"Good morning! Hope you had a great New Year's Eve. If you missed any of the thought-provoking film "I Am" don't worry. There's an encore presentation of it on Super Soul Sunday at 12 pm ET/PT. You can also purchase the DVD of the film on Jan. 3rd!"
Without a thought and without learning anymore, I did something that I almost never do - I set the DVR to record it.
Something told me that I simply needed to see it.
I didn't give it another thought until later that night, after the boys went to bed, Jeff was flipping the channels and I suggested watching that "Oprah thing". He, surprisingly, agreed.
"I Am" was AMAZING! And I want to share with you a few big TAKEAWAYs that I got from this documentary.
First...Here's the brief synopsis:
Tom Shadyac, a successful Hollywood Movie Director, had a life threatening bike accident and after recovering, he decided to film his quest to find the answer to the following questions:
What's wrong with our world?
and (more importantly)
What can we do about it?
He interviewed "remarkable men and women from the worlds of science, philosophy, and faith." People like Desmond Tutu and Howard Zinn.
Takeaway # 1: We are ALL connected. Science say so...
We are connected not just by talking to each other, or by knowing each other, or by having share interests, or even because of Kevin Bacon. But because we are on this earth. Because our DNA is wired to be connected.
Did you know that computer programs are set up all over the world to continually generate random numbers and studies have shown, time and time again, that the numbers generated during significant events (9/11, Tsunamis, the Royal Wedding, etc.) are no longer random? <Que the Twilight music>
I believe that we (humans, you and me) affect the world in ways we are only beginning to understand.
Takeaway #2: If we are all connected as is described in "I Am", then what I do, and how I act, makes a difference...
Imagine if we all consciously made a choice to be a little nicer, a little kinder, a little more forgiving, and perhaps even a little less judgemental. The world would change...if only a little.
But, as I have heard time and time again, I can NOT change for you or anyone else.
Or can I?
What if I changed my behavior? What if I treated you nicer, and kinder. What if I was forgiving and less judgemental of you. And what if I kept treating you that way. Might you "feel that energy" and maybe, if only a little, treat others similarly.
I believe that you would.
Takeaway #3: If how I act and what I do makes a difference, then it is my responsibility to be the best me and to live my best life.
If I am impacting the world, then I want to give it my best. Offer my skills, my gifts, and my God-given talents to whomever is interested. Share my strengths, and be honest about my vulnerabilities to whomever will receive. And hopefully impact the world positively.
And the only way to do that is to know myself and love myself.
I believe that I should continually strive to live authentically. And I hope that you do too.
Takeaway #4: I will never know the impact that I have made. And that's OK.
It is a gift to be told "Thank You." It is gift to hear that you have inspired someone. It is a gift to know that you made a difference in someones life.
But, it is not the goal.
It is the reward. A reward that I may never receive (whether I do not receive it because no one gives, or, more often, because I do not allow myself to receive)
I believe that the goal of life is to simply (but seems so hard) be me and share myself with others... And let the chips fall where they may.
In case you haven't guessed, this documentary was POWERFUL for me!
Here is the trailer so you can learn more!
Happy Tuesday!
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