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HOW TO SEE MOVIES AS INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING TOOLS - Over 1,000 Movie Tips For Dealing with Depression & Difficult Times
Tip#169: Your Thoughts Are Worth Millions - Millions
How do you know you are thinking negatively if you don't stop to think about what you are thinking about? It's a big paradox because you may not even realize that you've learned to think a certain way growing up that is secretly sabotaging your dreams and goals today.
Last weekend I gave myself one of the greatest gifts I could and attended the Millionaire Mind Intensive in Toronto. This was a 3 day intense personal development program that instantly changed my life. It was like boot camp for dealing with your personal blocks once and for all.
The Millionaire Mind title can be deceiving because your paradigm about the word millionaire could limit you to thinking it's just about making a lot of money. It was so much more than that. The program was abundantly educational, cathartic, therapeutic and deeply spiritual. And ultimately it does feed your financial intelligence and self-worth.
Within 3 days I was able to identify sub-conscious issues about money and clear much of that old programming out. Though it is important to know that years worth of personal development had prepared me for this highly active weekend. The program also helped initiate the process of re-programming my mind with positive thinking and goal setting. The law of attraction was a big part of this process as well.
T. Harv Eker is the creator of this program and author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. The book was given to me as a gift about 3 years and since then accepted the paradox that something in my childhood had indeed created a block about my financial successes.
The movie Millions takes place in the UK and explores what happens when a 7 year old named Damian and his 9 year old brother finds a bag full of money. You see 2 different mindsets at play with Damian wanting to help others with the money and his older brother wanting to invest it. With magical visitations and teachings of patron saints throughout history Damian learns the powerful, altruistic value of money.
Damian knows the gift of ruling money instead of money ruling him. With that kind of positive programming you know he will grow up to have a strong sense of self-worth and self-esteem. The roots of his positive thinking began to grow as a child.
It takes incredible courage and humility to look back into your past and identify when your old negative programming began. As taught in the Millionaire Mind Intensive, your roots determine your fruits. In other words, in order to change the fruits of your tree you must change your roots of your thinking and beliefs.
The challenge is that you may have become so comfortable with your way of thinking that it's hard to believe anything else. It's like believing all your life that the colour RED is RED when in fact it is the colour GREEN. Your belief system will be turned upside down and that would be the greatest step forward for you.
If you are willing to let go of all you think you know is true then you would have faced your greatest foe. And that foe was you.
So if you continually find yourself stuck in your life, career or relationships be open to the fact that you have been creating your situations all along. Believe you are in control of your life and your thinking and a new world of success will break open for you.
Motivational Specialist & Motivational Wingman
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Tip#168: Just Express Yourself - Be Kind Rewind
Little children's artwork can look so fantastic. The explosion of colours and shapes are so raw and full of passion. It is a reminder that when you follow your passions do not focus on how it looks to others but aim on fully expressing yourself.
I love looking at kid's drawings. Recently I saw the artwork of a good friend's 3 year old and it took my breath away. There was so much beauty in the vibrant hues and energetic lines of the picture. With all my years of artistic training I still strive to capture the purity of a child's drawing or painting. Picasso himself spent his life unlearning his training in order to create artwork like a child.
The movie Be Kind Rewind celebrates the purity of artistic expression in lieu of technical quality. The film stars Danny Glover, Jack Black and Mos Def and is about what happens when movie videos are accidentally erased magnetically in their video rental store. The two friends who were put in charge of the store take extreme measures and actually re-film the movies that are being requested!
The concept is so kooky and crazy and yet this movie has so much heart that it will excite movie lovers everywhere. They remake movies like Ghostbusters, Driving Miss Daisy and Robocop with surprising ingenuity and raw filmmaking.
Despite the crudity of the remakes they suddenly attract the attention of whole neighbourhood. Their homemade movies ignite passion and excitement in others like a massive domino effect and it creates community spirit on a grand scale.
So whenever you feel a strong desire to express yourself remember to focus on the heart of your message. Don't worry about what it will look like to others. Quality can take a backseat to the heart of your message.
Just look at the success stories of individuals on YouTube who've been discovered for their singing abilities and other natural skills they've shared with amateur videos posted online. Ellen DeGeneres actually helped a teen get a deal with Nike just because she saw his YouTube video of his amazing ability to leap over cars.
Even my new video art, like the one posted on YouTube called "Chocolate Energizes", was created with the focus on fun. I didn't care about the technical quality and just did the best I could with the tools and resources at hand.
