home. [Raymond runs away into the darkness] ….Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel’s life – his breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted.”
The Narrator continues: “You had to give it to him. He had a plan and it started to make sense in a Tyler sort of way. No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter, truly slide.”
Although that scene was very intense, it really made me think on a different level.
What would you do if you only had 6 weeks to live?
What would you do if you knew you would lose your job 6 weeks from today?
What could you let truly slide?
Are you doing what you want to be doing? If you are, then keep doing it! I hope that you will still enjoy what I have to share with the world.
If not – what did you want to be, when you started out, and why are you not doing it? What do you want to be, what do you want to do, now? Why are you not on your 6 week plan to getting where you want to be? Why are you, instead, “dying on your knees in the back of a convenience store”?
I asked myself these same questions, some time ago. I had all of the tools I needed to become what I wanted to be, but I was not doing it. Although I did not physically have a “Tyler Durden” holding a gun to my head, effectively all of us do. All of us have one thing in common – limited time – and the time to start is now.
Time is effectively holding a gun to our heads.
Start now. We don’t know when time will come for us.
Now is the first moment of the rest of your life. Use it wisely.
–
My writing up until now has been of an inspirational nature. This won’t change, as it is very important to me. I will continue to write inspirational stories as long as I can write them, and as long as there is someone who would read them.
I have some other interesting things in store as well, that you may find useful. Stay tuned…
–
PS – in addition to starting now, I believe it is also important to fail early, fail often – to learn quickly. So please bear with me, and if you see something amiss – don’t be shy! I’m here to listen as well as to talk, and I’m far from perfect.
PPS – I know that probably all of the links in my old posts point to my old blog – I will be fixing them… 
Glad to see you’re moving forward Brett !
Can’t wait to see more
I love that scene from Fight Club too !
P.S. I love post scriptums
Thank you, Joohliah! Now that it is up and running, I can get back to doing a bit more of what I love to do…
It is funny how many people that movie has touched in some way, when it doesn’t seem at first like that kind of story. You can find inspiration anywhere.
PS – I love that you love post scriptums
PPS – there’s always room for one more
Brett, I’m proud to be one of your first commenters here. Can’t wait to see what comes next! I’ll send some linky love over here soon!
Well here we are at last! Your new home on the web looks great! I’m all subscribed and ready to hang out!
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..Jeff Buckley: Grace (Album)
Hey friend. Good to know the background of how Fight Club could possibly relate to your life. LOL *waits for
anarchyfinger paints to fly*Amy’s last blog post..Freelance Mentality: Do You Have What It Takes?
P.S. I do appreciate the Latin translations.
Amy’s last blog post..Freelance Mentality: Do You Have What It Takes?
Yo,
I have been waiting for more than six weeks for this to go live.
Good things come to those who wait. It looks awesome.
Can’t wait for the next installment.
Francis
P.S. Nothing else to say, just wanted to put a P.S.
Hey there! Your new design is fab…it even displays well in my phone.
And this is a great post that touched a nerve: aside from day-to-day deadlines, I’ve got only 10 1/2 months to get regular earnings from my at-home work adventures or I’ll have to go get a “real” job.
A deadline inspires massive action, no matter how much time you have. I guess it mostly depends on the penalty at the end and our competitive spirit…gotta beat that clock (or calendar).
@ Bob, it is so good to see you here, I’m happy that you came to visit. I’m looking forward to getting back to the fun stuff again – writing! (but a little tweaking here will be fun too
)
@ Melissa: thanks very much for coming – I’ve enjoyed hanging out at your house, so the least I could do is “invite you over”, so to speak – I’ll have to pass your thanks on to James & Harry, for the wonderful design – now for the words that match!
@ Amy – hello my friend, so glad you could make it – yet another space where we can chat (we’re up to about 5 now, if you go on Twitter we’ll never get anything done!)
Just remember, any good revolution starts with finger paint… I’ll be working on my Latin this year, something I’ve wanted to learn for a while – so I’ll put a new one up from time to time
@ Francis – yo! Good to see you here, my brother, if *you* thought it felt like a long time… thanks for the kudos, if you ever need a pro design I have just the guys for you – next installment coming soon – err, in less than 6 weeks for sure!
PS – to your PS – belated happy anniversary, bloody Outlook didn’t ping me
@ Anyone else reading this who hasn’t commented yet – *thank YOU* for coming to visit my site. I promise that you will find your time spent here will not be wasted.
