Wired for Success

The documentary, Man On Wire, recently came out on DVD and I highly encourage people to watch it. It's very likely the film will will an Oscar tonight. The film tells the story of a young Frenchman, Phillippe Petit, who in 1974, tightrope walked between the World Trade Towers. The stunt was illegal and extremely dangerous. If Petit had slipped, he would have fallen to his death.

Described as the artistic crime of the century, the story is told through interviews, footage from the 1970s, and recreations. Much of the style is similar to a "caper film," where the protagonist must overcome many challenges to reach a goal, like robbing a bank.

From the film I was struck by several things that can give us insight into the success process:

Concentration: Whether he's walking between the twin towers or a few feet off the ground, Petit's face is set like a mask of concentration. His focus is incredible and it's obvious that while he's very experienced at wire walking, he's very respectful of the process.

Practice: In a field in France, Petit began to simulate the conditions he would encounter in New York. He even had his friends pull the tightrope to simulate the impact of high winds and swaying buildings. At a safe height he learned what to expect when he would be a quarter of a mile up in the air.

Research: Petit and his friends painstakingly broke down all of the challenges they would face. Whether it involved smuggling in equipment into the World Trade Center or figuring out how to string a wire across the two towers, they thought of everything. It's a great example of how success rarely happens by chance and is instead the product of much hard work.

On an unrelated note, the film does not address the World Trade Center's demise on 9/11. That was probably a good decision as it doesn't really fit with the theme of chasing a dream. Still, you can't help but be moved by seeing the towers being built, erected with pieces that are remembered as all that was recognizable in a pile of ruble.