Yesterday I listened to the Ideacast podcast from Harvard Business Review. The host interviewed Ron Howard about leadership and career longevity. If you are about the same age as me, you too feel like Howard is a close childhood friend. We grew up with him. I watched a little of him as Opie Taylor on the Andy Griffith Show, but it was during Happy Days that I really grew to adore him—he’s the nicest guy on the planet, right?

But Howard’s success really came not as an actor but as a director. He had three amazing successes on his first three directorial ventures: Nightshift (1982), Splash (1984), And Cocoon (1985). The film community saw him as a phenom—someone with special powers or something—to which Howard laughs. He explains that he’s had a lot of films that flopped. He doesn’t always win the The Academy Award for best director like he did for A Beautiful Mind. How many of you saw The Dilema (2011)? This film, with its star-studded cast, is universally accepted as Ron Howard’s worst film. And there are more where that came from. It happens.

What I heard listening to Howard talk about his career with his iconic voice and his carefree, joyful laugh, was everything isn’t going to win an Academy Award—create anyway! Take risks, try new things, do your best, but don’t hold back because it might not be a winner. And remember, his “failures” are very public, so it’s arguable that he has put more at risk than us. He’s focused on what he loves, not what could go wrong. Let this be our mindset for 2023. Focus on what we love, not what could go wrong!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth

P.S. How is goal setting going? I’m knee deep, but still moving along. More today!