Ever so often you find yourself lost and in need of advice. But where should you turn? To an expert, a novice (aka loved one), a magazine (Buzzz) or trusty Google? The options are endless, but take my advice, watch a movie. Yes, a Movie! They offer more than a source of entertainment or distraction from your problems. They may actually have the answer to your problems. For years movies have given us unappreciated advice about ourselves and the world around us. Here are a few movie quotes that double as great advice.
Life Advice
Life has a funny way (not really that funny) of not only pulling the rug from under your feet, but also kicking you while you are down. When this happens, do not wallow in self-pity but instead remember Chris Gardner played by Will Smith in the biography, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Saying he had a rough patch would be an understatement. But his belief in himself kept him going. “Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. Alright? You got a dream, you gotta protect it. When people can’t do something themselves, they’re gonna tell you that you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period,” he tells his young son.
Worried that things will not work out? Van Wilder/ Ryan Reynolds tells you that, “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere,” (Van Wilder, 2002). Take his advice, do not worry yourself to death.
….Death? Oh, there is life advice on that too, “Get busy living or get busy dying,” says Andy Dufresne/Tim Robbins in Shawshank Redemption (1994). And Private Joker/ Matthew Modine adds his two cents to the conversation with, “The dead only know one thing, it is better to be alive” (Full Metal Jacket, 1987). Moral of both quotes, LIVE!
Advice to Self
Who am I? Why am I here? Possibly the scariest questions we have asked ourselves. Elijah Price/ Samuel L. Jackson (Unbreakable, 2000) puts it best, “You know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world. To not know why you’re here.” He discovered his purpose was to be a villain, what was your discovery?
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #2 – May – June 2017