So if you ever need a reminder of the power of self expression just look at the beauty and raw intensity of a child's drawing. Let it inspire you to turn off the left side of your brain and let the creative right side do its thing. Let it go and let it flow.
Make the most of what you have and express yourself. Your passion energy will definitely connect with others.
Motivational Specialist & Motivational Wingman
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Sunday, June 22, 2008
Tip#167: The Circle of Life - 3 Movie Tips
Last week was Father's Day Sunday and it was filled with emotional synchronicities as mentioned in the previous tip. The weather started out full of sunshine and then transformed into a series of torrential rainstorms all across the greater Toronto area. It was as if the skies were sending a powerful message to everyone below.
The thought of death and sadness was still in the air because of my friend's sudden passing and the absence of my father. It would only be the next day that I would receive the happy news that occurred that Sunday morning.
I found out that one of my best friends gave birth prematurely to a healthy baby girl. The news filled my spirit with a surge of renewed energy. I felt so uplifted and happy. This special event reminded me of the profound circle of life.
This made me think of 3 movies that celebrated the circle of life:
The Circle of Life is a powerful song from the animated movie The Lion King. The film opens with this song introducing the young lion prince Simba being born. With the murder of his father, King Mufasa, young Simba must learn to be strong and carry on his destiny in being king. The movie ends with the birth of Simba's own son completing the circle of life.
The movie Parenthood has a star-studded cast including Steve Martin showing the happiness and pains in several families. You see how relationships get complicated and how loved ones can overcome differences. At the ending you see how the birth of new additions to the families ultimately brings everyone together in the spirit of love.
There is a scene in the romantic comedy Notting Hill where Hugh Grant's character, William is depressed and walking through the Notting Hill marketplace after a relationship breakup. As he walks with head low through the streets the scene magically transforms through the seasons of summer, fall, winter and back to spring. You witness how William moves through his sadness into feeling better.
You also see a pregnant woman at the beginning of the scene carrying her new born at the end. William says hello to the baby with a smile on his face. It's a wonderful metaphor for one's spirit being renewed.
So that stormy Father's Day Sunday heralded positive messages that with death there is always life. And sometimes negative mindsets have to die in order for new ones can be born. The rainstorms were there to clear away any sadness, anger and tears.
Wherever you are in the circle of life know that we are all in this together. It is in each other that we can find support and to help one another through unexpected crisis and change.
So if you see a baby today say hello and know they are reminding you about the ultimate joy in the circle of life.
Motivational Specialist & Motivational Wingman
© Emmanuel Lopez 2008
Posted by Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman at 4:03 AM 1 comment:
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tip#166: How To Say Goodbye - Meet Joe Black
Letting go of absent loved ones can be painfully difficult. And yet if we can find the courage to say goodbye to people who made a difference in our lives then we'll be truly free to move forward.
My friend's recent suicide (see tip#165) has since made me very introspective. He was very much a father figure for me especially during the time of my own father's passing in December of 2000.
I have been aware of the synchronicity surrounding my friend's passing and when I posted the previous blog entry about him on Father's Day. So my thoughts were also on my dad and how much I missed him.
My father's death was completely unexpected and was initiated by a car accident. It was a week before Christmas and my siblings and I were already scheduled to fly down to spend the holidays with our parents. But with word of the accident we flew down the next day to be at our father's side.
Once we landed we received the news our father had passed away just hours before. In the blink of an eye my beloved father was gone. I will never forget the helpless pain I felt and the reality that I could not even say goodbye. It would only be through the healing power of movies I'd be able to do so.
The movie, Meet Joe Black stars Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins as William Parrish a wealthy CEO who is given the foresight of his impending death. The film explores his unresolved issues of life and of death. The movie also explores how all the main characters deal with goodbyes and how to let go of those they love.
This movie allowed me the goodbye I felt was robbed from me. Every time I watch the scene when Parrish's daughter Susan says goodbye to her father it gives me the opportunity to do the same with my absent dad. In the privacy of my own home I allow built up pain and regrets and tears to flow.
I always feel lighter and clearer having done so. And somewhere near I always feel my dad smiling that our shared love for movies remains alive. I can picture my friend and my dad right now enjoying a movie marathon up in heaven.
So remember the importance of closure and of saying goodbye in any relationship in your life that has ended. Even if those individuals are not present there is always an invisible tether that is still attached. Unless you disconnect that tether then you will never be free of any pain from the past.
