Funny Motivation: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

For you non-viewers, let’s clear this up right now: Buffy The Vampire Slayer is awesome!! It is one of the best TV shows ever, and I am not ashamed to admit that I love it.

This new year’s day, I came across a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon, and since I was, um…shall we say, “a wee bit tired,” from new year’s eve, I ended up laying on my couch and watching a whole lot of Buffy that day.

One of the episodes ends with a character, Whistler, delivering this voiceover:

“Bottom line is, even if you see ’em coming, you’re not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come. You can’t help that. It’s what you do afterwards that counts. That’s when you find out who you are. You’ll see what I mean.”

Brilliant!

This quote essentially sums up the entire crux of my speaking message. Planning is important, but improvising is essential. Ding Happens! No matter how well you plan, the universe is going to throw you a curve ball. Our success in life is not dictated by how well we do when everything goes right, but how effectively we deal with things when they go wrong. And so on, and so on…

I love how in a few short sentences he lays out exactly how “Ding Happens!” works:

• Even if you see ’em coming, you’re not ready for the big moments.
  So true. There’s a difference between knowing something is going to happen and being truly “ready.” It’s important to try to be ready for what you can, but it’s equally, if not more, important to be able to improvise with whatever happens.
• No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. The big moments are gonna come. You can’t help that.
  Change is inevitable. People who don’t improvise well are the ones who a) desperately hope things will never change and b) sit there whining instead of taking action when things do change.
• It’s what you do afterwards that counts.
  Absolutely! It’s not what happens to us, it’s how we respond to it that matters. This relates to the idea of focusing on what you can control and letting go of the rest. You can’t control of lot of life’s big moments, but you have 100% control over how you respond afterwards.
• That’s when you find out who you are.
  This is my favorite bit. The reason I love improv is because it deals with authenticity. When you react instantaneously you are revealing your true self. No editing, no time to craft a response; what comes out right away is who you are.

  As Wayne Dyer says, “When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out – because that’s what’s inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside.” Or perhaps you prefer James Allen: “Circumstances do not make the man, they reveal him.”

  I find this to be true. If you want to see what someone’s really all about, see how they respond when the Ding hits the fan. Anyone can be all smiley and nice when things are great. A person’s true dumbassery usually only reveals itself under pressure.

You may be sitting there thinking, “wow, this guy thinks way too much about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” You may be right. I did, after all, read a book of essays on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and philosophy…

But the lesson from this episode applies irrespective of whether you like Buffy or not. Let’s say that you happen to have no taste in TV shows at all and don’t like Buffy. You can still take away the idea that no matter what, the big moments are going to come, and how you respond afterward will determine your success while revealing who you are.

If you just remember that, you’ll be 5×5…

P.S. What’s with the name “Whistler” and vampires? Buffy has a character named Whistler. Blade’s buddy in the Blade movie and comic is named Whistler. It’s not that common a name to appear in two separate vampire universes. Is there something significant about “Whistler”? Maybe vampires hate the sound of whistling. If so, they must really hate Bridge Over the Rive Kwai.

P.P.S. This quote is from part one of season two of Buffy. I think the season two finale is the best one of the series. Others will argue that it’s the season five finale, but I find season two to be more powerful. I also thinks she makes a bigger sacrifice in season two. I won’t give away what she does in either in case you haven’t seen it (’cause I know after reading this you’re going to run out and watch the entire series), but for those who have seen it, you know what I’m talking ’bout…

About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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