Ranking the 2012 Oscar Nominees

One week to go, and for the first time in years, there is real suspense for the Academy Awards in many major categories. That is due to several conditions. First, and most pleasant, this is the most competitive race in a long time, especially since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences started nominating more than five films for Best Picture. I have often commented in this annual blog that it felt as though the Academy was overreaching, jamming in films that were not worthy of the nomination. Not so much this year, as 2012 was one of the best for film in recent memory. My top five picks of the nine nominees can easily be considered excellent films, and I believe they will stand the test of time; any of them could deservedly win. My next two, though not great in my view, are at least pretty good and worthy of consideration as the best of the year. Seven out of nine is pretty good.

I also don’t see too many egregious omissions in the Best Picture nominations. The only film I believe is missing from this list is The Impossible, a brilliant film about survival, bravery and familial love set against the horrific quake and tsunami of 2004 that killed more than a quarter-million people. How that was overlooked by the Academy, receiving just one nomination (Naomi Watts as best actress) is incomprehensible to me. I could also argue that the documentary feature, Searching for Sugar Man, could be on this list. (If the Academy has included worthy animated films like Toy Story 3 among the Best Picture nominees, why not this uplifting documentary about a forgotten singer who learned late in his life that he is a folk hero in South Africa?) However, given the overall quality of the nominations, I will not quibble.

Finally, politics and plain old boneheadedness are affecting the Best Picture race. Snubbing Ben Affleck (Argo) and Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) for the best director prize has set me and many other Hollywood observers to scratching our heads. When you consider that these two, plus Les Misérables’ Tom Hooper, were all nominated by the Directors Guild of America, you just have to wonder aloud, “Who is nominating the directors anyway?” Because of this, a backlash has ensued. Four top industry guilds — the Producers, the Directors, Screen Actors and Writers — have all given their top prize to Argo. I don’t know who has yet to weigh in, but that broad base of support indicates a wave of sentiment for Argo. But don’t bet the house on this; I think there may be upsets in the works.

All that prologue aside, I give you my ranking of the nine nominated films, in ascending order. Same ground rules as previous years: These are not my predictions, just my choices. They are also not necessarily my personal picks for the best films of the year, just my ranking of the Academy’s nominees in terms of entertainment value, craft, innovation and uniquely cinematic quality. I also judge them according to the ways in which they challenge my notions of film-making. And there was a lot of that in this year’s crop of nominees, many of them among the most creative films I have seen in years.

9.  Django Unchained — How did this odious stew of cinematic sampling end up on a “best pictures” list? While director/screenwriter Quentin Tarantino is often a vibrant force in films (Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds still electrify me), this film exposes him at his worst. At times derivative, disconnected and racist, this hodgepodge of themes, tropes and characters is the cinematic equivalent of throwing shit up against the wall and seeing what sticks. Characters abound seemingly at random, and scenes go on too long, punctuated by gratuitous acts of violence and explosions. Tarantino managed to waste superlative performances by Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio, and the talents of Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington are put to no good use. A fellow cineaste said to me, “I think they should have kept Django chained.” I couldn’t agree more.

8.  Beasts of the Southern Wild — Ah, this year’s The Tree of Life. Yes, I understand a dystopian vision, and I always appreciate when a director works economically as Benh Zeitlin did with his $ 1.8 million budget. He also coaxed good performances from first-time actors Dwight Henry and youngest-ever Best Actress nominee, Quvenzhané Wallis. But don’t basic narrative standards count in a movie? How about a plot? Or memorable dialogue? I was one of the people who exited the theater wondering what I had just seen. And this student film got a Best Director nod when Argo and Zero Dark Thirty did not? I don’t get it.

7. Les Misérables — Normally, I’m not a fan of the big-box musicals that have proliferated in recent decades, such as this one and Phantom of the Opera. Still, I have a grudging respect for Tom Hooper’s efforts in bringing this sensation to the screen. Les Misérables has the scope and power that is de riguer for such big-screen adaptations. Hooper’s decision to have the actors sing live was brave for its unconventionality, though it also revealed their shortcoming. (I’m talking to you, Russell Crowe.) Ultimately, I think the success of this film resides less in its cinematic strengths than in the powerful performances of Hugh Jackman (At last! An appropriate role for this very talented man.) and Anne Hathaway, all 10 minutes of her (or however long it was). Musical movies still seem anachronistic to me, but this one was a valiant effort.

