Image by Mr J. Doe
WARNING: Shawshank Redemption Movie Spoiler.
One of the most dramatic and effective flashback endings in cinema comes at the end of The Shawshank Redemption – so look away now if you’ve not seen the film and don’t want to know about it!
Andy Dufresne, convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover, is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences at Shawshank State Penitentiary in Maine. Faced with this situation, most of us would go for one of two alternatives: fight to clear our names through the legal system, or resign ourselves to serving our time. Andy did neither.
Instead, he devised an elaborate escape plan. He used his financial skills to set a trap for the prison warders, luring them in with their greed and tangling them up in a web of dodgy deals, hooked onto a fake identity – which was then ready and waiting for him to assume when he got out. Meanwhile, he was chipping away, night after night, at the wall of his prison cell with a rock hammer, covering the hole with posters of movie divas.
It took Andy nearly 20 years to tunnel through the wall – a superhuman effort by any standards. But the final leg of his journey was probably worse than anything he had to endure previously, crawling half a mile through a narrow sewage pipe full of human excrement. In the words of Andy’s friend Red:
Andy crawled to freedom through 500 yards of shit-smelling foulness I can’t even imagine – or maybe I just don’t want to.
Now make no mistake, Andy was a brilliant creative thinker. I could probably have spent a lifetime in Shawshank without coming up with a plan as clever as his. But as we’ve said before, creative thinking is not enough – you need to follow through with action. Red daydreamed about tunnelling through the wall, even trying to work out how long it would take – but he did nothing. By his own admission he didn’t want to even imagine the obstacles, let alone face them for real.
Andy’s plan also relied on his experience as a successful banker – without his financial knowledge, he would have had no honey to bait his trap for the wardens. And he needed a keen knowledge of human psychology and influence in order to home in on the guards’ weaknesses and lure them into the trap.
But Andy could have had all of these things and still failed. What set him apart from the other prisoners – those who daydreamed but did nothing, and those who started out but gave up – was his stubbornness.
It was his stubbornness that made him stand up to his tormentors among the prisoners. It was his stubbornness that helped him put up with abuse and humiliation from Warden Norton and the other prison staff, as he slaved away at the financial scheme.
And it was his stubbornness at chipping away at that prison wall with a hammer, night after lonely night, when everyone else had gone to bed, that brought him success.
On any given night, he could hardly have blamed himself if he had been ‘too tired’ to put in the night shift with the hammer. There must have been many, many nights when his progress seemed so slow, his achievements so miniscule, the task so difficult and risky, that he was tempted to give up. Any reasonable human being would have given up long before they made it through the wall. The only thing that kept him going was an irrational, unstoppable determination.
Had he decided to give up, Andy could have had all the excuses he wanted. But he didn’t want excuses. He wanted freedom – and he was prepared to pay the price.
From the outside, Andy’s stubbornness may have looked like foolhardiness. But Andy was no fool. Like Seth Godin, he understood the principle of The Dip. In his book of the same name, Seth points out that whenever you start a major undertaking you will inevitably run into difficulties (‘the dip’). At that point you need to look ahead and ask yourself: Will persevering lead to a better life or more of the same difficulty? If more of the same, you should quit as fast as possible.
But if you can look ahead and see a time when your present efforts are rewarded, so that life becomes easier on the other side, then it would be foolish to quit. At this point, you need to be as stubborn and dogged as Andy, chipping away with his hammer.
Fortunately most of us will never find ourselves in Andy’s predicament. We won’t have to make the choices he did, and work against such overwhelming odds. But if you’ve ever felt constrained by your work or life situation, and dreamt of a better life, you’ll know something of what drove Andy to escape.
When you consider the sentences contracts, shackles and (golden) handcuffs that lock millions into corporate servitude, not to mention the drab uniforms and cell-like cubicles, it’s no wonder one of the most popular blogs for aspiring entrepreneurs is called Escape from Cubicle Nation.
Contrary to appearances, most entrepreneurs are not driven by money. Sure, they do their best to amass as much of it as they can – but the money is not as important as what it brings them: freedom.