@ Crystal – didn’t forget about you! (Have to turn off moderation on the comments, forgot that…)
Thanks for your compliment on the design, and nice to hear it looks good on the phone too.
As you have inspired me, I’m glad to have inspired you. I only recently discovered your blog and I love it.
I can tell you this, having read what you have to say – you *will* do it, Crystal. I know you will.
Thank you!
Crystal | Big Bright Bulb’s last blog post..The Holy Grail of Swag
@ Crystal – you are welcome!
(there – comment moderation fixed again… fail early, fail often…
)
Yes Brett, you look very nice on the phone.
There will be no Twitter. There will be no Twitter. There will be no Twitter.
I keep repeating that to myself….
Amy’s last blog post..Freelance Mentality: Do You Have What It Takes?
@ Amy: I probably look like the pictures you’ve already seen, only smaller and cooler (hey, everyone’s cooler on the iPhone!)
You can resist, I know you can. I, on the other hand, am weak…
Brett, I’m so happy for you! This site is suhweeet! I think Harry out did himself.
I hope you achieve your wildest dreams…
A gun to my head…makes me nervous. I haven’t watched Fight Club yet, but obviously it means a lot to you, so I will have to check it out.
If I only had six weeks to live I don’t know what I’d do. Pig out? Drink to much? Lay down in a meadow? I just don’t know. We can stuff ourselves to much with the fat of life, and still want more. The main thing is to love eachother and be happy.
I think you will be happy.
I am looking forward to more of your writing. I like your categories. Very nice. They inspire me. E
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..It’s Your Business: So Don’t Tell the Devil
Hi Ellen, thank you, and I’m so happy that you stopped by to say hello! I agree, Harry really hit the mark on this.
I know I will, with hard work and focus. Those two things make it inevitable.
The movie is intense, for sure. But if you are interested, it is worth a watch. It isn’t just for angry young men (I don’t fit into that category myself). If it matters, it was actually on Roger Ebert’s web site as part of the 102 movies to see before you die:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060420/EDITOR/60419010
Ellen, you don’t need a gun to your head, judging from your answer. Love each other and be happy. You “get it”.
And you are right, I will be happy. Because I already am – I have a great family, and great friends, both out ‘there’, and out ‘here’.
Thanks again. I have much more to share, and even a few surprises (at the bottom of the thumbnail stack are two placeholders – “evil” & “scientist” – originally because I couldn’t figure out how to get rid of them… I’m going to leave them until they have a purpose, which they will shortly!)
PS – I *LOVE* your latest post – and that photo is really special, when you tilt your head sideways
Fantastic post! It really made me think… and I really appreciate the explanation about your blog name.
I really do have six (okay, eleven, but with the way time is flying it might as well be six!) weeks to figure things out… only eleven weeks until I graduate and have to face the real world… *scary music plays* Realizing how little time I have left before graduation kind of scares me, but at the same time I can’t wait to be done. It’s kind of intimidating to think that right now, I’m making decisions that effect (affect? I can never remember) the rest of my life, but at the same time exhilarating, because even now I have so many exciting options!
Allison’s last blog post..It’s Your Time To Shine!
Thank you very much, Allison! And you are welcome – it was the least I could do for you, for helping me with some unofficial pre-launch feedback…
I know how you feel, having been there – many of us have, or most of us. You know what? You are going to do just fine. Just remember, it is never too late to change. Follow your heart and your dreams, and do what you love – do what makes you say at the end of the day, “I did good work today.” Don’t give up.
And you’ll be fine. You can adjust on the fly, you can try lots of different things. I’m an engineer by trade and training, and I used to say to people, “I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up” – it might have sounded like a joke, but there was a seriousness to it.
Now, I can say, “I want to write”. And I’m doing it.
Whatever it is that you want to do, you will do it. And – congrats to you on being a part of the Shine project!
You’re right. I will be fine, but… it’s still a little scary. Although I think I’m stressing out more about finding a new apartment! The jump frightens me, but its super exciting because my boyfriend is giving the most incredible opportunity of being able to work at home and pursue my dreams. Which, of course, is amazing but at the same time puts even more pressure on me, because I feel like I really have to succeed because he is doing this for me!