Find movies or stories that will allow you to get in touch with unresolved emotions and release your grief. Find ways you can feel safe to allow your trapped tears to flow. Find the courage to say goodbye.
And whether they are still alive or have died be thankful for all they've given you. Celebrate their memory with the gifts they've behind.
Motivational Specialist & Motivational Wingman
© Emmanuel Lopez 2008
Posted by Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman at 8:16 AM 3 comments:
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Sunday, June 15, 2008
Tip#165: Facing The Death of a Loved One - The Incredible Hulk
Facing the death of a loved one can shake your world to the core. It can push you into looking at life differently. Death is a reality and a pain we must all eventually face and learn from.
Two weeks ago I gave a keynote talk at the Royal Ontario Museum on my topic How To Press Play When You're Stuck On Pause. The real theme of the evening was actually of how pop culture saved my life.
I opened my keynote with an observation about the past few months of how I had a number of friends experience the passing of a mother, father or other loved one. It seemed unusually synchronistic and I felt for all my friends. I didn't realize then that this pattern would continue.
Last week during one of my morning walks I came across a snail on the sidewalk. It was a tragic sight because it lay freshly dead with its shell shattered. I shuddered at the message it may be giving me and pushed the thought out of my head. About an hour later a friend called to tell me a mutual friend had just committed suicide.
I was in shock. It would not even hit me for days later about the significance of that poor snail I saw that morning. So I went to meet my friend who had called so we could figure out what had happened. We spent the day trying to piece together the reason our friend had chosen to take his own life.
We knew he had a substance addiction and a troubled upbringing that fueled much anger inside. He was an intense soul. He could be incredibly helpful and loving while on the flip side could erupt with much rage.
A few years ago I had a falling out with this friend because of his volatile and hurtful side and sadly had to distance myself from him. I had tried to help him deal with this angry side but finally knew it was beyond my knowledge.
It would later be a surprising moment to see a reflection of my friend in the just released movie, The Incredible Hulk. I did not expect to see direct mirrors of the character Bruce Banner, played by Edward Norton, and my own tortured friend. Even the poster reflects the sad side of his story.
There were scenes of Banner in solitude and loneliness because he had to stay away from the people he loved due to his angry side. I almost cried during these scenes because this must have been what my friend was feeling. He must have felt so alone and out of options that he chose to leave this world.
Death forces you to re-evaluate life choices and reflect on the person you lost. It forces you to see some meaning in that person's death. It makes you recognize all the good qualities of that person's life. And finally death can help you reprioritize what is most important in your life.
I wish I could have done more for my friend and can at least keep his memory alive with the actions I will take now in my own life. He will continue to be a positive role model for me with the tenacious side to him that always inspired me. And I will always remember everything else my friend did that made a positive difference in my life.
In this way we can always keep the memories of our absent loved ones alive for years to come.
Motivational Specialist & Motivational Wingman
© Emmanuel Lopez 2008
Posted by Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman at 9:45 AM 1 comment:
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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tip#164: Increase Your Positive Emotional Energy, Part 1 - Kung Fu Panda
The internal feelings that activate passion, vitality, hope and confidence
The simplest solution to dealing with the ups and downs in life is to just FEEL GOOD. Feeling good is a positive energy and you already have the resources to initiate it whenever you feel stuck. You just need to identify the little things you love doing.
As mentioned in the previous entry, I had been interviewed on a live webcast by the organization Why Did You Go. The interview featured my topic, How To Press Play When You're Stuck On Pause and we discussed my methods of motivating using cinematic role models.
We also discussed the importance of building positive emotional energy to deal with unexpected crisis and change in life and career. This energy can come from positive interactions with people as discussed in Tom Rath and Donald Clifton's book, How Full Is Your Bucket? See tip#150 for more details.
This positive emotional energy also comes from every activity you love doing. It comes from a passion that is actually fuel you can tap into when times are tough or when you feel stuck in any situation.
Positive emotions can help keep your mind clear and sharp as well as stay open to new options and solutions. That is why the "Chocolate Energizes" video art I created from the interview demonstrates how one can get excited and build positive emotional energy around the thought of chocolate. See video art: click here
A great example of positive emotional energy in action comes from the animated movie Kung Fu Panda featuring the voice talents of Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman. Black plays Po, a clumsy, fat Panda bear who has a passion for Kung Fu and food. When destiny chooses him to become the prophesied Dragon Warrior his self-esteem and self-worth is put to the test.
