Change Your Perspective, And Change Your Life?
12 Movies To Help See Things Differently For A Healthier, Happier You
Image by Albrecht Fietz from Pixabay
If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.
— Peace Pilgrim (Mildred Lisette Norman)
You can change your experience of the world, which is the same as changing the world.
— Professor George Saunders
Imagine that there is someone out there who wishes to have the life you have, exactly as it is, exactly as you have it. It’s not really a stretch of the imagination if you consider that there are about 7.9 billion people in the world. Out of 7,846,000,000 people, many of them suffering and desperate, is it really impossible to imagine that someone would love to have your life, even with all your problems, whatever they may be? Your life may very well be seen as a blessing, a gift, through the eyes of another person currently walking the Earth, and most certainly through the eyes of past generations who never could have imagined the miracles and comforts of the modern world (indoor plumbing, electricity, internet).
Wouldn’t it be a real tragedy, then, if you don’t behave as if your life may be someone else’s dream come true? Wouldn’t it be a shame if you didn’t appreciate the people or things you do have in your life—ones that others not as fortunate as you desperately hope *they* could have? Of course it would be! How sad to have so much good in your world, but take it all for granted to focus on minor irritants, or delve into self pity. How heartbreaking this would be, and how dreadfully ironic.
Happiness, it seems, is all about perspective. For many, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” but if they could only see what others see, and if they could enjoy how nice they really do have it, life would most certainly be more pleasant and happier.
Here are a few movies where a change of perspective means being able to appreciate, and be truly grateful for, unique and imperfect—but still lovely—lives:
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) is a fantasy directed by Frank Capra about a kindly bank executive, George Bailey (James Stewart), who always tried to help others, even at the cost of his own dreams and ambitions, until a financial setback plummets him to despair when he realizes that he is worth more dead than alive, but a stranger, Clarence (Henry Travers), helps him see how valuable his life is by showing him what it would have been like had he never been born.
Life Lesson: Be grateful for your life; it beats the alternative.
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Mary Poppins (1964) is a fantasy directed by Robert Stevenson, based on the book by P.L. Travers, about a magical nanny, Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), and a chimney sweep, Bert (Dick Van Dyke), who help out the Banks family in London.
Life Lesson: Don’t be so absorbed in routine that you miss the wonders around you.
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Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) is a comedy written and directed by John Hughes about two very different men, uptight executive Neal Page (Steve Martin) and jovial salesman Del Griffith (John Candy), who embark on an accident-prone Thanksgiving journey together.
Life Lesson: “Don’t sweat the small stuff …and it’s all small stuff.”
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Big (1988) is a comedic fantasy directed by Penny Marshall about Josh Baskin (Tom Hanks), a 12-year-old boy who wants to be “big” and gets his wish granted by a Zoltar Speaks fair machine, which turns him into an adult who gets a job at a toy company and a girlfriend, Susan (Elizabeth Perkins).
Life Lesson: Be careful what you wish for; you might just get it.
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Sliding Doors (1998) is a fantasy written and directed by Peter Howitt about Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow), a woman whose life takes a different turn depending on whether or not she catches a train on her way home.
Life Lesson: “You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.”
— Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men
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The Wedding Singer (1998) is a comedy directed by Frank Coraci about Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler), a struggling musician who finds out what true love is when he meets Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore), a waitress.
Life Lesson: Find someone to love who wants to grow old with you.
Robbie: What are you saying?
Sammy: What I’m saying is, all I really want is someone to hold me and tell me that everything is gonna be all right. […] If you found someone you can love, you can’t let it get away.
The Out of Towners (1999) is a comedy directed by Sam Weisman about a married couple, Henry (Steve Martin) and Nancy (Goldie Hawn) Clark, who face a series of life changing events, some misfortunes, and some adventures as they travel to New York City.
Life Lesson: It’s never too late to make a positive change.
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The Family Man (2000) is a drama directed by Brett Ratner about Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage), a very successful and wealthy investment broker who gets a glimpse into the life he might have had had he made the decision to stay with his girlfriend, Kate Reynolds (Téa Leoni), thirteen years before, instead of remaining a bachelor.
Life Lesson: The choices you make have a lasting effect on the rest of your life.
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Shallow Hal (2001) is a comedy co-written and co-directed by Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly about Hal (Jack Black), a man who views women in the most superficial way possible, judging them only on their looks, until an encounter with Tony Robbins, a motivational speaker, helps him to appreciate inner beauty and fall in love with Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Life Lesson: If you look beyond physical appearance, you will discover more beautiful people.
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Last Holiday (2006) is a comedy directed by Wayne Wang about Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah), a woman who is told that she has Lampington’s Disease, and with only three weeks left to live, decides to have the life she always wanted.
Life Lesson: Don’t wait to make your dreams a reality.
Georgia: Look, a guy like you has all the money and time in the world to turn things around for himself, you know? So, just stop whining and get with it.
Yes Man (2008) is a comedy directed by Peyton Reed based on the book by Danny Wallace about Carl (Jim Carrey), a curmudgeonly bank loan officer who refrains from meaningfully interacting with other people until he attends a seminar run by Terrence Bundley (Terence Stamp) that teaches him to embrace new opportunities.
Life Lesson: You regret the things you haven’t done, not the things you have done.
Terrence: I want you to invite yes into your lives because it will RSVP ‘yes.’ When you say yes to things, you embrace the possible.
Saving Mr. Banks (2013) is a drama about Walt Disney’s (Tom Hanks) attempt to adapt P.L. Travers’ (Emma Thompson) book, Mary Poppins, into film.
Life Lesson: Overcome your past.
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When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
If you could spend more of your time experiencing joy and contentment, wouldn’t you—shouldn’t you—choose to do so? It would undoubtedly be healthier, and better, not just for you but for everyone around you. And maybe all it really takes is to imagine someone telling you how lucky you really are. So here it is:
You are the fortunate one. Yes, You.
You are rare and precious because you survived and grew.
Now you have all you need to make your dreams come true.
But the world needs you to be happy—today—too.
So change your point of view:
Be grateful, be cheerful, and you’ll pull through!
Or, if you need another talking to:
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
― Epicurus
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