I’ll be back in my chair tomorrow. When I do sit down, I have a full day ahead of me with at least two projects. I don’t like leaving in the middle of things, but that’s the way the projects rolled this time. Some things can’t be helped.
As I was once again watching the Breaking Bad Binge on television, I was lamenting the show’s ending. For some reason, the end of this one has lingered. I missed other shows, like Lost and Battlestar Galactica, but not like I miss BB. For me, Walter White is as addictive as his product.
So as I pack up my bags and board the flight home, I wanted to share those quotes from Breaking Bad that can teach us about our careers.
Walt: Respect the chemistry. It was Walt’s attention to detail that made him the king of crystal meth production. Similarly, it’s our attention to detail that leaves our clients wanting more. Maybe not in an addictive way, but in the “I can count on the best from you” way.
Jesse: I suggest you stop whining like a little bitch. Oh, Jesse did love to say “bitch” a lot. However, this statement sums up Jesse’s interaction with one of the lab partners he was training in proper cooking methods. Writers, if you’ve ever complained about the work being too hard, too confusing or too scarce, do what Jesse says.
Saul: Congratulations, you’ve just left your family a second-hand Subaru. Maybe attorney Saul’s meaning was different, but writers, be sure you’re charging enough to allow yourself to prosper. If you’re working steadily and still not able to keep up with bills and expenses, it’s time to raise the rates.
Walt: I have spent my whole life scared, frightened of things that could happen, might happen, might not happen, 50-years I spent like that. Finding myself awake at three in the morning. But you know what? Ever since my diagnosis, I sleep just fine. What I came to realize is that fear, that’s the worst of it. That’s the real enemy. So, get up, get out in the real world and you kick that bastard as hard you can right in the teeth. Words to live by.
I'll add one…
Walt: I am the one who knocks.
Sure, he meant it in a much darker, scarier way, but freelancers have to knock on doors – metaphorically, if not physically – to find new clients.
I'm sure Gus would have had a few lessons for us, too. After all, he ran a drug empire AND a successful chicken franchise.
I LOVE that quote, Paula! It said everything about the transition he'd made from unassuming to in command.
And isn't it odd, as I think Mike put it, that Gus is a vegetarian running a chicken empire?
…..and slaughtering humans, too. Gus was one of the most chilling characters ever on TV. In actor Giancarlo Esposito's hands, Gus could go from warm & friendly to cold as ice in an instant.