6. Silver Linings Playbook — I seem to be missing the gene that goes agog over David O. Russell’s romantic comedy/family drama. However, one Philadelphia film critic e-mailed me that people love this film because we all want to see people fall in love. Okay, I’ll buy that. But what other quality raises this movie above the most mundane rom-coms that accomplish the same result? I would say the acting, validated by nominations in all four acting categories. It was rewarding to watch Bradley Cooper break through in a role worthy of his talent, see one of DeNiro’s better performances in years, be amazed by Australian Jacki Weaver’s convincing Philly accent, and witness Jennifer Lawrence’s stunning performance that vaults her to the A-list.  Eschewing explosions, special effects and CGI, Silver Linings Playbook helped bring back character-driven movies this year, and that works for me.

5. Lincoln — This is the first truly great film on this list. Auteur Steven Spielberg gave us a history lesson that is uniquely relevant to our current political deadlock. Lincoln focuses on a specific period in the president’s final days rather than the entire arc of his life. Instead of filling the screen with majestic, stirring images, Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner gave us… Words. Repartee. Debates. Principles. And they glorified the commitment to achieve something great, namely the end of slavery in the U.S. Spielberg gets fine performances from a stable of first-rate actors, most notably Tommy Lee Jones, whose craggy, cranky countenance brings abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens to vivid life. And what can be said of the brilliance of Daniel Day-Louis, who delivers what will surely go down as one of the greatest movie performances in history? After seeing Birth of a Nation, Woodrow Wilson was quoted as saying it was “like history written with lightning.” Spielberg also showed us a nation conceived in liberty, but he drew his images from the heart and soul-stirring words of a great man rather than through Hollywood artifice.

4. Life of Pi — Even after Brokeback Mountain. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Sense and Sensibility, and the other works in Ang Lee’s canon, the visually stunning Life of Pi convinces me he can do anything. The original novel by Yann Martel was called “unfilmable,” but I was spellbound for more than two hours as Lee brought a mystical, magical world to life — the tale of young Pi Patel, cast adrift in a lifeboat after a shipwreck, his only companions being animals from a zoo that was on board. All the various scenarios work together: the interviews that unfold the story in flashback, Pi’s early life, the catastrophic storm, and his salvation on a mysterious island. Lee sets each unique scene with equal ease. Unfortunately, there is a coda that turned this movie into somewhat of a shaggy dog story. (I won’t spoil it for you. Think of the last episode of the TV series, St. Elsewhere.) But despite that, Ang Lee’s talent prevails, and this movie reveals him as one of the most accomplished directors working today.  

3. Amour —The Parisian apartment of Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) is worn out by old age and use, as are they. One morning, Anne goes into a trance for an uncomfortable time, which concerns Georges. Thus begins the story of this couple’s final days together as Anne moves from vibrancy to a living death from a stroke. In the confinement of the apartment — the very antithesis of filmmaking — director Michael Haneke shows the boundaries of the world this loving couple shares, only occasionally invaded, whether by their daughter, a postman or a stray pigeon. I consider Riva’s performance the best of the year by a female actor. Anyone dedicated to a single partner will find this a most frighteningly truthful film about old age. It is a masterpiece.

2. Zero Dark Thirty — Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal succeed again in the unique movie genre they virtually invented with The Hurt Locker: the Middle East war movie, just as John Ford created the Western as we know it. While Zero Dark Thirty covers the relevance and importance of the American intelligence community and the killing of Osama bin Laden, it is ultimately about determination of purpose. This theme is embodied in the character of Maya, the dedicated CIA agent played brilliantly by Jessica Chastain. Maya knows bin Laden is out there, and she hectors her bosses to go after him and kill him. It takes a while for the film to take off, but the viewer is rewarded with a nail-biting climax in bin Laden’s compound. This is all the more remarkable given that we know the end to this movie. Rarely has reality been so suspenseful. 