It’s so awesome that you have figured out what you want to do and are actually doing it! So many people say they want to do something but let things hold them back… you have four young kids and another job, and you aren’t letting all that keep you from working towards your dreams! Fantastic.
Allison’s last blog post..It’s Your Time To Shine!
I used to fear change too. I thought it was fear of failure, now I know it was fear of success! You *will* succeed, of that I have no doubt. You are young, smart, and have drive.
(not to mention sushi)
Whatever you see before you that you think could be holding you back, turn it around and see it as a source of inspiration. For instance, my children and my other work, is instead a source of inspiration for my writing – two books, in fact!
Thanks again for your words of encouragement.
eeck! guns! so much violence! And I am such a peace lovin’ girl…
Well, other than having a gun held to my head the moment I arrived, it has been a lovely new location.
I am really excited for you, consider me subscribed and my old fallback, saved to my favorites.
I know you will do great!
Wendi
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..The Magical Word
Oh no, you’re such a nice person that no one would do that to you – and besides, you’re already on your way so no one would have to do that
Thank you for subscribing – and being a part of this. I cannot do it without people like you.
Thanks.
Two books… I hope you will let us know when they are available for purchase someday! I would love to read them.
Allison’s last blog post..It’s Your Time To Shine!
Oh, I will for sure. I’ll have to make sure to spend more time on them and less time on Twitter
but that’s what the 4 am starts are for… you’ll be one of the first to know when things are ready to go 
Awesome! 4am? Man… I didn’t wake up until 11 this morning. Of course, I was up until 3:30am… I’m a bit of a night owl.
Allison’s last blog post..It’s Your Time To Shine!
I just wanted to say that your new blog looks awesome
RLD: Taekwondo Happiness’s last blog post..Update
RLD, thank you very much for your kind words – and congratulations on passing your belt test
Glad that you could make it, my friend.
Jesus, this is just like high school. I am ALWAYS late for EVERY party. Can someone please start informing me of the parties? Please? I’m starting to feel like a hard-core loser.
Awesome, Brett. So awesome I even got your name right.
Hard-core loser, you are not. Source of inspiration, you are.
(Master Yoda, for this way of speaking I thank. Yes I’ve had some wine.)
This is like that show “Connections”, Naomi – had I not visited your blog, I’d not have met the Men with Pens, nor Michael Martine, I’d probably not have tried a test blog or had a pro design done by “da boyz”…
So, thank you for doing what you do.
Don’t worry if you are late to the party, there’s some cold Quebec liquor in the fridge for you, only the finest for my friend Naomi
(I think I promised you I’d let you know when this went live… OOPS!)
Thank you for your words. (Couldn’t have done it without all of you. And I do mean *ALL* of you.) You can call me Brent too if you like
I don’t mind… hee hee
Just wanted to stop by and say hi.
The new digs look great!
(You might want to change your permalink structure to something more human and search engine readable, such as “Date and name based” instead of “Default”.)
Nez’s last blog post..New Web 2.0 Application to Catapult Blogging Experience to Ultimate Extreme
Hi Nez, thanks for stopping by and thank you for the compliments (passing it on to the Men with Pens too, they did a great job!)
Thank you for your suggestion about permalink – I’ll take a look at that.
Cheers,
Brett
Hi Brett – I’m so glad you’ve got the new theme up. It looks brilliant.
I didn’t see the film but I can imagine how having a gun to your head would definitely motivate you to achieve your goals.
Personally, I’ve veered off the track many times for several reasons and I regret it completely. When you’re younger, time doesn’t feel too important – just a slight incovenience. But the closer to 40 you get, the more you start to realise that there may be not that many days left.
Now, I’m going to imagine I’ve got that gun pointing at my temple every time I set a new goal. Thanks.
Cath Lawson’s last blog post..Is This The Ultimate Entrepreneurial Dream?
Hi Cath – thank you for the compliment (and thanks to James & Harry, they did a great job here, as they did at your place!)
That scene spoke right to me, as I knew I was (and am) capable of so much more than I do at work. I had seen the movie back in 1999, and then fast forwarding 8 years, I reflected upon what I had and had not done with my life.
I know how you feel, as I have also veered from the track many, many times. I’ve stopped regretting it though. Each time, I learn something new and I focus on the positive.
It does help to imagine that somewhere, out there, Tyler Durden is watching you, making sure you stay true to the course.
Thanks very much for stopping by to say hello today.
