Story

I often think about movies, what makes a good movie and how this relates to living a good life. A life that will seem way to short when I die, not too long. So, I had two thoughts relating to movies and life.

#1 You don’t know a character by their thoughts, just by their actions:

I know this is like ‘duh’ but think about it. When you watch a movie, all you have to go on is the character’s actions. You can’t hear what the character thinks. So, basically we are left to judge them by what they do, not what they think about. So, why can’t we get this through our own brains?  I am trying to apply this in my own life. I may think and read and do all the ‘right’ things in my head, but I am judged by my actions: what I say, what I do, and how I treat others.

Ralph Waldo Emerson says it best, “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.”

#2 Characters in movies progress

This is huge! They progress. They move forward or backward then forward again. They learn lessons, they grow, they change. That’s what makes a good story, right? We love to watch a story about how someone overcame ‘unbeatable’ odds or how they changed a hurtful habit to win back their true love. How boring would it be to watch a movie of someone who just lived an unhealthy, unimpactful, unhappy life. Depressing! And yet, this is how we often live.

So, what if we would think of our lives in movie form? Would your life make a great movie, one that millions would want to watch? Would mine? A story of unquenchable love, forgiveness, reconciliation and passion? One about actively moving forward, evaluating the present and changing what is needed to create a unique, inspiring future?

Way to often we pacify ourselves by watching others live out great stories instead of writing one ourselves!