1. Argo — This was the most exquisitely crafted film of the year. The others in my top five are excellent works that I believe will stand the test of time. Yet each has some small flaw, a blemish that blocks its path to the top spot. Lincoln is both inspiring and educational, but it is at heart a stage play and somewhat less of a film. The Life of Pi is a thing of beauty whose ending slightly deflates all that came before it. Amour is emotionally moving but at times cinematically inert. Zero Dark Thirty delivers excitement, but the payoff comes after a slow and expository first half. Then there is Argo, which tells an exciting story that moves confidently from start to finish. There are moments of high drama and belly-shaking laughter.  And it is superbly paced. I never felt bored or anxious. The performances are perfectly calibrated to each moment of the film, whether it is Alan Arkin’s hilariously vulgar faux producer, John Goodman’s veteran Hollywood makeup man or Kyle Chandler’s convincing portrayal of Hamilton Jordan. (By the way, couldn’t the Academy show some nomination love to Mr. Chandler and Mr. Goodman, both also good in entirely different roles in Zero Dark Thirty and Flight respectively? What does a working actor have to do around here to get some respect?) As a result of Ben Affleck’s sure hand at the helm, Argo comes in at a tidy 120 minutes — an exercise in economy and control. It is nice to see craft in film-making, and Argo delivers that in spades. It was my favorite movie when it premiered, and it remained so for the rest of the year

So which of these films will Oscar shine on? We’ll learn on Sunday, February 24. I’ll be watching, and I eagerly anticipate Seth MacFarlane as the host. Save me some popcorn. 

Taking a Product to First from Worst

A few weeks ago, I was quite proud, and more than a little amused, when I read the 2012 "Annual Best" awards from KLAS, a research firm in the healthcare industry. KLAS* gathers data and the opinions of thousands in the industry on software, services and medical equipment, choosing their best of the year. ("The best of KLAS," is a commonly accepted term in the industry.)

I chuckled because the results showed that a laboratory information system from one of my previous employers, Siemens Health, was chosen as one of the best of the year. I remembered the time when the product, now called Novius Lab, was quite the opposite of "best." Or even "good."

I was working in marketing for the company (then known as Shared Medical Systems, before Siemens* acquired it) when management declared that their lab information product known as OpenLab was a loser. Lab information systems manage the ordering, testing and results reporting of lab orders in a hospital. This particular system was designed to integrate the patient's clinical information from a variety of  facilities and then turn around the test results quickly. It reduced costs while raising efficiency. 

However, the salespeople said that they couldn't sell it because "everyone hated it." They said that OpenLab had a terrible reputation. The company wanted to drop it and get out of this product line altogether. My boss, the head of sales & marketing, did not want to concede this market. He came to me and said that a big lab conference was coming up. How could we save the product at that event?


The first thing I did was NOT presume the sales force was correct. Instead, I conducted a marketing survey of both the current customers and the market place. Well, the current customers did NOT hate it; in fact, they LOVED OpenLab. They thought it worked great. What we found was that others in the medical lab market who did not even own OpenLab thought it was a bad product. (We believed that this reputation could be traced back to a former sales employee who bad-mouthed the product, though we could not prove it.) But the challenge remained: How could we get new customers if they all believed the product was no good?

I advised rebranding the product altogether...essentially take OpenLab off the market and replace it with a new name. The upcoming lab show was in Dallas. An internal copywriter and I brainstormed and  thought a cowboy theme would work for a new campaign. She came up with a slogan similar to the old Western movie cliche that there was a new sheriff in town. But instead, she wrote that "there's  a brand new new lab system in town!"  At the time, SMS was renaming their newest offerings with the prefix "Novius,"derived from the Latin word for "new." I advised that we rename this project Novius Lab, wiping out the previous, besmirched name as the final step in creating a new impression.

When visitors came to our booth at the conference, we gave them a blinking badge that had this slogan. We encouraged them to wear it, because a "sheriff" from our booth would be walking the floor occasionally, and if he saw their badge... well, he would just invite them back to the booth for a prize!

People were pleased to wear the badge and were excited when he "sheriff" (really, just one of us guys in a big Stetson) collared them and brought them back to our booth. The prize, a horse doll for their kids, was a big hit. More important, we made an impact at that trade show, beginning the introduction of a new product and replacing what was for many a bad memory.

My manager and I have since left the company for other opportunities, but we still laugh about that campaign over a drink every now and then. When the company was ready to abandon this product, we believed in it. We got to the root of the problem and solved it. A product that was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars each year today is one of the company's biggest, most reliable money makers. It also continues to serve its market, much to the surprise of many in the company. And to top it off, this product is consistently rated at the top of its class by acclimation among the decision makers in healthcare.

