What can we learn from cartoon characters?

Welcome class to ToonTown University.  I am Professor Noe A. Tall

Today's lecture is on reaching your goals and we will be assisted by a panel of celebrities who agreed to join us and share their wisdom.  Panel if you would so kind as to introduce yourselves and say a few words to our students

 

I am Zee Great Lover Pepe Le Pew!  My True love and I shall Run away to the Casbah where we will spend our days in Eternal bliss.  There she is in the back of the class. Just look at her! Breathless with anticipation!

 

I am Marvin The Martian I have been assigned a mission by the leader of Planet X.  My mission will be completed.  Of course completing my mission may mean that some of you will be discombubulated but the mission must be completed

 

II'm Elmer Fudd now shhhh! Be vewy, vewy quiet.  I'm hunting wabbits!

 

My Name is Wile E Coyote, Genius.  It is my intention to prove to you that the capture of the RoadRunner,  From the Latin "Extremis Velocitas" is a complex undertaking requiring a mental accuity of Genuis Level.

 

*Loud whirring sound similar to a buzzsaw as the Tasmanian Devil enters the lecture hall*

 

And now that we have met our guests, let us get right into what we can learn from them:

 

Pepe Le Pew: There is no doubt that Pepe is an die-hard romantic and that he is filled with passion for his conquest. He will pursue the object of his desire with a single-mindedness that is immeasurable but for all his passion and single-mindedness, his still ends up the victim of unrequited love.  That's because Pepe is focusing on the wrong goal.  He has not correctly identified what it is he wants.  He goes after the first thing that may look like what he wants

 

Marvin the Martian: Another toon with issues of single-mindedness but unlike Pepe he has correctly identified his goal. He will pursue that goal even if he has to destroy everything in his path to reach it. He's the man with the plan! His problem is that there is no flexibility in his plan.  He does not allow for unforeseen circumstances and refuses to adapt when necessary.  Instead he stubbornly follows his original plan to the letter.

 

Elmer Fudd:  The great hunter with lots of experience and no trophies on his wall.  Elmer does not suffer from single-mindedness, but tunnel vision. All he can see is Bugs Bunny's fluffy tail in his sights, everything else is ignored.  If he would just stop and step back now and then to see the big picture, he might just realize that he would be better off using a snare instead of a gun.

 

Wile E Coyote:  No doubt the Coyote is a genius so why does the Road-Runner outsmart him every time?  Because he is too smart for his own good.  He tends to complicate things to the point of absurdity.  Rather than just drop a rock on the bird, he will create a complex machine to drop the rock.  The thing about complex systems is the more complex it is, the more things that can go wrong.  He has never heard of Occam's Razor for all his extensive book knowledge!

 

Tasmanian Devil: Taz is an unstoppable bundle of energy, he rarely stops moving.  He's always on the go, even if he's just spinning in place.  Even when he travels from point to point he weaves and wobbles all over the place.  He's got energy to spare and he uses it, it's just wasted energy because he has no focus.  Sometimes others can get him to focus temporarily, but on his own he simply can't. That could be why he is so cranky, all that effort and nothing to show for it.

 

So what have we learned from our specimens?

1. Correctly identify your goals. 

2. Have a plan but realize that things happen so you must be flexible and willing to adapt when necessary.

3. Take the time every so often to look at the overall picture and access your progress.

4. Don't make things more complicated than they really are. Remember "Occam's Razor" which I will paraphrase as "the simplest method is usually the best method"

5. Don't waste your energy, focus that energy to attain your goals.

 

Class dismissed.