There Is No Bad News; There Are Only Blessings In Disguise

5 Movies On Success After Failure

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. It's because of them I'm doing it myself.

― Albert Einstein

Have you ever received bad news, or had something bad happen to you? If you look back at these events, chances are that you can reinterpret them to see that they resulted in something good. Perhaps you may notice that when a door closed, a window opened. Or you may remember that when you encountered a road block, you found another way. It’s even possible that at the present moment you are relieved that you didn’t get what you thought you wanted then because what you have now is better. In other words, it’s possible to be glad, in retrospect, that you had to endure a misfortune. The Chinese proverb about a man, Sāi Wēng, who loses his prized horse and responds by saying, “how could we know it is not a good thing for me?” is a beautiful illustration of this concept. 

It’s natural to feel bad when things don’t appear to be going our way. But if we can learn to let go of this narrow-minded interpretation, we can better see the positive possibilities stemming from seemingly unfortunate situations. The faster that we can process a negative experience and start looking for how it provides helpful information, how it can be of benefit in the future, or how it may even be for the best—the less pain, frustration, and heartache we will feel. It is as Curtin says in the movie, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), “the worst ain’t so bad when it finally happens."

Another way to understand this life lesson is to recognize that failure is a good teacher, and because of that, there is a treasure trove of knowledge to be gained when we fail to do — or get — something. So there is no reason to wallow in sadness, to cry over what has already happened and cannot be changed, or to perseverate and let a bad experience consume daily life. Instead we can learn from our experience, focus on the good news around us, and choose happiness. 

Here are a few movies that show that there is no bad news; there are only blessings in disguise:

Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives (2017) is a documentary directed by Chris Perkel about music producer Clive Davis, who was instrumental in shaping the careers of many artists including Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Simon & Garfunkel, Billy Joel and Aerosmith.

In 1973 Clive Davis was fired from CBS records, but then went on to have a very successful and impactful career as Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment. 

• Life Lesson: Trust your instincts.

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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.

It took Walt Disney over 20 years to acquire the rights to adapt P.L. Travers’ book series into the movie Mary Poppins, which went on to become the most successful Disney film of the 1960s, received five Academy Awards, and was added to the National Film Registry by the US Library of Congress.

• Life Lesson: Overcome your past.

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Kings of Pastry (2009) is a documentary by directors Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker about the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF), a competition for the title “Best craftsman of France in Pastry” that is held every four years.

On the last day of the three day competition, the towering sugar sculpture that Chef Philippe Rigollot was working on toppled over and shattered. He quickly worked on a replacement sugar sculpture and went on to win the MOF.

• Life Lesson: Don’t let adversity — difficulties, misfortune — stop you. Finish a task you set out to do. Finishing is its own reward, and only those who finish are eligible to win.

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Meet the Robinsons (2007) is a fantasy co-written and directed by Stephen J. Anderson, based on the book by William Joyce, about Lewis (Jordan Fry), a child inventor who constantly meets with failure until he is helped by a stranger named Wilbur Robinson (Wesley Singerman).

This animated movie’s message is that we learn from failure, so it should be embraced and celebrated, with the key to success being to keep moving forward. It is the embodiment of a famous Winston S. Churchill quote, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

• Life Lesson: “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston S. Churchill

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Invincible (2006) is a biographical drama directed by Ericson Core based on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old school teacher/bartender who earns a spot on the 1976 Philadelphia Eagles NFL team when the new head coach, Dick Vermeil, holds open tryouts.

Some of the setbacks that Vince Papale faced included not having college football experience and being 30 years old—in a sport where the average age for a drafted player was 23—when he became a professional football player for three seasons (1976 -1978) with the Philadelphia Eagles team, and the oldest rookie in the history of the NFL.

• Life Lesson: Ignore those who judge you based on your age and not your ability. You can, you should, and you must pursue your goals no matter your stage of life.

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It is right it should be so. Man was made for Joy & Woe. And when this we rightly know. Thro the World we safely go. Joy & Woe are woven fine. A Clothing for the soul divine. Under every grief & pine. Runs a joy with silken twine. 

—William Blake (Auguries of Innocence)

When we let ourselves sink into sadness after a bad experience, it can darken our present and future by training our minds to focus on, and only see, negative things, bad luck, and bad people. We can also do the opposite. We can train our minds to focus on positive things, to count our blessings, to be grateful for the wonderful things and people in our lives. It’s our choice. In one path we grow ever more bitter, pessimistic, and angry. In the other, we learn to look at life’s challenges in a positive light, as a way to grow and experience a deep and rich life full of opportunity. 

Which path will you take?

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References:

Sāi Wēng Lost His Horse (Proverb)

Origins of the idiom, “Blessing in Disguise”

1976 NFL Draft 

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