Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights is not a conventional memoir. As he neared age 50, the Oscar-winning actor revisited the journal that he had kept for the previous 35 years to see what he could learn from it.
The result is this book, which combines hard-earned insights about the art of living with vivid accounts of McConaughey’s upbringing in rural Texas, his adventures in the movie business, his global travels, and his lifelong search for love and fatherhood.
Part autobiography and part life-guide, Greenlights both explains and illustrates McConaughey’s philosophy of “catching greenlights”— recognizing and even creating those moments when life says “yes” and you cruise into success as you pursue your destiny.
It’s valuable reading for anyone in search of an entertaining manual on finding your way in the world and Mathew McConaughey: Greenlights is one of our recent most popular shows.
What is Green Lights by Mathew McConaughey about?
“This is a book about how to catch more YESs in a world of NOs and how to recognize when a NO might actually be a YES. This is a book about catching green lights and realizing that the yellow and the reds eventually turn green.”
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY
Matthew McConaughey is an American actor and producer from Texas. He was sprung into the limelight in his mid-20s during his breakout supporting performance in Dazed and Confused (1993). Since then, he has won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club, a cowboy diagnosed with AIDS. The following year, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his starring role in True Detective. appeared in more than 40 feature films that have grossed more than $1 billion, and has become a producer, director, and philanthropist with his Just Keep Livin’ Foundation—all the while sticking to his Texas roots and “jk livin'” philosophy.
Greenlights is a collection of Mathew McConaughey’s journals from the past 36 years.
He put off delving into these journals for many years but he decided it was finally time to take himself and the journals to a desert. Here is where he wrote Greenlights, which he calls an ‘approach book.’ By re-reading the thousands of pages held in these journals, McConaughey relived the core values that brought him success and happiness.
It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights—and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too.
Matthew McConaughey describes a greenlight as a sign you should continue with what you are doing. You may believe these signs come from the universe, God, or by chance. All that matters is you pursue this greenlight when it emerges.
McConaughey’s 10 Goals in Life
McConaughey provides readers with the 10 goals for life that he wrote back in 1992 when he was 23. This was two days after finishing the filming of Dazed and Confused.
Become a father.
Find and keep the woman for me.
Keep my relationship with God.
Chase my best self.
Be an egotistical utilitarian.
Take more risks.
Stay close to Mom and family.
Win an Oscar for best actor.
Look back and enjoy the view.
Just keep living.