It is up to Master Shifu, played by Dustin Hoffman, to train Po who is unfortunately accident prone, terribly unskilled and overweight. But when Master Shifu sees Po's passion for food he utilizes that to motivate him. Through Po's love for food he is able to unleash his positive emotional energies that leads to increasing his enthusiasm, self-confidence and self-esteem.
By combining Po's love for Kung Fu and food he and Master Shifu are able to take Po's initially perceived weaknesses and turn them into powerful strengths.
So let this inspire you to identify the activities you love to do. See the hidden values of your passions for building positive emotional energy within you. Then you can tap into this energy to build a sharper mind and a positive attitude towards the problems in your life.
Tip#164: Increase Your Positive Emotional Energy, Part 1 - Kung Fu Panda
Tip#960: Increase Your Positive Emotional Energy, Part 2 - X-Men: Apocalypse
Tip#962: Increase Your Positive Emotional Energy, Part 3 - The Present
Tip#1046: Increase Your Positive Emotional Energy, Part 4 - Wonder Woman  Tip#231: Foodgasms = Positive Energy! - 4 Movie Tips
Tip#248: 7 Positive Emotions That Energize – Stranger Than Fiction
Tip#842: Emotional Cinematic Moments, Part 1 - Paul Walker - Fast & Furious 7
Tip#844: Emotional Cinematic Moments, Part 2 – Netflix’s Daredevil
Tip#847: Emotional Cinematic Moments, Part 3 - The Age of Adaline
Download and listen to the full live webcast interview on How To Press Play When You’re Stuck On Pause. Click here
Motivational Specialist & Motivational Wingman
© Emmanuel Lopez 2008
Posted by Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman at 9:19 AM 1 comment:
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Sunday, June 08, 2008
Tip#163: Be Compelled By Passion (or Chocolate!)
There are certain actions we all take that originate from a passionate feeling. It is this strong feeling that could take us in new directions filled with benefits for improving our lives. We just have to follow this impulse and see where the passion takes us.
Recently I was interviewed on a live webcast by two partners of an organization called, Why Did You Go. These amazing women are dedicated to improving the workplace and an individual's happiness in their career. After the fun interview we all shared some delicious chocolate together. One of the interviewers was compelled to record our blissful experience and now we had an entertaining document of how chocolate energizes and excites.
This passionate experience then compelled me to create video art to accompany the audio. It was such a strong feeling that I fully immersed myself in the process of exploring this new art form. With the aid of my new iMac I got 2 months ago (see tip#145: Believe In The Impossible), I am now able to put visuals to a recorded example of how powerful it is to share a passion, like chocolate, with others. See the video art here.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
This reminded me of movies where the heroes follow their passions compelling them to creatively express themselves. There is the young boy in the film August Rush who discovers a love for composing music. In following his passion he creates beautiful, soulful compositions that, in turn, fills others with blissful energy. And he did this without any formal training.
One of my favourite movies in my teens was Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This film stars Richard Dreyfuss who plays Roy, an ordinary man who has an extraordinary encounter with an U.F.O. From that life-changing moment something deep inside him is stirred and awakened.
Roy is then compelled to sculpt an image he sees in his mind. With no previous artistic abilities he creates a beautiful, massive sculpture of a mountain. His passion and obsession leads him to the real mountain where, along the way, meets like-minded people who share his vision. This then leads Roy to a profoundly joyful experience of meeting the friendly extraterrestrials he first encountered.
Passion is Joyful Energy
So if you are being compelled to explore a strong feeling, know that this could be a passion leading you to experience something joyful. You could be compelled to be creative and find ways of expressing yourself that will connect you to like-minded people.
All you have to do is trust this strong feeling and know that it is a positive energy leading you to answers you've been seeking. Find the courage to step into the unknown, follow your passions and share it with others.
To view the video art for "Chocolate Energizes" go to this YouTube link. Click here
And please let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you.
Motivational Specialist & Motivational Wingman
© Emmanuel Lopez 2008
Posted by Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman at 9:07 AM 1 comment:
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Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Tip#162: Bring A Sense of Humour To Crisis - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
Life can feel so heavy when you are in a crisis. This is when it is most important to focus on being as light as possible so you can remain calm and alert.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
Recently I caught a movie I was always curious about called The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Growing up in the early 70's I remember my dad saying how good this movie was and he was right. I found the film surprisingly thrilling, entertaining and funny.
