My next coaching community call will be on December 6, and the topic is Remember What it Was Like to Work for Someone Else.

As I was pondering this subject matter, a scene from Kramer vs. Kramer popped into my head. It’s when Dustin Hoffman sits down with a yellow legal pad and starts listing the pros and cons of assuming custody of his son once Meryl Streep, aka Mrs. Kramer, decides she wants back into her role as mother.

I wanted to get it right when sharing the story, but didn’t want to have to watch the whole movie. So, I googled ‘Kramer vs. Kramer list-making scene.’ And guess what popped up first? The entire screenplay!

I have to tell you, I was shocked. Isn’t the screenwriter monitoring stuff like that? That’s the legal question I was wondering about.

Back to why that scene was so important, and what that has to do with including it in my talk. I now know exactly what Ted Kramer wrote down under the CON column–why he shouldn’t assume custody. They were all logical, rational and important reasons why it made no sense for him to continue full-time care of their son.

The PRO side was blank. Do you remember the scene that followed?

That’ll be the essence of my talk that Friday afternoon. It can make all the sense in the world to have a full-time job, receive a regular paycheck and have a title after your name. But, if your most important value(s) is/are being neglected, it cancels out every rationale on the planet. If you know the story, that scene transformed Ted Kramer.

Knowing what you value most is what puts the soul into soul proprietor. I love talking about this!