If you’re one of those independent-minded souls who hates being told what to do and having to settle for mediocrity imposed by others, then being trapped in an unfulfilling job (or relationship, or any other limiting situation) can start to feel, without too much exaggeration, like a prison. And if you want to escape, then you’ll need to do as Andy did.
Like Andy, you’ll need to hatch a brilliant plan, looking at the same obstacles and constraints as everyone around you – yet seeing the opportunity no-one else has spotted.
Like Andy, you’ll need to draw on all your past experience and skills – and maybe develop some new ones, including talents you’d never have suspected in yourself.
Like Andy, you’ll need to look into the souls of people around you, note their desires and foibles, and influence them to play their part in your plan. (Though hopefully you’ll have a wider choice of associates, and can look for win-win outcomes – as Andy did when he helped his friend Red.)
Like Andy, you may well reach a point where any reasonable human being would give up – when your plans are thwarted time and again, things take longer than you expected (even after you’ve allowed for them taking longer than your expected), and obstacles keep appearing out of the blue. You may even have people around you advising you, with the best of intentions, to ‘quit while you’re behind’.
At that point, like Andy, you’ll have to rely on your stubbornness to succeed, pushing through the final barriers no matter how much pain or unpleasantness you have to endure.
And when you finally break through, just like Andy, you’ll know the sweet taste of freedom.
At this point, you may notice a difference in the attitudes of people around you. Instead of expressing concern about your naivety or pigheadedness, they start to express admiration for your determination and clarity of vision.
Others may forget or fail to notice the stubbornness and sacrifice, and tell you how ‘lucky’ you are to be doing what you’re doing, with all the opportunities that are now open to you.
You may be tempted to retort and tell them what it cost you. But it could be more fun to follow Andy’s example one more time – smile, assume your newfound identity, collect your reward and stroll out into the sunshine.
How Stubborn Are You?
Have you ever succeeded against apparently impossible odds? How did you do it?
How do you decide whether it’s worth persevering with something – or time to quit?
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received/given about the power of persistence?
About the Author: Mark McGuinness is a poet and creative coach.
I have seen the movie. The effort of andy is extraordinary and unexpected how a calm man can accomplish such an huge unbelievable tunneling.
Your post is Interesting, Inspiring and illuminating. Thanks.
What a phenomenal and inspiring article you have written here about ‘Are You Stubborn Enough to Succeed?’ Your use of one of my favorite movies as the source makes it even better to me.
I particularly liked when you said “At this point, you may notice a difference in the attitudes of people around you. Instead of expressing concern about your naivety or pigheadedness, they start to express admiration for your determination and clarity of vision.” about your new found success.
Thanks for sharing!
Interesting stuff, Mark. I wrote about something quite similar myself recently:
http://dizzyjam.blogspot.com/2009/02/passion-perseverance-and-stuff.html
Inspired by this Einstein quote: “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer”.
Thanks Mark.
If you want something you have to know the price is and be prepared to pay it.
As a 5 year-old I missed out going to see Back to the Future at the cinema because it was raining. There where puddles outside but I refused to wear my red wellington boots. My mum insisted and threatened to not let me go with my Dad and brother. I folded my arms and refused to budge. I can still hear my mothers voice “You are a stubborn little boy”.
It wasn’t until ten years later that I got to see Marty McFly travel through time, amongst other things tell his parents not to be so harsh on their little kid when they discover him setting fire to a rug in their home.
For a very long time I thought this character trait was my worst but not long ago I realised it is my greatest asset. It’s helped me overcome huge obstacles in health and business and bring me to a point in my life that I am content with my decisions. Your article crystallises this fact. To quote another film, ‘our demons are really angels’.
The other week I introduced the entire BTTF series to my young daughters, none of us wore wellies.
This is one of my favorite movies; excellent post on the mentality it takes to get to where you want to go.
The final scene of Andy’s escape pretty much summarizes what we work for; where he finally poured himself from the pipe and was cleansed by the rain. A lot of people don’t grasp this; the work is difficult, damn near impossible at times, but the reward is very, very worth it.
Thanks for putting this up.
Thanks guys.