Brett,
What a nice post, I don’t have to have seen the movie to go all quiet thinking about the subject.
Good luck with the new digs here. A little blogger’s blessing: May all your posts grab your readers like this one does (*clank* *spray* *breaking a bottle of my favorite Madame Pommery over the bow of the new vessel-for-your-thoughts*).
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Ideas
Uh, oh, Brett, email subscriptions is not enabled. Call Harry. (The box is up there but it gives a rejection message saying it’s not enabled.)
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Ideas
Kelly,
Thank you very, very much for your words. And many thanks for your blogger’s blessing as well. I have enjoyed the trip so far, and I look forward to what lies ahead for all of us.
I love the quote at your blog today, so I’ll repost it here in your honour:
“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”
—George Bernard Shaw
Thank you for coming here to exchange ideas – now each of us has two ideas.
Cheers – Brett
Kelly – thanks for the heads up on that – never underestimate the power of many eyes.
(fail early, fail often…)
Brett,
Anybody who spells honour like that may quote me all day long. I’m one of those Americans who’s in love with all things… not American. Where’s the elegance in this darned place? (Familiarity breeds contempt.)
I have been “collecting” great quotes since high school, mostly design and business, with bits of life/love thrown in. Originally I wrote them all over my art portfolios, then later in notebooks. I have a couple that I quote more often, and I got such good feedback from them, I thought, time to dust all of them off. After pulling only the most relevant ones (no life/love for MCE!) I still have well over a year’s worth that I want to share, so Wednesday Words it is for a while. Pacing them will be the hardest part! It’s been like seeing old friends, compiling them all, remembering how they’ve inspired me or made me think, like Fight Club obviously did for you.
Until later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Ideas
Kelly,
Well then, I shall quote you often, as I’ve noticed you have many inspiring things to say at your blog, Wednesday Words included. I also collect quotes, and go out in search of more when I need a break or some ideas for writing.
Actually, I’ve met lots of Americans like you – or more specifically, lots of people like you – great people, irrespective of political borders. That’s what is so great about these kinds of forums, the interactions we have and the ideas we exchange.
Thanks again for stopping by today – Brett
I like the line in that movie about how we work at jobs we hate, in order to buy crap that we dont’ need.
Anyone who’s ever worked in an office or a dead-end cubicle farm should (no, MUST) see this movie. (They oughta make it mandatory viewing before you leave school).
The Friar’s last blog post..The Friar versus The Gray-Heads
Hey Friar: good to see you out here, thanks for stopping in to say hello… yes, I like that line too, I even admit to having fallen victim to that, as I look around at stuff I don’t need. The important things you can’t buy (like family, friends, time, sanity, health).
You have to get out there and do what you want to do today.
PS – wonder what’s going to happen in week 6 of The Friar versus The Gray-Heads, looks like you’ve got your own 6 weeks thing going on…
[...] The day after I went live with this blog, I received a message on Facebook from an old friend with whom I haven’t spoken in some time. He had just read my introductory post why six weeks. [...]
I love this whole idea, for many reasons, which I shall now proceed to list, in proper blogging fashion, as the masters have taught me to do:
1) Fight Club is an amazing movie. I first watched it beginning at about 1:30 in the morning with a bunch of friends on my seventeenth birthday. We finished at about 4:00 a.m., all bloodshot-eyed and delirious and shocked and awed, and the only thing I could say was, “We have to watch it again. We have to watch it again RIGHT NOW.”
2) Carpe Diem just ain’t enough. Good slogan, sure, and who doesn’t like Latin, but sometimes you need the image of a gun to your head. Sometimes you need the idea that you may in fact DIE tomorrow.
3) Sometimes you need outside assistance, too. I used to teach swordfighting to a group of mostly teenage boys, who are all now in their senior year of high school and live around the corner from me. They’ve been doing crazy workouts like the 300 workout and the Fight Club workout and I don’t even know whatall, because they’re TEENAGE BOYS, and they CAN, and so I charged them with creating my Body of Awesome. And let me tell you, it is a lot harder to resist a passel of teenaged boys who want you to come running with them than it is to resist that little voice in your head that says, “You said you would run today.”
Because what you say that voice is, “Shut up and I will let you live.”
I imagine this blog, and the people who follow it, are going to be your teenage boys. So let me just say: “Go kettleball!”
