Category: Inspiration

“Well, pal, I was dragged all over those hills and I did not hear any singing”… “So I’ll be building my summer home on a more magical hill, thank you.”
– Emperor Kuzko (The Emperor’s New Groove, 2000)

I love this whole scene for reminding me about the concept of “saving face”. Kuzko has declared a plan of action to destroy an entire hilltop village to make way for his personal summer home. Though he eventually has a change of heart, he cannot revoke the declaration, so instead invents this “magical” excuse. Patcha’s village is saved, and the Emperor saves face. Kuzko and Patcha share and keep the actual truth about the change between them.

“Saving face” is an invaluable concept during industry negotiations. It builds good will and trust. You move beyond the what’s-in-it-for-me and beyond the project itself  to effectively consider the people. Everyone wins on some level.

I can’t help but grin every time Patcha smiles when he hears Kuzko’s words.

Cheers,
Deb

[Her publisher declares Joan to be a world-class hopeless romantic…]
“No. Hopeful. Hopeful romantic.”
  – Joan Wilder (Romancing The Stone – 1984)

Yes, Joan shows us we need to hang on to hope in life, but she also shows us that we need to live our lives to the fullest and not just wait around for our dreams to come true. Life’s adventure has taught Joan to blossom out of the shy author she was and to become the best Joan she can be – even without the one man that she dreams of sharing life with. And while she’s living, it’s not an empty existance… she still has hope. May we all hang on to and never lose that hope.

Cheers,
Deb

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and… snap!… the job’s a game!”
  – Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins – 1964)

I find that if you look at each task (separately) of any job on a film production – be it above- or below-the-line, it is easy to trivialize the work. A director has to remind the actors which scene preceded and follows this scene; the actors have to walk in or out of a building… the list goes on and on.

Each small task, however, is critical to a larger whole, though we can easy become bogged down in the details and forget to see the bigger picture. When sometimes I cannot see the whole purpose for all those busy little details, I reach out to Mary Poppins to remind me to make a game out of any task that I do, and so start enjoying each step of the way again. I recommend you follow her lead and enjoy the fun!

Cheers,
Deb

“You see, Harold, I feel that much of the world’s sorrow comes from people who are this, [holding up a single, unique daisy], yet allow themselves be treated as that. [indicating a field full of daisies]”
    – Maude (Harold and Maude – 1971)

I love those bright little-daisies-in-the-grass and think of this movie moment nearly everytime I happen across such a field. May we all find the wonderful uniqueness in each other and in ourselves, then and nurture it, treasure it.

Cheers,
Deb

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
 — Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – 2001)

Another great movie moment to help when times are tough. Yeah, we’ve all heard that life isn’t fair. Life is actually neither fair nor not-fair, and yet somehow that seems wrong. We’ve grown up to learn about fairness and being fair since being a tot. What happened to fairness?

I believe that Gandalf reminds us here to put all that “fair” and “not-fair” stuff aside; see and cherish what we do have. Yes, we gotta look for work, worry about finances, all that stuff. But we also have to live our lives inspite of whatever is going on around us. This is the time that is gifted to us – even if the whole package isn’t what we expected it to be. We can at least be a little comforted that we are not alone in wanting things to be different. These times will pass – the good and the bad.

What magic are you going to make out of your life today?

Cheers,
Deb