That 15-Year Idea

“I remember having dinner with him.”

Matt Damon is talking about his dinner with Tom Cruise. It was after 2011’s Mission Impossible 4 - Ghost Protocol. Damon asked, “How did that stunt where you run around the building happen?”

“Yeah,” Cruise says. Damon leans forward and shifts to the edge of his seat.

“I’ve been thinking about that shot for fifteen years,” Cruise began, “I go to the safety guy, lay it all out. He says ‘We can’t do that, it’s too dangerous’.”

Cruise pauses, looks at Damon, and continues, “So I get a new safety guy.”

At that point in the retelling Damon stops the story. If the safety guy says ‘no’ it’s good enough for Matt Damon.

But not for Tom Cruise.

Both actors have great careers. They’ve played iconic characters, succeeded financially at the box office, and set their own schedules working on projects they choose. Both paths works.

But, if you’re wired a certain way. If you’ve had an idea for fifteen years. If you’re intense, driven, and focused and someone tells you ‘no’ - you get a new safety guy.

The Daily Entrepreneur newsletter delivers brief meditations on the principles & practices of the world's greatest business builders. This newsletter will always remain free and dedicated to helping you get a little better each day-