I always love finding out that an actor I enjoy on the screen is a nice person in real life. Actor Bill Murray, by all accounts, is the sort of famous dude you want to run into. He’s photobombed engagement pictures, joined people’s karaoke parties, and posed for countless unique fan photos. Bill Murray has enough memorable encounters with the public that there’s even a site, Bill Murray Story, where you can submit your tale of Murray awesomeness.
The key to Bill Murray’s positive interactions with people seems to be a high openness to experience. As an article on “7 Steps to Living a Bill Murray Life” explains, it’s about “leaving yourself open to magical moments.”
Murray himself says, in recounting a story about how he encouraged his cab driver to play his long-abandoned saxophone in public,
It was great. It made for a beautiful night. I think we’d all do that, if you saw that moment and you’re, as we say, available, you’d make the connection and you’d do it right.
I love this message. It’s a lifestyle version of the more career-oriented philosophy I wrote about listening for opportunity’s knocks. Adventure is out there, but it will not just find you. You must also look for it and raise your hand to participate when you see it.
There is no getting lucky. There’s only being like Bill Murray.