The movie stars Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw and is about hijackers who take over a subway train in New York City. I originally thought this was a suspense drama and yet it was so much more. The script and characters were so witty that I was laughing through most of the film.
Mixing crisis and humour was the strength of this movie. The terror and fear the hostages faced were performed realistically so you feel for their pain. And yet it was the naturally witty dialogue that took you to another level. Every character in the movie had so much personality, flavour and wit that there was a sense of enjoyment for the tense situation they were all in.
This reminded me of how life can be during unexpected crisis or change. The movie was a mirror for having a sense of lightness in the face of challenges. It's important to acknowledge your crisis and then switch your mind onto looking at the bright side of the situation. Become optimistic by seeing the humour in your challenges.
To some this might be a paradox but it is really only a mindset for focusing on the positives. It disconnects you from the crisis so you are less emotionally paralyzed. Humorous moments can help clear the mind to find solutions to your challenges.
So if you are on a rough ride in life do your best to stay light. Step outside the heaviness of your problems and see the humour in your situation. In this way you'll be able to enjoy the ups and downs in life.
For more on humour see Tip#46: What Makes You Laugh?
Motivational Specialist & Motivational Wingman
© Emmanuel Lopez 2008
Posted by Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman at 9:10 AM 1 comment:
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Sunday, June 01, 2008
Tip#161: Are You A Full Screen or Widescreen Person? - Brainstorm
Overcoming your challenges in life depends on how you are viewing what is going on. Sometimes the solutions are right in front of you but you do not recognize it. That's why it is important to have a mindset that allows you to see the bigger picture.
Currently we all have a choice of purchasing full screen or widescreen DVDs of favourite films. Some prefer full screen because the whole TV screen is filled with the image. This cuts off some of the left and right sides of the original composition.
Whereas others prefer widescreen which show black bars on the top and bottom of the TV screen but is actually showing the true scope of action taking place on the right and left sides of the original movie. These 2 choices are a great metaphor for how we each choose to see life.
Having a full screen mindset in life is like having the comfort of your field of view completely filled. However the term full screen is misleading because you are not really getting the full picture. The irony is if you don't even know there is more to what you are seeing then you may never know what you are missing.
A widescreen mindset comes from facing unexpected changes in your life or career that push you into looking at life differently. And when you choose to have a wider perspective on why things are then you automatically expand your awareness and start seeing life in widescreen. This is achieved when you initiate any personal or professional development. You transform your old mindset to begin seeing all the missing action that was always present on either side of your old field of view.
I am reminded of Brainstorm, a thought-provoking movie starring Christopher Walken and Louise Fletcher. They played brilliant researchers who developed a system of recording and playing back actual experiences of people. Someone could experience someone else's sensations of eating, riding a bike, skydiving and anything else you can think of.
This movie paved the way for films like The Matrix trilogy and Strange Days starring Ralph Fiennes.
What was special about the original movie theatre experience of Brainstorm was that the film started out in standard 35mm (full screen). Then when someone in the story wore the headgear to play back someone's recorded experience the movie suddenly jumped to 70mm (widescreen).
This instantly heightened the story and sensations for the audience to feel like they have just opened their mind to something fantastic and new. This is another great analogy for what it's like choosing a widescreen mindset.
Choose A Widescreen Mindset
So if you prefer a bigger image by having full screen movies remember it's NOT the big picture. Widescreen is. Televisions and computers are going through an evolution right now as they've expanded their screens to a wider standard. Let this inspire you to evolve now into a more beneficial widescreen mindset.
Imagine how exciting it will be to suddenly see answers to your life issues that were always just off to the side of your field of view. Your new mindset will access an abundance of new sights, opportunities, options and wonders.
Motivational Specialist & Motivational Wingman
© Emmanuel Lopez 2008
Posted by Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman at 9:27 AM 1 comment:
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Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman
Emmanuel Lopez aka Motivatorman is an award-winning Illustrator, Movie Blogger, Author and Motivational Speaker providing lived-experience SELF-CARE tips and SELF MOTIVATION strategies for inspiring INDESTRUCTIBLE OPTIMISM in the face of depression and difficult times. He has been featured in The NEW YORK TIMES, The WASHINGTON POST, The GLOBE & MAIL and CBC Radio. Speaker Clients: TD Canada Trust, Investors Group, The Art Institute of Boston and Royal Ontario Museum. WEBSITE: www.EmmanuelLopez.com