@Mohan – Yeah, it’s the quiet ones we need to keep an eye on. 😉
@Neil – Good post, thanks for sharing. Reminds me I need to see Anvil…
@Dan – Good on you for sticking to your principles! ‘our demons are really angels’ – sounds like another film I should watch…
To understand the intense “stubborn factor” is also to recognize the rampant desire for the vast majority of people to have it all right NOW! Instead we must understand that any real accomplishment – from losing weight to building a business – requires patience. And the focused stubborness which you eloquently write about Mark.
Of course, even as I post this reply I recognize the impatience that runs through my own life on so many occasions. So the fact that you utilized the tremendous “Shawshank” story as a perfect analogy creates an excellent opportunity for me to re-examine within where I need to get beyond impatience and dial back in to work. Stubbornly!
Great post Mark.
Makes me think about the doubts I experience when the ‘immediate’ pressures of duty in life keep coming around before the next level of success is reached.
When these are combined with people’s (well meaning?) pressure to quit your frivolous ‘selfish’ dreams and be ‘realistic’ it can certainly put a severe strain on your determination.
I think I’ve let myself hesitate, falter, re-think, shift focus and generally shoot myself in the foot many a time under such circumstances.
I need to be more stubborn.
“…you may well reach a point where any reasonable human being would give up – when your plans are thwarted time and again, things take longer than you expected (even after you’ve allowed for them taking longer than your expected), and obstacles keep appearing out of the blue. You may even have people around you advising you, with the best of intentions, to ‘quit while you’re behind’.”
Thanks for the reminder that persistence is mine to employ and that vision of the “freedom” is the focus!
Great read and great timing!
sheila b
The Shawshank Redemption is one of my all-time favorites.
Andy’s persistence was unshakable because from the very beginning, he had an inspiring “why” for escaping–one that held personal meaning for him, even if it didn’t make sense to others who knew of his professional expertise and background.
Then he designed a detailed plan of action for achieving it.
But most important, he had a crystal clear vision of exactly what his freedom would look and feel like… repairing small boats on the sparkling beaches of Zihuatanejo, Mexico… that he never lost sight of no matter what was happening to him or going on around him…
The source of his calm, self-confident demeanor and the mysterious, dreamy smile his prison mates couldn’t understand.
When I take an honest look at my own struggles both now and in the past, one (or more) of these key ingredients was missing.
In the final message of his letter to Red, Andy wrote, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”.
Thanks for this empowering reminder of the stuff success is really made of, Mark.
It’s called Jacobs Ladder, and funnily enough stars Tim Robbins also.
Near the end of this post you mention the people around you changing, telling you to give up and stopping your foolish pursuits. That reminded me of a piece from the book “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield.
————
Resistance Recruits Allies
When a writer begins to overcome her Resistance–in other words, when she actually starts to write–she may find that those close to her begin acting strange. They may become moody or sullen, they may get sick; they may accuse the awakening writer of “changing,” of “not being the person she was.” The closer people are to the awakening writer, the more bizarrely they will act and the more emotion they will put behind their actions.
They are trying to sabotage her.
The reason is that they are struggling with, consciously or unconsciously, against their own Resistance. The awakening writer’s success becomes a reproach to them. If they can beat these demons, why can’t they?
————
I’ve noticed this from former co-workers and friends when I talk to them about my change in goals toward writing. Their lack of understanding just further cements the fact that they’re not my “tribe”.
My favorite quote, from later on in the Pressfield piece, is “The highest treason a crab can commit is to make a leap for the rim of the bucket.” A lot of times I feel that not only am I fighting my own inertia, but those around me that cannot grasp my goals still want to keep me from them, because they see the passion when I speak of them.
This reminds me of a poem my father had tacked up on the wall of his office. It was called “Perseverance” and detailed how all other aspects of our lives weren’t enough, if not coupled with perseverance. I grew up seeing it every day, but never really absorbed it’s message till later in life.
Thanks for the fantastic post. You really highlighted well the parallels between Andy and those striving to be creative professionals.
I went to USC film school with some of the most brilliant people on the planet – I was not one of them.
But I was more stubborn than most. And I have had more success that most of my class – I stuck doing something creative (not movie making but writing and teaching, etc). I know it’s not my talent or my brains that helped me but being stubborn.
