{"product_id":"greenlights-isbn-9780593139134","title":"Greenlights","description":"\u003cb\u003e#1 \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER • 6 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE! Discover the life-changing memoir that has inspired millions of readers through the Academy Award–winning actor’s unflinching honesty, unconventional wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“The No. 1 celebrity memoir of the past 10 years.”—\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“McConaughey’s book invites us to grapple with the lessons of his life as he did—and to see that the point was never to win, but to understand.”—Mark Manson, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’ve been in this life for fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eRecently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges—how to \u003ci\u003eget relative with the inevitable\u003c\/i\u003e—you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSo I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is fifty years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt’s a love letter. \u003cb\u003eTo life.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt’s also a guide to catching more greenlights—and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eGood luck.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe short dust jacket included with this hardcover edition is an intentional design choice.\u003c\/b\u003e“Matthew McConaughey’s book is exactly what we needed after the frenzy of Campaign 2020. . . . [A] much-needed breather . . . [and] a recuperative journey . . . it is both calming and laugh, laugh, laugh-out-loud funny.”\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eHugh Hewitt, \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A delightful surprise, full of stories that [haven’t] been shared on late night talk shows or made headlines over the years. It’s a wild ride to be sure, but if you enjoy McConaughey and all of the eccentricities and contradictions that come with him, it’s one you won’t want to miss.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eTexas Monthly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A brilliant memoir . . . [\u003ci\u003eGreenlights\u003c\/i\u003e] is unmistakeably ‘a book that only Matthew McConaughey could have written.’ This is a good thing.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e (UK)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“McConaughey’s own story is arguably more interesting than any character he has embodied on the silver screen over the decades.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Delightfully voicey.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“McConaughey’s approach to memoir is the opposite of careful, instead opting for pure candor. . . . Taken together, the stories in \u003ci\u003eGreenlights \u003c\/i\u003epaint the picture of someone who could not care less of what the world thinks of him, which has—not coincidentally—resulted in lots of people in the world liking the actor and his work.”\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—John Warner, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“At its best moments, \u003ci\u003eGreenlights\u003c\/i\u003e . . . delivers memorable life lessons.”\u003cb\u003e—Pico Iyer, \u003ci\u003eAir Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Candid . . . \u003ci\u003eGreenlights\u003c\/i\u003e is more than an autobiography, far more than a comedy or a series of adventures. The author gives us a lively look at his life in and out of his movies and provides readers with an honest look at who he is.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Florida Times-Union\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“McConaughey is a talented actor and a fine writer, but a total genius at living. He attacks life with an exhilarating ferocity. This is a wildly unexpected and delightful book you can’t just read, you have to experience.”\u003cb\u003e—Lawrence Wright, author of \u003ci\u003eThe End of October\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It shouldn’t surprise you that this book is good, but it will surprise you just \u003ci\u003ehow \u003c\/i\u003egood it is.\u2028 Wise and entertaining, this is an inspiring memoir and how-to from one of the great outlaw philosophers and artists of our time.”\u003cb\u003e—Ryan Holiday, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Daily Stoic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A Renaissance man on the big screen, McConaughey shows he is the same on the page. Mystical and spiritual but mostly just wonderful, \u003ci\u003eGreenlights \u003c\/i\u003eis an inspired memoir that celebrates the idea that it’s the journey rather than the destination that will fulfill us.”\u003cb\u003e—Michael Connelly, author of \u003ci\u003eFair Warning\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Written with great intensity and rare candor, \u003ci\u003eGreenlights\u003c\/i\u003e is a whirlwind of wisdom that’s as singular and fervent as its author. Read the book, experience the behind-the-scenes adventures, then pursue your own greenlights full throttle.”\u003cb\u003e—Shaka Smart, head coach, men’s basketball, The University of Texas at Austin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I cannot recommend it highly enough.”\u003cb\u003e—John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market, co-author of \u003ci\u003eConscious Leadership\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eAcademy Award–winning actor and #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author \u003cb\u003eMatthew McConaughey\u003c\/b\u003e is a married man, a father of three children, and a loyal son and brother. He considers himself a storyteller by occupation, believes it’s okay to have a beer on the way to the temple, feels better with a day’s sweat on him, and is an aspiring orchestral conductor. He is co-owner of The Austin FC Soccer Club and a professor at the University of Texas in Austin. Matthew and his wife, Camila, founded the just keep livin Foundation, which is dedicated to helping boys and girls transform into men and women through programs that teach the importance of decision-making, health, education, and active living. Following the tragedy in McConaughey’s hometown of Uvalde, the couple created the Greenlights Grants Initiative, which helps school districts nationwide access billions of dollars in available federal funding to create safer school environments for our children. In October 2023, Matthew and Camila launched their own tequila brand, Pantalones, the first joint venture for the couple. McConaughey currently resides in Austin, Texas.This is not a traditional memoir. Yes, I tell stories from the past, but I have no interest in nostalgia, sentimentality, or the retirement most memoirs require. This is not an advice book, either. Although I like preachers, I’m not here to preach and tell you what to do.