Lessons From the Movies

I'll make a confession right off the proverbial bat: I'm a total movie junkie. Old, new, scary, funny, chick-y, western, action, musical, tear-jerking, good, bad...I love them all! One of my favorite types of movies to see is a "feel good" sports movie, like "Bad News Bears," "Hoosiers," or "Glory Road." They combine three of my favorite things in the world (sports, movies and feeling good), so I'm on a natural high long before the credits ever roll. I saw Glory Road last week and loved it. I was thinking about it on the trip home, and realized that there are actually a few life lessons in this type of movie that we can learn from, if we'll just take the time. For one thing, in the "feel good" sports movies, they always begin with something not working as well as they want it to: a particular team, an athlete, a program... Someone, somewhere is faced with the dilemna of righting the wrong and making a success out of the failure. In the next step, this individual (generally, a coach) must assess the weaknesses, then set out to strengthen them. He or she takes an honest look at each factor and "sizes it up." Then, they look around at the success stories (as in the winning teams) and see what their strengths are - this lets them know what they need to work on. Thirdly, when they pretty much know why things aren't working and why they're losing more than they're winning, this individual goes out on a limb, takes a chance, and pretty much risks everything. Without fail, they face naysayers and doubters who tell them they're out of their mind, it won't work, and so on (and on!). BUT, they believe in their plan, so they stick to their guns. There are obstacles and maybe even a time when they question their own decisions, but ultimately, they have too much fight in them to quit or back down. In the end, of course, they win. Their hard work, determination, perseverance, and passion pay off not only for them, but for everyone around them. All of this can be applied to our daily lives. Is there an area in your life, for example, that you aren't "winning" at? Either a habit you're having trouble giving up or a goal that remains just beyond your reach? Approach it the way a coach in one of these movies would. Expect more. Demand more. And write your own happy ending!