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HOW TO SEE MOVIES AS INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING TOOLS - Over 1,000 Movie Tips For Dealing with Depression & Difficult Times
Tip#383: We All See Value In Different Things - The Book of Eli
One person can love a movie while another may not care for it at all! Why are there vastly different opinions about movies? I believe it's because each of our life experiences shape the lenses for how we view the world. Our experiences define what VALUE we find in the stories and ideas in films.
I have a video on Youtube I produced about passion and, as of this writing, received over 45,800 hits (see here). This doesn't mean that thousands of people love my video. In fact if you read the comments they are mostly negative. And yet I've received dozens of direct messages from people who loved the video. It goes to show that people find value in things that others may not.
One movie I absolutely loved was The Book of Eli. It was visually stylish and I recognized powerful subtle messages I found very motivating. And yet the film has had mixed reviews much like Eat Pray Love which I also loved (see tip#381). We all have different tastes in movies. No one is right or wrong.
The Book of Eli 2010
The movie The Book of Eli takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a nomad named Eli (Denzel Washington) is on a mission to deliver the last remaining bible to the west coast of the US. Along the way you discover how some of the things we take for granted every day have greater value in this future world.
Eli's life experiences have shaped how he views his world so water is now more valuable than gold. Ordinary blankets, lighters and even fast food wet-naps have higher value in his future. Other insights the film shares are: appreciating the things we own; power in giving a compliment; being grateful; helping others.
This movie has great value for me because it is a mirror for my life right now. I connected with the film's insights because of the valuable lessons I've been learning. My current life purging, life change and life rebuilding has shown me what I truly value the most. I have had to let go of so many furnishings and personal belongings that I actually feel lighter on so many levels.
My intense G20 Toronto experience with riot police in June (see series starting with tip#269) also helped me to value and appreciate the air we breathe, a simple breeze, freedom and the kindness of strangers. I am now living more fully. It's a fantastic feeling!
We all see value in different things. Everyone is going to have a different view of a movie so allow yourself to be inspired by films that others may not like. Stand by what you value because you will eventually find others that share your thoughts and opinions. This is what it is to be true to your SELF. Find the awesome value in LIVING your authentic self!
Motivational Superhero At Your Service
Indestructible optimism is my superhero power. What's yours?
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Tip#382: Ignite Your Neighborly Spirit – G20 Toronto Pt.9 – Mr. Deeds Goes To Town
Looking back now at my ordeal with the G20 riot police at Queen and Spadina in Toronto I was most affected by something very positive. And that was the warm, neighborly spirit I experienced immediately after being released from the detention centre.
In part 8 I had just traveled through the surreal corridors of the G20 detention centre and witnessed the caged people there (see tip#379). At the exit I was released from my metal handcuffs, carried my belongings still in the plastic police bag and escorted out into the damp night air.
I looked up and saw a Subaru car dealer sign and remembered this detention centre was inside the converted Toronto Film Studio on Eastern Ave. I walked passed several police officers towards the road where people across the way applauded me and other detainees exiting the detention centre.
Immediately a man came up to me and said they had water, food and warm clothes across the street. He even said there were volunteers to drive me home. I was deeply touched by this generosity of spirit. I found my glasses in the plastic police bag and went over to get some food, water and a very, very warm blanket.
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town 1936
The Frank Capra classic Mr. Deeds Goes to Town celebrates the idea of extending neighborly spirit to others. After inheriting millions of dollars, Goodfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper) decides to use his entire fortune to help give the unemployed financing to set up their own farms.
And because Deeds comes from a small town he is empathic to the small yet meaningful needs of others around him. He feeds others when he sees they are hungry or simply treats others with heartfelt kindness and respect.
Another Frank Capra film Meet John Doe celebrates the same neighborly spirit. A homeless man, John Doe (Gary Cooper) finds himself in an unusual position where he gives a radio speech that inspires a nation to help one another. The broadcast inspires people to form John Doe Clubs all over the country and do what they can to help those in need in their own neighborhoods.
I feel blessed to have experienced the warmth of strangers who just wanted to help the detainees of the G20 Queen and Spadina experience. Caring Toronto citizens who were watching the TV news of our situation had come to our aid offering food, water, warm clothes and a safe ride home.
To those who were there that night I thank you from the fullness of my heart. Your kindness and generosity gave me the greatest gift out of an intense experience. You reaffirmed that during times of trauma and unexpected crisis that people can demonstrate the greatest meaning of what it is to be human. And that is to help one another.
Be inspired to do the same for others in need around you. To start you can become more aware of your own neighbors and extend a smile and warm eye contact when you pass them by. You'll be amazed at how open people are once you show them the open hand of friendship. It takes one person to initiate contact. Be that person today!