Shakespeare once asked, "what's in a name?" Apparently, there's money. And vindication.

*References to KLAS, Siemens and SMS should not be inferred as an endorsement of my work by these entities.

Baseball Writers Stand Up for Baseball's Brand and More

The Commissioner didn't do it.

The players union didn't do it.

God knows that Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa didn't do it.

But the baseball writers did it. They stood up for the game that so many others profess to love yet in fact denigrate with their behavior. They did it by refusing to honor an entire generation of ball players that included many who cheated and soiled the game. They kept these players out of the hallowed halls of Cooperstown, and with that action, they showed more integrity than many others in the game.

 

My son, who is a pretty fair sportsman himself, said to me, "When are we going to stop the pretense that athletes are role models?" Fair question. But there is one difference with the Baseball Hall of Fame. Like it or not, the criteria for admission to the Hall has always included "character, sportsmanship and integrity." Has that clause been overlooked in the past? Certainly. In fact, right from the beginning, when the reprehensible Ty Cobb was among the first inductees. Yes, Ty Cobb, who used to sharpen his spikes so he could injure opposing players when he slid into them, was enshrined. Ty Cobb, who went into the stands to confront a heckler and when he discovered was an invalid beat the tar out of him anyway, is synonymous with baseball's freshman class. But we were all taught as kids that two wrongs don't make a right, and why not stand up for the integrity of the game now?

We have had too many instances in society of how we shave our principles to fit them into our particular and immediate needs. The revelations that reveal the speciousness of our entry into war. The backroom deals that grease the political gears but rob the citizens ultimately paying the bills. Don't report the child abuse or it will hurt the university. Or the Church. All executed with a nod and a wink, dismissed with phrases like "boys will be boys," and "everyone does it." In the meantime, the ones who played clean suffered in terms of reduced pay and lesser fame.

Tom Verducci of SI.com, who votes for the Hall of Fame, states his case more eloquently and with more authority than I can. He sees his vote as a sacred trust that few are honored to exercise. Baseball players and others involved should also feel such honor with all the fame and riches that the game bestows on them. But unlike Mr. Verducci, they have generally chosen to look the other way as the game was diminished by a steady drip of mendacity.The baseball writers focused their attention with this well-deserved slap in the face. Maybe we should all pay attention and shine a similar light into other quarters.

How to Accomplish Your New Year Resolutions

Okay, it's 2013, and if you are like most people, you have a set of new year resolutions. (Come on, admit it: One of them is to lose weight and get in shape, isn't it? My son is irritated how the gym parking lot is overcrowded until mid-February, when most of those people will give up on their fitness program.) However, when 2014 rolls around again, how many of the items on your list will you have accomplished?

I speak to many organizations about dealing with change or rejuvenating their job searches, and both topics involve accomplishing goals. I make to-do lists every year, and I fulfill a fairly high percentage of my goals. For example, over the last five years, I built a new website, read a number of new books each year, published my own book, earned two advanced Toastmaster designations, created two new keynote speeches, learned to speak Italian on a conversational level, and got a solo with my singing group (singing in Italian, incidentally). I'm not exactly Tim Ferriss, but I can claim to have done many of things I set out to do. Here are the steps that will help you reach your annual goals.

1) Presume that time management is achievable.
Don’t let anyone tell you “no matter how organized we are, there are always only 24 hours in a day.” I find that thinking limiting and negative.  While it’s true that each of us have the same number of hours, we can always optimize them.

2) Find out where you're wasting time and eliminate them.
What are your time-bandits? Don’t spend too much time surfing the Internet, reading e-mail or social media, or making personal calls. Tracking your daily activities will disclose what you are actually accomplishing, which is an important step in time management. (Example: I don’t turn on the TV during the day unless I see that an important event has happened.

3) Use a time management tool.
 This is the most important step. To physically and actually manage your time, you need to know where it's going now and then plan how you're going to spend your time in the future. You can use a calendar or a software program, such as Outlook, to schedule events know in advance what you will be doing. I'm low-tech, so I use an ordinary to-do list.

