The secret life of Walter Mitty is one of the most empowering Movies i’ve ever seen. Let alone of its Millions viewers in all over the world, the content in general describes a lot about life. It gives a lot of important lessons that we all need to be aware of. For those who have not watched it yet, I would recommend to watch this movie.
I have personally watched this movie 5 times or more, and am very sure I will watch it again and again. It’s one of these movies i can’t get enough of!
Shortly it shows about this guy called Walter, who was working in a Photo Unit of the Life Magazine company, he was very unsatisfied with his job and in most occasions he would feel embarrassed to tell his colleagues about what he does in the company.
It is a very intense fact that, most of us in our world today, are working in places we wish we could get rid of; doing kind of works we don’t have interest in.
It happens; it’s not something strange in our life, But with some insights from this movie, one can literally find comfortability and a way to make the most in his/her working place.
One day in the morning Walter found this wallet as a gift from O’Connor, One of the most inspiring photographers who worked for the company. The wallet had a message that says “TO SEE THE WORLD, THINGS DANGEROUS TO COME TO, TO SEE BEHIND WALLS, TO DRAW CLOSER, TO FIND EACH OTHER, and TO FEEL. THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE”
Walter unlike O’connor, had a very narrow exposure about life. All unhappiness, boredom, was in a huge part due to his lack of exposure to the outside.
You know what happens when you don’t have a good exposure to life? Follow me;
FANTASY: We fantasize about things we had never experienced in our real life. Fantasy makes you feel like real but it isn't real. Life doesn't need fantasy, it needs the real experience. I believe the most successful and happiest people in life are those in experience of the real things in life unlike those who only fantasize. There is nothing wrong about fantasizing. Only that you will be missing the 90% or more of the actual thing/feeling/experience. From the movie Walter was fantasizing so much and it literally made him miss the real things.
Another thing i really learnt from “why life is more beautiful with real experiences than fantasy” is the fact that Fantasy will make us stumble in life. When walter for the first time went on vacation he was riding a bicycle and fantasizing at the same time! What happened, he fell down. Here is the lesson, with so much fantasy in real life situation we will only stumble, get hurt, loose. GET THE REAL THING, NOT THE FANTASY.
Fantasy increases fear, exposure increases confidence. Walter was so afraid of telling his colleague how he felt about her. Yes he was in love but in most occasions he would only fantasize about her than trying to get in-touch to her.
GO, EXPLORE; This is a message in one of the most incredible friend of mine's T-shirt. And indeed this friend is an explorer, and he made me one too. Finally Walter adhere to O'connor's message and he went for a vocation. It’s a beautiful experience to go places; It’s not necessarily to be outside a country, even in within, one can enjoy and learn from nature. It’s hard to see new things about life or even new opportunities in your place if your mind is condensed in a single place for years. Walter was struggling with a picture negative for days while it was taken from his mother's place where he goes almost everyday.
Sometimes the things we find so much in life are not far away from us, we just need a to calm down and give our mind and eyes enough exposure and time to see and evaluate.
Sometimes the things we find so much in life are not far away from us, we just need a to calm down and give our mind and eyes enough exposure and time to see and evaluate.
EXPOSURE INCREASES ONE'S ABILITY TO SEE NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN PLACE. IT EVEN SHARPEN OUR THINKING ABILITY.
Sometimes we have to give what we have in order to get what we don’t have, but we need: Walter gave his toy for a skateboard because he needed it for where he was going. We don’t have everything we need in life, so many other thing we will get them from people. The good you live with people the more chance of success you create.
Hurry Up; Another thing i learned from this movie. When Walter got out of the ship with the other fishermen, there was only one bicycle in the outside, Walter needed it because he was suppose to go to the volcanoes! the other guys needed it because they wanted to go to a strip club. Friends; in life we may all come from the same place, but we are not going to a similar destination. You are the one who knows how important is your GOAL. If there is one Bike, HURRY-UP, before others take it for perhaps things that aren’t so important as yours.
Jump; Taking risks is part and parcel of our lives. It reaches a point in life that we have to jump out of a helicopter, to an ocean. You take risk for something even more dangerous. Sharks may endanger you! Just make sure you survive and thrive.
What is your profile saying, what stories do you have? Walter was a member of an online dating website, and the service provider guy told him, the reason why he isn’t succeeding to find a girl is because his profile doesn’t have anything exciting! No stories, No experiences, no exposure. Friends are attracted by our lifestyle, and our stories tells a lot about us.
BE RICH IN EXPOSURE AND INCREASE YOUR IN-TOUCH WITH PEOPLE. This was technically the main theme of the movie. GO, EXPLORE. LEARN NEW THINGS, MEET NEW PEOPLE, HAVE FUN.
ADVENTURE + WORK; If your working place isn’t your greatest adventure, you can go out during your holidays and refresh. Eventually you will find out that it helps a lot to go along with busy working schedules and unfavourable working environment.
OTHER THINGS WE LEARN FROM THIS MOVIE:
-Sometimes we have to do the most things we are afraid of doing in life.
-There is always love, regardless how older you get.
-The more the exposure the effective and efficiency the mind becomes.
NB: I THINK THE MISSING PHOTO NEGATIVE FROM THE MOVIE WAS; THE REAL EXPERIENCE, THE EXPOSURE, THE REAL LIFE.
