What Breaking Bad Can Teach You About Purpose, Money, and Running A Successful Business
(That’s not drug-related)
The series finale of Breaking Bad aired on September 29, 2013. I’ve re-watched a few episodes but my husband has watched the series at least 3 times in the last 7 years.
Bryan Cranston’s character, Walter White, is possibly the worst role model you can have. He is egocentric, prideful, and well…a vindictive high school chemistry teacher turned drug lord. Despite being the ultimate antagonist, his character and the show still can teach you a few things about money, business, and living with purpose.
A career change can change your life
At the start of the series, Walter White celebrated his 50th birthday. He’s a high school chemistry teacher who could’ve been a millionaire. He co-founded Gray Matter in his college days with his best friend. He subsequently sold his shares to his partner for $5,000 and now the company is worth billions.
He also learns of his cancer diagnosis.
This drives him to produce meth and he’s good at it. Producing meth isn’t a recommended career change but it’s obvious that the trajectory of Walt’s life took a drastic turn when he decided to go down this path.
In a year, he managed to make $80 million, became a murderer and drug lord, and he lost his family.
These aren’t the results you hope for (except for the $80 million) but it goes to show that a career change and how you utilize the skills you have can change your life, hopefully for the better. You spend at least 8 hours a day working and that doesn’t include commuting and getting ready. If you love your job, then it’s awesome but what if you don’t or, even worse, absolutely hate it? Imagine what a career change could do for you, for your life, and family?
Changing careers is scary. It’s unstable but temporary instability is better than being permanently stagnant.
Be confident in your product and your worth
If there’s one thing Walt is sure of, it’s the quality of his product. He knows how pure it is and there’s nothing like it on the streets. Because he’s confident in his product, Walt isn’t afraid to stand up to Tuco, a dangerous and erratic drug lord himself.
Confidence is everything, not only when you’re starting out but throughout your entire career. You need to believe in your product and your worth. If you don’t, there’s no point in putting yourself out there. If you don’t have confidence in what you’re selling, how can you expect others to have confidence in your product?
Money and power will amplify your innate morality
Walt seemed to have accepted his fate when he was diagnosed with cancer but with a high school teacher salary, it was unlikely his family would survive financially after he was gone even if they had life insurance. Walt needed money, not just for his treatment, but to ensure his family was taken care of after he was gone.
Walt managed to make $80 million in his first year. He could’ve stopped at any point — even after his first $10 or $20 million might have been enough. But he was greedy. Money does that to people — once you have some, you want more.
But more than money, Walt liked finally having power.
There’s only so much money someone can use. At some point, you realize you don’t need a bigger house or another car and you can breathe easier knowing your kid’s college tuition is taken care of.
But power is another story.
Power reveals your true self, your innate moral code. Power amplifies your pre-existing traits. It’s why having power can bring out the best or worst in you.
Walt didn’t just love having power, he craved it. He felt that Gray Matter was stolen from him, that he was owed more. His cancer diagnosis left him powerless, his son had a disability, and he had to work two crappy jobs just to get by. But it wasn’t his circumstances that made him crave power — he was already resentful and angry with his life and wanted more.
“Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. . . . If you wish to know what a man really is, give him power.” — Robert Green Ingersoll
Power and money doesn’t corrupt but it does magnify the person you really are.
You can’t succeed alone
Walt knew he could make the best product. He had the knowledge and he had the skills. But he knew he would need help. He may have had book smarts but he lacked the street smarts to get his product out to market which is why he recruited Jesse Pinkman to help with distribution early on.
No one is ever a one man show. There are a lot of people behind the face of success. Gratitude and loyalty is everything when it comes to the people behind your success. Don’t forget who got you to the top and know that asking for help doesn’t make you weak, it’ll make you stronger.
Own up to your why
Skyler opens the door to their storage unit. Inside is a pallet of money — $80 million.
Walt wanted his family to be taken care of after he was gone and, financially, it seems he’s succeeded. He could’ve stopped right then and there but he didn’t. His family was the reason why he started and it quickly transformed into his need for power.
Own up to your reason why.
Family is often used as the reason why you work so hard. While that may be true for single parents or struggling families, convincing yourself that your family is the only reason for your endless hours only makes them feel guilty, and you, resentful.
Stop using your family as an excuse for the long office hours and the missed dinners. If you can’t own up to your reason why, you might end up losing the thing that you truly cared about in the first place.
A lot of us choose mediocrity until death comes
Walt is a great example of what it means to be human and how we often choose a life of mediocrity until we’re faced with death.
Walt had accepted his lot in life. For decades, he lived a mediocre life dying to get out. His cancer diagnosis forced him to relive his life. It’s often in the face of death that we evaluate what’s important to us. While many of us hope to have a more redeeming arc, Walt transforming himself from a mild-mannered high school teacher into a murderous drug dealer shows us the complexity of what it means to be human. Walt could’ve been a millionaire and making huge contributions to the science community, instead he lived in the shadows of his former life and regrets.
Our true personas and ambitions come out when we’re faced with death. We know we’re going to die at some point but when you actually have a death date, that’s when you start to reevaluate your entire life. You didn’t accomplish anything you wanted, nothing went to plan, and you’re stuck wondering what you did with our life and trying to reinvent it in your last moments.
Takeaways:
Breaking Bad was obviously not an educational show but there’s a lot to learn from a sad and regretful high school teacher turned villainous meth producer.
- Confidence is key to ensuring your success
- So are the people in your life
- Money and power don’t corrupt you, they bring out your pre-existing dispositions
- Own up to your why especially if they’re for selfish reasons and stop blaming your family
- Live your life so you don’t die with regret and anger.