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This is an approach book. I am here to share stories, insights, and philosophies that can be objectively understood, and if you choose, subjectively adopted, by either changing your reality, or changing how you see it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This is a playbook, based on adventures in my life. Adventures that have been significant, enlightening, and funny, sometimes because they were meant to be but mostly because they didn’t try to be. I’m an optimist by nature, and humor has been one of my great teachers. It has helped me deal with pain, loss, and lack of trust. I’m not perfect; no, I step in shit all the time and recognize it when I do. I’ve just learned how to scrape it off my boots and carry on.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe all step in shit from time to time. We hit roadblocks, we f*** up, we get f***ed, we get sick, we don’t get what we want, we cross thousands of “could have done better”s and “wish that wouldn’t have happened”s in life. Stepping in shit is inevitable, so let’s either see it as good luck, or figure out how to do it less often.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWhat is a greenlight?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Greenlights mean go—advance, carry on, continue.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the road, they are set up to give the flow of traffic the right of way, and when scheduled properly, more vehicles catch more greenlights in succession. \u003cb\u003eThey say proceed.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn our lives, they are an affirmation of \u003ci\u003eour \u003c\/i\u003eway. They’re approvals, support, praise, gifts, gas on our fire, attaboys, and appetites. They’re cash money, birth, springtime, health, success, joy, sustainability, innocence, and fresh starts. We love greenlights. They don’t interfere with our direction. They’re easy. They’re a shoeless summer. They say \u003cb\u003eyes\u003c\/b\u003e and give us what we \u003cb\u003ewant\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGreenlights can also be disguised as yellow and red lights. A caution, a detour, a thoughtful pause, an interruption, a disagreement, indigestion, sickness, and pain. A full stop, a jackknife, an intervention, failure, suffering, a slap in the face, death. We don’t like yellow and red lights. They slow us down or stop our flow. They’re hard. They’re a shoeless winter. They say \u003cb\u003eno\u003c\/b\u003e, but sometimes give us what we \u003cb\u003eneed\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCatching greenlights is about \u003cb\u003eskill\u003c\/b\u003e: intent, context, consideration, endurance, anticipation, resilience, speed, and discipline. We can catch more greenlights by simply identifying where the red lights are in our life, and then change course to hit fewer of them. We can also earn greenlights, engineer and design for them. We can create more and schedule them in our future—a path of least resistance—through force of will, hard work, and the choices we make. We can be \u003cb\u003eresponsible \u003c\/b\u003efor greenlights.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCatching greenlights is also about \u003cb\u003etiming\u003c\/b\u003e. The world’s timing, and ours. When we are in the zone, on the frequency, and with the flow. We can catch greenlights by sheer luck, because we are in the right place at the right time. Catching more of them in our future can be about intuition, karma, and fortune. Sometimes catching greenlights is about \u003cb\u003efate\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNavigating the autobahn of life in the best way possible is about getting \u003cb\u003erelative \u003c\/b\u003ewith the \u003cb\u003einevitable \u003c\/b\u003eat the right time. The inevitability of a situation is not relative; \u003ci\u003ewhen \u003c\/i\u003ewe accept the outcome \u003ci\u003eof \u003c\/i\u003ea given situation as inevitable, then \u003ci\u003ehow \u003c\/i\u003ewe choose to deal with it \u003ci\u003eis \u003c\/i\u003erelative. We either \u003cb\u003epersist \u003c\/b\u003eand continue in our present pursuit of a desired result, \u003cb\u003epivot \u003c\/b\u003eand take a new tack to get it, or \u003cb\u003econcede \u003c\/b\u003ealtogether and tally one up for fate. We push on, call an audible, or wave the white flag and live to fight another day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe secret to our satisfaction lies in \u003ci\u003ewhich \u003c\/i\u003eone of these we choose to do \u003ci\u003ewhen.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the art of livin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI believe everything we do in life is part of a plan. Sometimes the plan goes as intended, and sometimes it doesn’t. \u003ci\u003eThat’s \u003c\/i\u003epart of the plan. Realizing \u003ci\u003ethis \u003c\/i\u003eis a greenlight in itself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe problems we face today eventually turn into blessings in the rearview mirror of life. In time, yesterday’s red light leads us to a greenlight. All destruction eventually leads to construction, all death eventually leads to birth, all pain eventually leads to pleasure. In this life or the next, what goes down will come up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt’s a matter of how we see the challenge in front of us and how we engage with it. \u003cb\u003ePersist, pivot, or concede. It’s up to us, our choice every time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This is a book about how to catch more yeses in a world of nos and how to recognize \u003ci\u003ewhen \u003c\/i\u003ea no might actually be a yes. This is a book about catching greenlights and realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003egreenlights.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy design and on purpose . . . Good luck.\u003c\/i\u003e#1 New York Times bestseller","brand":"Crown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44861343793381,"sku":"NP9780593139134","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593139134.jpg?v=1767728494","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/greenlights-isbn-9780593139134","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}