4) Set Your Priorities.
No matter which tool you use, it is still important to set realistic expectations, or else you are bound to be disappointed. That is the problem with to-do lists or other lists of goals: They may enumerate all the things you need to do, but they don't actually help you accomplish them. If you simply make lists of the things you need to do, odds are that they will remain unfinished far longer than you think they will. There are two reasons for that. First, we need to break down our projects into specific actions that will help us reach our goals. For example, if your goal is "write an article," don't just have "write an article" as your goal. First, set your objective. Then, set a deadline to write your outline. Next, set a goal of writing each day. And have a deadline to have the final draft completed. 

 

 I use the A, B and C priority system. A's are things you need to accomplish ASAP. I try to do as many A's each day as I can. B's are "nice to do" things, like cleaning the bathroom or buying a new in basket for the office. These can wait. C's are low priorities, but they are often the things we use to fill our days to make us feel as though we really accomplished something, yet they make no meaningful impact on our lives. Push the C's off as much as possible.






5) Establish routines and stick to them as much as possible.
Know each day which tasks will help you meet your long-term and short-term goals as described above. If you have 20 tasks for a given day, how many of them do you truly need to accomplish what you want to do? Prioritization will help you with that. Get up at the same time every morning. Exercise and eat breakfast at the same time. Take a break around the same time.  End the day at a prescribed time and get to sleep at the right time every night. Rinse and repeat.


Setting a routine includes limiting the things you shouldn't do. Distractions to avoid includes e-mail, social media, eating meals, and needless appointments. Either avoid these things altogether or schedule them so they don't get in your way.
 6) Learn to let go.
My most simple advice are these five words: You Can’t Do It All! And you should not expect to do it all. For effective time management, you need to let other people carry some of the load. Is it really that important that the bathroom is dirty when you are preparing for a critical job interview? Clean the bathroom after they make you the offer!

I wish you luck in all you do and all you want to do in the coming year.

A Christmas prayer for 2012

Each Christmas Eve, my wife and I host a traditional Italian "Feast of the Seven Fishes" for family and friends. Marie creates a masterpiece every time. However, as the father of the household, I like to lead guests in  prayer before we start. Well, 2012 was a challenge for us with illness, the death of Marie's father, the death of one of my most long-timed friends, and more, including the tragedies in our national community. I composed a special prayer for the occasion; I hope you find meaning in it.
Merry Christmas and happy new year.

Prayer before Christmas Dinner  2012

We are grateful for the many ways we are blessed this night.

In a world where many walk in hunger; we’re blessed to have an abundance of food. And so, may we eat with humble and grateful hearts.
In a world where many walk alone, we're glad to have each other.
At a time when many are in sorrow, having had their children and other loved ones taken from them unexpectedly, we're grateful for this moment of joy and to be together, especially in the light of an extraordinary year.

Having survived a year of illness, we hope that God's compassions never fail us,
and that his mercies are new every morning.
We give thanks for the relief from the sickness of this past year and for the hope of renewed health.

On this night of joy and in this moment of togetherness, we also feel the absence of people we loved. 
Let us remember the Christmas celebrations of the past and be grateful for having had them.
Let us soften our hearts and be more compassionate with everyone we meet and be in harmony with one another.

And finally, let's remember the central reason we are here. The beauty of this table tonight is that we gather as people with a wide range of beliefs. Yet whatever we believe, one fact is indisputable:
Jesus Christ, who was born this night, said that the two great commandments that contain the whole law of God are to love your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with your whole mind, and with your whole strength. And also to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

So in light of all what we believe, what we have endured and all we face ahead,
may this food restore our strength, giving new energy to tired limbs and new thoughts to weary minds.
May this drink restore our souls, giving new vision to dry spirits and new warmth to cold hearts.
And may this time together restore our souls as we head into a new year with the opportunity to be renewed.

Climate Change May Have Abetted the Wrath of Khan (Genghis, that is)

One of the world's greatest conquerors seems to owe his success to global warming. Still think this phenomenon is inconsequential?
According to The Economist, two academic researchers have uncovered evidence that it was changes to the climate that helped Genghis Khan take over half of Eurasia. Data found through tree-rings indicate that during his rise to power, Khan's world was wetter and warmer than in millennia past. This led to richer grazing than normal, which powered his horde's most powerful asset: their horses. 
These finding are not conclusive. The researchers, Amy Hessl of West Virginia University and Neil Pederson of Columbia University, are consulting with other scientists and a historian to test their theories. But regardless of the outcome, this theory further supports the notion that climate change does indeed alter history in ways that we would not normally imagine.

