Maybe You Should Retire That

I recently watched “being eddie,” a documentary on Netflix that explores the life, contributions, and legacy of the legendary multi-hyphenate Eddie Murphy. “Multi-hypehnate” is one of those marvelous phrases coined by the cognoscenti that is used to describe those individuals whose talents cross boundaries. If anyone deserves that appellation, Eddie Murphy certainly does. Although he is best known as an actor (whose movies have grossed more than $7 billion worldwide) the brother is just flat-out, TALENTED. He is a comedian, singer, actor, and producer.

I was curious to watch the documentary for several reasons. First, Mr. Murphy is from Roosevelt, NY. I was raised in Freeport, NY—which is literally one town over. While I do not know him, I do know several members of his family and he and several of my older friends ran in the same circles. All of us are interested in seeing how people from our hometowns fare, and I am no exception. Second, I am a student of success. I especially love to learn from people who have mastered their craft, and have achieved success at the highest level over a long period of time. In that regard, Eddie has few peers. He has been successful in show-business for over 40 years. And third, despite his mastery of his craft, his box office success, and his other-worldly talents, he has never received an Oscar. I wanted to know how he feels about being ignored by the community that he has helped to make so rich.

The documentary answered all of those questions and more. I watch documentaries like I read books: with my notebook open and pen in hand.  When Eddie’s documentary was over, I had almost four pages of notes. As I was reviewing those notes earlier this week, what struck me most was an observation that Eddie made that was entirely unrelated to any of the reasons that made me want to watch the documentary in the first place. He said something that provided an insight into why he has been so successful.

Eddie Murphys’ laugh is as legendary as his comedy. It is impossible to describe, so I won’t even attempt to do so. But once you’ve heard it, you will never forget it. Well, I was amazed to discover that a few years ago, Eddie said that he was watching some of his performances, and he decided that it was time to retire his laugh. He said that it had become so predictable, that he decided to ditch it.

Of all the things he said in that documentary, I think that observation ranks among the most insightful. It taught me that the best in the world are always self-critical and that they never rest on their laurels. The best in the world are always looking for ways to grow, improve, and expand. The best in the world are never complacent, and upgrade themselves before they become extinct or irrelevant. It is interesting to note that there was nothing wrong with his laugh. He just decided that he wanted to do something different.

That observation made me ask myself a question—the same question that I want to ask you today--what are some things in your life that you need to retire? For some of us, it could be a habit. It could be an idea. It could be a philosophy. It could be a word. But all of us have accumulated an assortment of quirks over the years that may not be serving us as well as they once did. There may not be anything wrong with the habit, idea, philosophy, or word. But perhaps you should retire it so you can continue to grow—and avoid extinction and irrelevance.

There is an ominous prophecy about the failure to grow and change that meets us in Jeremiah 48:11. It concerns the nation of Moab. The prophet informs us that:

Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs not poured from one jar to another— she has not gone into exile. So she tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged.

Jeremiah compares Moab to a bottle of wine that has been sitting in a cellar. When wine sits too long, sediment or “dregs” form at the bottom. It’s composition disintegrates, and it must be “shaken up” to become what it once was. To avoid this, ancient winemakers would periodically pour it from one bottle to another so that it would retain its value.   Without this intentional and periodic shaking, the wine would “lose it scent. By retiring his laugh, Eddie was performing a self initiated shaking to ensure that he remains fresh.

Perhaps we all should adopt that practice.  Retire something!  Today!!