What would the audience be screaming at the screen for you to finally do?

One of my all-time favorite movies is The Devil Wears Prada. I’ve watched it dozens of times, and still (spoiler alert), when aspiring journalist Andy is complaining to Nigel about the editor-in-chief, Miranda, I can’t help but scream at the screen:

QUIT OR ACTUALLY TRY, ANDY!

For a little more context, the scene goes like this:

Andy: She hates me, Nigel.

Nigel: And that’s my problem because… oh wait, no, it’s not my problem.

Andy: I don’t know what else I can do. If I do something right, it goes unacknowledged—she doesn’t even say thank you. But if I do something wrong, she is vicious.

Nigel: So quit.

Andy: What?

Nigel: Quit. I can get another girl to take your job in five minutes. One who really wants it.

Andy: I don’t want to quit. That’s not fair. I just want a little credit for killing myself trying.

Nigel: Andy, be serious. You are not trying. You are whining.

I’m sure you can think of a movie where you’ve had the urge to yell:

“Take the job!”

“Leave him!”

“Call your mom!”

“Apologize!”

“Look behind you!”

You can pick the movie and fill in the blank.

But my notes this week aren’t really about another movie. They’re about your movie.

Imagine an audience is watching the movie of your life. It’s a timepiece from beginning to now, and your story is unfolding in front of their eyes. The audience can clearly see what you should do next and they are screaming…

Fill in the blank.

What did you see on the big screen?

I love this exercise because it allows us to step back, distance ourselves from ourselves, and think more rationally. It’s similar to the classic “Give yourself the advice you’d give your best friend.” Same concept, different angle.

When we’re in our own lives, it can be hard to see clearly. But when we imagine an audience watching our lives unfold, it’s like the clouds lift and the light comes through. In this scene of your life, where would the audience see you as stuck? Where is the tension building? That’s what sparks the popcorn-flying, yelling-at-the-screen moment.

So… what would the audience be yelling at you to do?

And here’s the real kicker:

Why aren’t you doing it?

Unlike The Devil Wears Prada or your favorite film, where the characters (and us) are at the mercy of the screenplay, you are not. In this case, you are the producer and the director of your own film. You get to write the next scene. And after you write it, you get to act it out. Isn't that the most freeing feeling ever?

This prompt made its way into my Notes app back in 2022. I can’t remember how it got there or the original source, but I was reminded of it recently when Chris Williamson mentioned it on The Diary of a CEO podcast as an effective goal-setting practice.

In 2022, when I asked myself, “What would the audience be screaming at you to finally do?” I imagined the answer immediately.

The audience was yelling: “JUST GET YOUR PHD AND STOP TALKING ABOUT IT.”

And it prompted me to actually do the thing! That was the year I decided to finally enroll in my PhD program.

I've since finished that program, so it was no surprise that the audience had moved on to something else. And to no surprise, what I could hear them screaming was exactly what I already knew deep down. I just couldn't see it from inside the scene.

If your life were a movie, what would the audience be screaming at the screen for you to finally do?

Now go direct, produce, and act in the next scene. I’ll be in the audience, popcorn in hand, cheering when the credits roll.

Find one thing that brings you joy today.