Trucking Companies Drive Home Point: Indices Can Be Misleading

Charles Dow, the first editor of The Wall Street Journal, had many prescient investing theories. One stated that a breakdown in transportation stocks presaged a downturn in the overall economy.

However, Dow's observation is being test right now. The largest players in the trucking field  -- J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Heartland Express and YRC Worldwide -- should see revenue gains between 5 and 13 percent. Yet while these large trucking companies are doing well, there is still a buildup of inventory at wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers, and this does not bode well for the entire economy.

So why the anomaly? It turns out that ONLY these large trucking companies are doing well; they are largely meeting the withered demand for trucking by themselves. Smaller companies have not been able to invest in the newer vehicles and the people needed to meet the demand. So manufacturers and retailers will be paying higher transportation prices because the trucking industry is short about 20,000 drivers (according to industry analysts).

So the lessons to be gleaned from this:

• Old theories should be heeded, but not blindly.
• A rising tide does not lift all boats. Sometimes the better maintained boats do better.
• The principle of supply vs. demand certainly applies to talent: Members of the trucking industry are competing for quality drivers, which are in short supply right now.

In the Category of "What Was I Thinking?"

My friends and I got into a discussion on Facebook today on several Presidential campaign snafus that were entirely avoidable: Mitt Romney's heartfelt but vocally challenged rendition of "America the Beautiful" is now an Obama ad. Barack Obama tone deaf remark that "the private sector is doing fine" has been a Romney ad for weeks. Perhaps the biggest self-inflicted wound of all time was by Michael Dukakis when he got into a tank and... well, let the ad speak for itself.
But, really, don't our organizations do the same things when they take actions or make announcements without thinking them through? Here are some examples:

• A company makes record profits but employees' salaries are frozen.
• Health benefits are cut with out a rationale.
• U.S. Olympic uniforms are made in China.
• New Coke. (Really, do I need to elaborate on that one?)

Here's a simple example of preemptive media management: An industrial TV organization I belonged to gave a "Communicator of the Year" award to a local broadcaster. As the dinner was underway, a local TV station  -- indeed, the one where he worked -- sent a crew in to get some footage for that night's newscast. As soon as they entered the room, his beer bottle quickly, discretely went under the table. He enjoyed it again after they left.

That really wasn't so difficult. We should all give our actions that much consideration.
 

A Recipe for Insularity

To close yourself off from the public and limit your accountability for your actions, do the following:

• Prepare a large and loyal following.
• Coddle your organization's insiders.
• Blacken anyone who disagrees with you.
• Blanch over the slightest interference from outside authorities.
• When it all comes to a boil, cry prejudice.
• Stew over the results of your actions.

This winning recipe has been done to perfection for such institutions as Penn State University, The Catholic Church, The Democratic Party, The Republican Party and most big-city police departments.
Warning: The final dish when left out loses its taste over time.

Learning Inspiration from Jack Nicholson

I was watching the 1997 movie As Good As It Gets when I heard one of the most memorable lines, and one of the best sentiments, written for a movie over the last 20 years.

Jack Nicholson played Melvin Udall, a writer with OCD, who falls in love with waitress Carol Connelly (played by Helen Hunt). While he is awkwardly wooing her over dinner, she requests a compliment from him, mostly to counteract the insults he inadvertently inflicts on others as a result of his condition.
Melvin thinks it over, and he informs Carol that since he met her, he is controlling his OCD with medication for the first time. Carol, bewildered, asks what that has to do with her.

Melvin draws his breath and announces to Carol, somewhat gallantly, that "You make me want to be a better man." (See the scene here.)

It is one of the best compliments that Carol has ever received in her hard-knock life. And well it should be.

Who is the person for whom you want to improve? To do your best? It could be a loved one, a teacher, a coach, a boss, a colleague.

There must be a person for whom you want to give more than a passable effort. You could write a brochure that looks like the others in your marketing department, or you could create a breakthrough document. You can lay brick to collect your daily pay, or you could help build one of the most beautiful walls ever.

But who is the person YOU want to make better? Maybe that is the more pertinent question.