Episode 41 - The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Art of Stretching Yourself

Stretch! 

The importance of stretching is a known fact in sports, you but it’s also important in all areas of life. It’s important to always be reaching for the next thing.

Alex Trebek said “Have you ever met a successful person who wasn’t restless— who was satisfied with where he or she was in life? They want new challenges. They want to get up and go, and that’s one of the reasons they’re successful.”

How can we be better rubber bands?

Stretching starts with a decision to stretch. Lots of people want to find a better job, lose weight, write a book, etc. but they don’t. Why is that? You can’t win a race if you never cross the starting line, and likewise you can’t win if you don’t try.

Stretching always requires change.

Always.

It’s going to be uncomfortable, but that’s part of the process.

Once it becomes habit, it can become a lifestyle.

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.” -Mahatma Gandhi

One company that I’ve seen stretching time and again over the years has been Marvel. Their movies have continued to improve and transform over time.

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, Marvel has been releasing movies since 2008. They began with standalone movies for a variety of characters, then brought them all together in one big movie. Nowadays, it’s almost old hat to have interconnected movies, but at the time, it was unheard of.

I didn’t find any incredible secrets when I studied the origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, any “secret sauce”. They had a vision and they’ve stuck to it, continually challenging themselves to improve. It’s been really impressive to see, and I’m excited to see how they handle the Infinity War storyline they’ve spent the last ten years building toward.

The 26th is also the anniversary of the Richter Scale’s invention, and Pretzel Day, and the 25th is Penguin Day, so if you’ve ever wanted to hug a penguin in an earthquake while eating a pretzel, now’s your time.