Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield didn’t fuck around when they had a job to do.
They showed up, handled business, and got results.
There was no endless planning meetings or motivational podcasts.
And I don’t even think vision boards or manifestation journals were the rage back in 1994 either…
They just had cold professional execution.
Tarantino’s characters approach their work in such a beautifully efficient way.
They don’t overthink it which is one of the things I’ve noticed in a lot of his films. They don’t second guess themselves into paralysis.
They have a job, they do the job, they move on to the next job and it looks so seamless.
“I’m gonna get medieval on your ass”
When something needs to get done, you don’t negotiate with it or try to reason with it. There’s no gentler or sustainable approach, I mean that’s for pussies.
You get medieval on its ass.
Jules treats every situation like it’s just another day at the office, even when that office happens to be a blood splattered apartment. He’s got his routine, his professionalism, his unwavering focus on the task at hand. He quotes Ezekiel not because he’s particularly religious, but because ritual and ceremony help him stay centered while doing difficult work, which kind of makes sense.
Vincent might be a heroin addict with questionable judgment, but when he’s working, he’s working. No distractions. No excuses. He shows up ready to handle whatever needs handling, even if it means cleaning up brain matter from the back of a car.
The Wolf appears when everything’s gone to shit and applies surgical problem solving to the shit show they so happened to get themselves roped into. He doesn’t panic. He doesn’t blame. He assesses the situation, creates a plan, and executes it with military precision. “Let’s not start sucking each other’s dicks quite yet” is basically the most practical project management advice ever given.
And this is where all of the magic happens. Execution beats strategy every time. You can have the most beautiful business plan in the world, but if you can’t pull the trigger when it matters, you’re just another dreamer.
Butch doesn’t spend three months researching the perfect boxing gloves before his fight. He trains, he fights, he handles the consequences. Mia doesn’t workshop her dance moves before getting on the floor with Vincent. She just dances.
Stop overthinking. Stop planning the plan to make a plan. Stop waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect strategy or the perfect set of circumstances.
Handle your business.
Stephen Walker.