See a 6 part blog series I wrote for Dailychallenge.org called
15 Inspiring Movies About Giving:
Part 1: Click here
Part 2: Click here
Part 3: Click here
Part 4: Click here
Part 5: Click here
Part 6: Click here
Read my G20 Toronto Experience:
Part 1: Click here
Part 2: Click here
Part 3: Click here
Part 4: Click here
Part 5: Click here
Part 6: Click here
Part 7: Click here
Part 8: Click here
Part 9: Click here
Part 10: Click here
Part 11: Click here
Part 12: Click here
Motivational Superhero At Your Service
© Emmanuel Lopez 2010
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tip#381: Find Empowering Resources for Your Life Transition – Eat Pray Love
"Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation."
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Hot on the heels of seeing the astounding Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie I went to see Eat Pray Love with several friends. Despite the negative reviews I found this movie to be one of the most powerful I've seen this year. In fact at the end and throughout the entire credits I couldn’t stop crying.
I was deeply affected because there were so many parallels in the story with my own current life transitions. The foundations of my home and my direction in life and career have been shaken up just like the heroine named Liz. In her story she looses all her money, stores all her belongings in storage and lets go of the old life she was living. This was a very emotional mirror for me to watch.
And yet the film is filled with an overflowing series of insights and messages on how to overcome the pain of life changes. You will find many empowering tips for finding yourself again. There were lessons Liz learns that I already discovered from my challenges and there were many more that I can now apply to my current situation. This movie has already helped me be more confident in KNOWING I will unearth the direction my life and career are destined to go.
Eat Pray Love 2010
Based on the true story and best selling book Eat Pray Love stars Julia Roberts as Liz Gilbert who travels around the world to rediscover who she is. She travels to Italy to experience the pleasures of eating then to India to learn the power of prayer and finally Bali where she discovers how to love again.
Through the vibrant characters she meets Liz begins to look at life in a whole new perspective. A medicine man in Bali gives her a drawing of a figure with four legs signifying that she stay very grounded and to look at life through her heart instead of her head. In Italy she meets a man who explains the true nature of pleasure that is not fully understood or practiced in North America.
Self-Discovery Can Be Enjoyable
Every day since I saw this film I remember another empowering message. I recommend to anyone going through a big life transition right now to see Eat Pray Love and discover this as a powerful resource. If you've read the book I suggest putting aside expectations and let the cinematic version unfold for you to drink in.
Self-discovery can be an enjoyable experience if you wish it to be. Traveling around the world is one glorious way of doing this. Movies are another where you can learn life lessons from the movie heroes who overcome their adversities. Whatever resources you choose to help you in your times of change always remember to enjoy the journey!
P.S. I am sipping a delicious vanilla bean latte from Second Cup as I write this! See tip#380
Motivational Superhero At Your Service
© Emmanuel Lopez 2010
Posted by Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman at 9:42 AM 4 comments:
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
Tip#380: Enjoy A Super Surreal Experience – Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Surreal: Having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream.
Going through unexpected life changes can sometimes feel surreal and disorienting. This is good because its one way of shaking up your old mindset to make room for new opportunities and exciting experiences.
As I've been documenting in this blog, I have experienced so many life changes this year that my days feel so surreal. It feels like I keep stepping into a different quantum reality as factors that seemed established in my life (career, home, etc.) are constantly tossed up into the air like puzzle pieces.
Even watching the opening day screening of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World felt like a wild, hallucinatory experience. The movie is set entirely in my hometown of Toronto because creator Bryan Lee O'Malley wrote and illustrated the comic series when he lived here. Seeing familiar locations like Honest Ed's and Sonic Boom in the movie was a thrill.
One passion I'm always writing and talking about is my love for Second Cup's vanilla bean lattes. What was shockingly surreal is that the main character Scott walks right into the ACTUAL Second Cup I go to regularly near Queen St. West and Spadina Ave.! I felt my mind bend and shift as if I was in a dream watching this scene. Now you will be able to see the very same location I get my blissful vanilla bean lattes in this movie. It's surreal and yet super cool!
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World 2010
The movie Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is about a young man's battle with the seven ex's of a girl he has fallen for. Scott (Michael Sera) faces seven super powered ex's which, in itself, is part of the surreal quality of the story. It fuses so many film genres like kung fu, fantasy, slacker comedy and a love story that you just have to surrender to the journey that's unfolding and enjoy the ride.
And that's the message I've received from the universe time and again on facing and overcoming my own life challenges. Just surrender to the journey and enjoy the ride. It's about staying present and taking responsibility for all the actions you took that got you in the situation you're in now. Scott Pilgrim learns this himself by the end of the movie.
Your World Is Transforming
If life is feeling disoriented and surreal do your best to see it as a positive sign that your world is transforming for the better. Sometimes your head needs to be shaken up and twisted around in order for you to see straight again. Great ideas, solutions and epiphanies are born from adversity.