Wonderful writing, wonderful sentiments, wonderful guy. I’ll be back! (How ominous. That’s my governor talking.)
Tei’s last blog post..Things Bloggers Know.
Hi Tei: thanks for taking the time to stop in today, and for your kind words. I still say, it is amazing how many people this movie affected on so many levels, and all walks of life. What initially seemed to be a movie about bare-knuckle fighting clubs (from the previews) turned out to be so much more. And on repeat viewings, you can see it.
I watch it periodically, and it was a repeat viewing that started me down this path.
To your point #2 – exactly. Some of the things stated in Fight Club seem extreme at first read – for example:
“First, you have to know, not fear, know that someday you are going to die. Until you know that, you are useless.”
So what does that really mean? To me, it means that until we realize that we won’t live forever, that we might be gunned down and the sun *might* not come up tomorrow, we can’t really prioritize the important things and make truly effective use of our time.
If you knew you would die tomorrow, what would you do? I think I’d make a post here to say, “thank you all for your support” and explain it to you. Then I’d go and be with my kids.
I think it is important to know what it is you’d do. And then, go do it. Now.
I like your analogy very much
this fine group of teenage boys & girls has been helping me along, picking me up when I need it, kicking my ass when it needs kicking. And it is *great*!
Thank you again for your words of encouragement. I love your governor (I just watched a bit of Predator earlier today, in fact…)
Have a great day – and I’ll be back to *your* blog too.
-Brett
I’ve thought about this now and then.
I’ve realized that whether it was six weeks or six hours, I wouldn’t do much differently.
I’d want to spend a little more time with family and friends, but for the most part I’d do the same things I do every day.. I’m happy with my life, and don’t need to change anything.
Tony Lawrence’s last blog post..Linux Fanboy? Mac Fanboy? by Anthony Lawrence
Tony,
Funny, I was thinking that very though this morning. It’s nice to be able to say no regrets. I say it not because there haven’t been dark, ugly, embarrassing, and other awful moments, but because every one of them got me right here. Take one step different, you wind up standing somewhere else.
I asked my Dad about regrets a couple of years ago. He said simply, “That would waste time today.” Yeah. Ask Dad, he knows.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Tax Tips
Tony – thanks for stopping by to say hello.
You are there, then, and that is a great feeling. Myself, I have my personal life in order, so I’m just working to bring my professional / work life in line. This will take a lot of hard work, but it will happen.
You are living proof of that, along with many other people I’ve met so far.
Thanks again, and see you out there – Brett
Kelly,
Your father’s words were wise. I agree, it is important not to regret that which has passed. It is a waste of energy that could otherwise be used productively. I don’t regret becoming a chemical engineer, and I’ve met lots of great people here.
The experiences will serve me well as I continue through life.
I also know there are other things I want to pursue now, as I’ve matured and gotten to know myself better, so the time to start is now, rather than just “be happy with what I have” and never try to raise the bar. Or like so many others here say, “when I’m retired, I’ll do (fill in the blank)”
That approach could lead to regret for some people, later in life. Better to try, and fail, than wonder, “what if?”
[...] This was not supposed to be my latest post. I’ve been using Windows Live Writer with good success, and my latest post was based on a previous post, why 6 weeks. [...]
Oh, and I have to say my feeds aren’t keeping up with the lastest post. What’s up with that?
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..The Butterfly Effect
Ellen,
I’ll have to look into it, and maybe ask Harry. Not sure what is up.
[...] What could you do in 6 weeks? [...]
[...] you’ve decided that you want to become a veterinarian, but you’re not sure how collecting underpants is going to help you, or at least you [...]
[...] one of my own articles, I’d like to point you towards a friend’s: check out this post from Brett Legree at [...]
[...] one of my own articles, I’d like to point you towards a friend’s: check out this post from Brett Legree at [...]
[...] may only take your employees 6 weeks to find a new job. Perhaps [...]
[...] I’m going to play a game – a 6 week game. Tyler’s been talking to me, and I haven’t been [...]
[...] Today, I will begin such a game, to be played out over 6 weeks. [...]
My writing up until now has been of an inspirational nature. This won’t change, as it is very important to me. I will continue to write inspirational stories as long as I can write them, and as long as there is someone who would read them.
Hi Brian,
Keep on writing, definitely – don’t stop. There will always be someone to read your work.
Thanks for stopping in today.