2024 is seeing a growing enthusiasm for the murder mystery, bringing a whole new meaning to Netflix and Chill.
Fool Me Once with Michelle Keagan carries an IMDB rating of 6.9, but anyone who has watched this new series, based on the Harlan Coben novel, would probably disagree. Easily an 8.4 thanks to its unguessable plot twists!
After watching Fool Me Once, my son and I watched The Stranger, another Harlan Coben adaptation! Time to join in and hunt down the rest!
We had been watching Shetland with Douglas Henshall and then Ashley Jenson, so when we finished that we were looking for our next murder mystery fix! We had to abandon Death in Paradise when a key character got bumped off and I think I’m still in mourning. I’d better not tell you who it was…
Everyone likes a plot twist in a story. Plot twists are what make viewing memorable. When I think of plot twists I immediately recall David Fincher, Seven and M. Night Shyamalan.
The best plot twists bring in the positive, as they’re not about death but representative of freedom. The Shawshank Redemption with Morgan Freeman is one such movie. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), is jailed for a crime he didn’t commit but the story saves the best to last!
Plot twists leave you with your mouth open with thoughts of… how did I not… and blow you away enough to want to share with others. In some cases, you might want to rewatch again with that extra knowledge! Whether it is Darth Vader dropping his immortal line – ‘ I am your father’ or Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects.
So, what does 2024 have in store for you? What could be the plot twist that changes everything?
Russell Crowe starred in Next Three Days which remains one of my favourite films as he goes to rescue his innocent wife. I kind of see that man as myself doing whatever it takes for love although Clare hasn’t been jailed for any murder!
In my life, there have been a few plot twists. Some were so crazy I have yet to even articulate them. The most pivotal of them all was meeting my wife, Clare. It provided me with the platform from which to build my life and up until that point my building lacked meaning.
It wasn’t that Clare WAS the meaning, it was her questions that woke me up to living a life with meaning. Pursuing money above all else had had a price and I had lost my peace. Clare made me flip the script and re-evaluate my values. Then EVERYTHING changed.
You see, the greatest plot twist in your life is the one that you instigate yourself. It’s about being in control of making the choice and then going after it. My plot twist affected many people, getting them to question how they were building their own lives.
Are you willing to go after impact over income and build your life differently?
2024 marks 23 years of living out the decision I made and I don’t regret it. I see this year, more than any other, as being THE YEAR where things are getting super exciting.
- California is no longer dreaming(!)
- Our tech tools are gathering momentum
- Personal development has never been so exciting
- Networking is opening more doors than ever.
The plot twist in my life now is seeing my children becoming increasingly interested in what we do… they have been there but entrepreneurship is starting to become catching!
Bella is attending and loving HUM4NS, Leon is exploring drop shipping and constantly thinking of new ways of doing life and Taylor knows what she wants and communicates with a sharpness that stops me in my tracks at times!
I’m not saying that they should take on or even want to take on the family business BUT they are catching what it means to live outside a conventional framework.
What stood us all in good stead for 50 years isn’t working any more and our children can see it. The plot twist is that the world as we have known it for so long isn’t working… anymore…
- Education
- Finance
- Politics
- Travel
- Society
- Energy
- Tech
- Media
They are all a bit broken and it’s time for some new thinkers to flip the script. We need a new generation of writers to show up and leave us open-mouthed with positive plot twists to reshape our world.
Today’s generation want to pursue purpose and lead with impact and this is so different from how it was when I was growing up. Some re-invention is required and bravery also. I firmly believe we need courageous people to step out and stand out.
So how do you engineer some positive plot twists? I believe it starts with three things…
ONE:
The answer is in plain sight.
We don’t notice things because we are running at 100mph without pausing to process. Like getting into thousands of pounds of debt and not asking the right questions. The greatest plot twists happen when you stop to observe your behaviour and interactions with the people round about you. Life changes.
When you do this, you catch what the writer is trying to catch your attention with. The art of foreshadowing comes through reflection. Let me explain… What you love to do is a foreshadowing of what you’re supposed to be doing. The challenge for most of us is we don’t pay enough attention and therefore miss out on what we are supposed to be doing.
Think, what comes easiest to you most naturally? Ask other people what they think it is too. That’s what you should be doing and it’s your key product to lead with.
It’s how I know that the Purpose Playbook is a great tool because we asked our clients. We believed in it, but we needed to know that it was life-changing!
TWO:
Deal with the impostors
Whether it is a team member or a client, you have to deal with impostors. People are not loyal to you, they are loyal to what they NEED from you. Once their needs change, so does their loyalty.
Purpose-driven people think differently – they’ll build with you if you are aligned. In both business and life, they think longer term because the more they focus on vision, the more they can see.
Perhaps it’s a client that distracts you or the team member who leads with ‘me’ rather than we. Whoever is meant to go on the journey with you will start to rise to the top and those who won’t will also reveal themselves. The sharper your vision, the quicker you’ll see division, diversion and distraction. It’s like in the movies, the closer the main protagonist gets towards the goal, the more the enemy of the vision reveals itself. However, the clearer your vision is, the more confident you’ll be to stand your ground and embrace new talent and new clients more aligned with where you want to head.
THREE:
Keep the momentum after the plot twist.
After the big reveal, it’s easy to stay in shock. What you have to do is to embrace the change and double down on the opportunity you now have. It might be doing the thing you kept putting off, recruiting the replacement you dreamed of or even travelling.
The plot twist for Cre8ion is that we are going global! Now I have people around me who believe in where we are going and that we can make a massive impact.
In 2024, I have already spoken to more people about vision and the future than ever before. I am unapologetically optimistic about this year because we have a squad full of people who have made purpose a priority and are ready to do extraordinary things.
Our clients are growing, winning and succeeding. The leaders are truly great people and it’s an honour to serve them in tech, recruiting, education, engineering, travel, networking, personal development and sports, they are all purposeful people.
The plot twist that began in 2001 when I quit running after my selfish pursuits is now paying off! The plot twist for 2024 is that, despite the gloomy outlook for the economy, we are not taking part, we are making it our best year yet!
If you would like to do the same, why not sign up for a Purpose Playbook and take the business world by storm as you pursue purpose in 2024!
Watch the latest episode of the Purpose People Podcast today via the image link below!