And if your positive emotional energy needs to be re-activated then come to a Second Cup in Toronto and have a blissful sip of a vanilla bean latte!
“The underlying reason for all this flash is Scott’s journey into self-awareness.”
Richard Crouse, Toronto Film Critic
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© Emmanuel Lopez 2010
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tip#379: Feel Empathy – G20 Toronto Pt.8 – The Green Mile
Empathy: Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives.
In part 7 of my G20 experience, other detainees and I had been suffocating and air slowly filled our bus compartment (see tip#379). After waiting about an hour in the police bus parked inside the detention centre we were escorted one by one by officers to sit on the concrete floor in rows. I still did not have my prescription glasses (police took them away) so everything was a blur.
The police allowed those who needed to go to the bathroom to be led to portable toilets with doors left open. Despite having to undo my fly with handcuffs on it was a heavenly feeling to relieve myself. I didn't care if officers were watching. It was a blissful moment.
Soon each of our assigned numbers were called out and we were released with our belongings still in plastic police bags. I hoped my camera was still safe with the footage I shot of the riot police (see here). But I was just happy I was now being escorted out of what I thought was the main detention centre. To my surprise I was taken down a maze of corridors that opened up to an unbelievable scene.
It was like something out of a horror movie. I found myself in a vast warehouse space with countless cells. Through my blurred vision I could make out many people in dog-like cages and galvanized sheets of metal. I was stunned. As the officer escorted me down the maze of corridors (still in handcuffs) I'd hear crying and calls for help from the prisoners.
There was one caged girl I passed close enough to see the despair, fear and pain on her face. She looked so alone and hopeless. I deeply felt for her and wished I could have comforted her in some way.
The Green Mile 1999
The Stephen King movie The Green Mile is about a wrongfully accused prisoner named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) and his experience in a 1930's penitentiary. The head prison guard, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) becomes empathetic to Coffey as he expresses a deep innocence and later demonstrates a profound gift for healing others.
Coffey heals Edgecomb of an ailment and also the Warden's terminally ill wife. He even resurrects a crushed mouse. Coffey had the ability to help others even though he was imprisoned himself. I wished I could have somehow helped that one girl I saw in the detention centre. I could empathize with the pain she must have been going through.
Going through a traumatic experience can help you build powerful mindsets like resilience, perseverance and optimism. They can also activate your empathy for others going through similar experiences. Connecting emotionally with others is what leads to building a stronger sense of community among strangers.
Dire situations have a way of bonding people. Be empathic to others you feel an emotional connection to. And, if you can, reach out with a helping hand.
See photos of inside the detention centre:
Read my G20 Toronto Experience:
Part 1: Click here
Part 2: Click here
Part 3: Click here
Part 4: Click here
Part 5: Click here
Part 6: Click here
Part 7: Click here
Part 8: Click here
Part 9: Click here
Part 10: Click here
Part 11: Click here
Part 12: Click here
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Helping you shine online: www.motivatorman.com
© Emmanuel Lopez 2010
Posted by Emmanuel Lopez - Motivatorman at 8:21 AM 3 comments:
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Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Tip#378: Have the Best Friends in the World - Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage
I recently made a marketing decision to have Motivational Superhero as my job title. And it seems the universe is testing me to see if I am worthy of it! Just read this blog over the past few months and you'll see what I mean! e.g. G20 Experience
In shocking realization, the place I moved into 3 months ago did not work out (see tip#352). The result was I could feel the universe pushing my superhero buttons to do an even more massive purge of personal belongings I wrote about in tip#372. And though it has been intense letting go of furniture and other items of sentimental value I've maintained my indestructible optimism.
Once again close friends have been tremendously supportive. Even Facebook friends whom I rarely communicate with have been helpful in making recommendations for new Toronto neighborhoods and reliable movers. This is proof that when the rug has been pulled from under you that you will KNOW who your friends truly are.
Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage 2010
The documentary Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage is a revealing look at the close friendships of three members of the Canadian rock band Rush. All from Toronto, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson had been childhood friends while drummer Neil Peart joined the group while in his teens. They've been creating influential rock for 4 decades with hits like Closer to the Heart and The Spirit of Radio.
The documentary reveals that Peart suffered the devastating loss of his daughter and first wife in the late 90's. Peart chose to travel cross-country on his motorcycle in order to heal. His other band mates Lee and Lifeson cared so much about Peart that they felt that Rush as a band was over if Peart wasn't a part of it.
In my teens I learned to appreciate Rush. And their music formed the soundtrack of my high school memories. Now in my adult years I've learned to see them as amazingly talented individuals who were also great, supportive friends for each other.
Whatever challenges you are going through always remember that you are never alone. Remember that old and new friendships can form because of the issues you face. Be courageous and honest about your predicaments. You'll be surprised with who comes to your aid. This is how you'll discover who your best friends are in the world!
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© Emmanuel Lopez 2010
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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