However, now, in my mid 40’s, I’m slowly learning a new way to keep going, a mix of patience, desire and listening… less pushing, less willing and more allowing. Sometimes it gets mushy and I lull myself into too little action and too much planning, and sometimes I want to go back to make it happen no matter what and over commit to more than I can do, but mostly, I’m navigating by letting my love of what I do pull me forward… and sometimes, a little stubborn willpower, too.
Another brilliant article, Mark. Also one of my all-time favorite movies.
What an art to determine what one thing to be stubborn about, and what other things to be flexible about!
So much of the time we are either stubborn about the wrong things, or flexible about the things we should be stubborn about. To what extent can this wisdom be taught, and how much must it be learned through personal experience and intuition?
Food for thought…
~Duff
@Steve Gaines – Good point, but don’t get the idea I’m not impatient as well as stubborn! 🙂
@Sheila B – Yes, very important to keep the end in mind. As @Mary Anne reminds us… this is a key element I missed out of the post:
@Dan – Jacob’s Ladder duly noted, thanks.
@Finoloa @Gabriel – Yes, mediocrity never wants for company, but our real friends will usually forgive us rocking the boat on the way to achieving our dreams. (Great quotation from The War of Art – one of my favourite books about creativity.)
@Jennifer – Great example. You might enjoy Talent is Overrated – basically says what we’ve been saying on Lateral Action, perseverance and practice are more important than being ‘talented’ (whatever that means). http://www.amazon.com/Talent-Overrated-Separates-World-Class-Performers/dp/1591842247/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243951205&sr=8-1
@Duff –
In my (ahem) experience it’s usually a matter of trial and error and (bitter) personal experience. I usually have to hit my thumb several times with the hammer before considering an alternative way of doing things. 🙂
So far the single thing that I really wanted to do was finish my training as a therapist. Although it became aparent that I lacked social skills. (Well, that is what “they” said) I was even supposedly showing some austitic traits.
It took me two years extra to finish things but I had made the promise to myself that I would finish this, no matter what.
And As I’m typing this I have a B Health degree as therapist. A few fellow studentd had the same issues, I am the only one who was victorious so to speak.
No social skills my *ss. I can be social, I just choose to not be it at times. I won’t just hop allong and do what I’m told without hihnking it over.. and If a patient really is anoying, I’ll be sure to let them know.
Actually, some patients thanked me for this, saying that they really needed that kick to get going.
Shawshank Redemption has always been on my list of movies to rent. I just clicked ‘rent movie’.
I love the way that this post relates to where I am now.
I changed the dynamic I have with my employer to focus on my business. After I jumped into the process I encountered ‘the dip’, realized I was going to create more ‘time for money’ drudgery and had the guts to quit.
With everyone looking at me like I am out of my mind, I flash a ‘wait and see’ smile as I venture forth with heart and determination on my life adventure.
I expect that they and many others will eventually tag along. I look forward to the company.
Stubborn vs Persistent raises similar issues to Obsessed vs Dedicated, or Aloof vs Focussed.
I’ve put up with being called the wrong epithet from those pairs very often in my life. At one point I made a T-shirt that read:
OBSESSED…
what the lazy call the dedicated
I think that sums up my views.
The Shawshank Redemption is a favourite of mine too. I like the fact that throughout most of the film we don’t see the escape coming. That is another lesson Andy has to teach us right there.
Wonderful Post. Small correction: 500yrds ist an quarter mile, which in no way lessens Andy’s accomplishment.
@ Christiaan – “And As I’m typing this I have a B Health degree as therapist.” – Congratulations! Glad your hard work paid off.
@ Patrick “I flash a ‘wait and see’ smile” – Good choice of smile sir! And good luck with your next venture.
@ Scout — Glad you liked the post. I took the half mile from Red’s words in the film:
I believe a mile is 1760 yards — I’ll let you and Red duke it out as to whether that’s closer to a quarter or a third! 🙂
Great article!
And very timely too. I guess I just need to be a bit more stubborn for a bit more longer.
Excellent! Thank you!
My pleasure!