From the moment Woody Allen saw his first film, the thought struck him, "Hey I could do this." Movies became his itch. Weekends were spent at the theatre because they were an escape from reality and they provided a springboard into an alternate universe.
As the decades passed, Woody tried his hand at writing gags and doing stand-up before he settled down on producing and directing films. From his first movie in the 1960s, he's been able to produce one film a year, quite a remarkable feat. When he was asked how he does it--how he keeps that output alive--Woody said,
“It’s not all that big a deal when you think of it because that’s what I do is make films. It’s not that I’m torn between other activities.”
Woody's success lies in the power of one. No dabbling. No distractions. No other forces pulling at him. Just the one thing he loves, writing stories and making films. But it stems further.
“To me, the fun is doing the thing.”
There's a word called autotelic--doing something for the sake of doing something, not what it brings you externally. Woody makes movies because he loves it. It brings joy and excitement. If he didn't make millions, if he didn't get the accolades and recognition and awards, Woody would still get up every day and make films because it's autotelic.
It doesn't mean he loves every aspect of the process. The writing is paradise for Woody, but the filming is a nightmare. Too many logistics and problems arise that frustrate him. "Making the film is a bit of a struggle but I would rather struggle with the film than other things," he explains. But it's a torture that he's comfortable with.
So ask yourself, is what you do autotelic? Would you do what you do if you didn't get any external rewards from it? Money. Recognition. Accolades. If the act was all there was, would you continue to act on it?
When you find the thing that brings you everything internally, with no regard for what it does for you externally, you've unlocked a powerful key in life. The work becomes play. And when work is play, a powerful process is set in motion.
You work more. You work harder. You break through the barriers because you enjoy the work. And when you love the work for just the work, you get better. When you get better, you make progress. And with all that progress, the external rewards, the things that didn't matter, start to come as a result.
To know if your work is autotelic, ask yourself the following questions.
Would you do it if you didn't make any money from it?
Would you do it if you were the last person on earth?
Would you do it if no one else knew about it?
Most work is done for an external gain. Nothing wrong with it, but it lacks sustainability. External rewards depend on external factors. Some are within your control, others not so much. When you let the value of your work be determined by what you get from it externally, there will be fluctuations. Sometimes you'll get the money, other times you won't. Sometimes you'll get praise, other times you won't. Those fluctuations can be dangerous because the work is only enjoyable when you get the rewards. When you don't, danger ensues. Motivation falters. When obstacles arise, you're more likely to cave in.
But when the work is autotelic, the only thing that matters is doing the thing. If there are obstacles, you'll overcome them. If there's no external success, you still show up. The reward is doing the thing and when that's the main thing, you do it forever. When you do it forever, magic starts to happen.
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You can check out the podcast on Woody Allen for a deeper dive into his life and greatness.
You can check out other episodes of the Greatness Podcast, where I dive into the lives and stories of the world's greatest individuals.
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