Bill Murray reveals the secret to being awesome at your job
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty
Yes, he saved "Saturday Night Live" back in the day and has made some of your favorite movies, but he's also likely to crash your next birthday party.
And as he explained in a talk written up by New York Magazine, his chill approach to life and his phenomenal performances are interrelated.
"Someone told me some secrets early on about living," Murray said. "You have to remind yourself that you can do the very best you can when you're very, very relaxed. No matter what it is, no matter what your job is, the more relaxed you are, the better you are."
While it may not be the advice you'd give a day trader, it makes sense for someone as creative as Murray.
"I realized that the more fun I had, the better I did," Murray said.
It helped him commit to becoming an actor.
"I thought: Well, that's a job I can be proud of. I'd be proud to have that job, if I had to go to work and say, 'No matter what my condition or what my mood is, no matter how I feel about what's going on in my life, if I can relax myself and enjoy what I'm doing and have fun with it, then I can do my job really well,'" he said.
Murray's delight in his work is abundantly obvious in his performances, from the slapstick adventure of "Ghostbusters" to the rambunctious journey of "The Life Aquatic."
"It's changed my life, learning that," Murray said. "And it's made me better at what I do. I'm not the greatest or anything, but I really enjoy what I do."
Research seems to back up his theory. A 2013 Gallup study found that "engagement drives growth." Put simply, enjoying what you do makes you better at what you do.
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