What do you want included in your life’s movie?

Last week I listed a few of the lessons I learned from the Hollywood stars I was fortunate to meet (and talk with) when I grew up. Let’s keep that conversation going right here because there are a few more more items I noticed which, I believe you’ll agree, are worth considering.

1) Hollywood stars look perfect on film, yet they struggle with life’s issues just like you and I do.

2) They have writers who write their scripts and directors who give them ideas (and sometimes tell them what to do).

3) When something goes wrong in one of their scenes, they get to reshoot the scene.

Now, let’s now think about you and your life. You’re the star in your own movie. Do you want your life’s movie to be a hit?

If you do — lucky you — unlike the Hollywood stars I described, you get to write your own script and you don’t have to depend on someone else. Have you written a script for your movie?

If you’ve already written your own script, does it include personal and professional successes? If so, good for you. If not, time is rolling by, so you’d better get started on your script today because every movie director knows that nothing good happens when the script is kept in the writer’s head.

And what do you want most from your life’s story? Do you want your movie to be the story of someone who is busy, busy, busy — or perhaps someone who is racing from one activity to another?

And do want your movie to be full of wonderful memories and experiences? If so, what do you want those memories and experiences to be?

I’ve personally and professionally worked with hundred and hundreds of people and I’m absolutely convinced that life is short, yet memories and experiences last forever. Do you agree?

If you do agree, have you listed the memories and experiences you want to be part of your movie script?

And here are two more items to think about.

If something goes wrong in your script (or mine), we get a chance to change it (and that’s usually a struggle, isn’t it?), yet — unlike Hollywood stars — the things we include (that we wish had never happened) are there for us to remember forever. Yipes! We’d better be certain we don’t include those things in our scripts. Agree?

Finally, how long do you want your movie to be? I actually doubt if you or I get to decide how long our movies will get to run, so my suggestion is that you (and I) need to get started on our scripts, stories, experiences, and memories today or else our movies are apt to end before we get started.

I suggest that, If we get started now, we have a chance to have our movies be hits. If we don’t, we’re just depending on fate for the success of our individual movies.

Does this make sense to you? Please leave your comments here.

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9 lessons learned from Hollywood stars

Have you ever been influenced by a movie or a movie star? I love movies and, when growing up, I was fortunate to meet scores of movie stars in person.

Please permit me to explain.

My father was head of the Motion Picture Theater Owners Association of the Midwest. Prior to that, he managed a variety of movie theaters in Kansas City, and loving movies himself, my dad invited scores of actors to come to Kansas City to help him promote their pictures.

And, lucky me, I got to meet and talk with the following celebrities. (Note: These stars came to work with my dad–one at a time–and, thus, I had the chance to meet them and talk with them.)

● Audie Murphy
● Ann-Margaret
● Paul Newman
● Joanne Woodward
● James Belushi
● Charlton Heston
● Clint Eastwood
● Bob Hope
● Glen Strange
● Gene Autry
● Debbie Reynolds
● Lee Marvin
● Dustin Hoffman
● Jack Webb
● Gene Kelly
● Diana Ross
● Jack Nicholson
● Victor Jory
● Raquel Welch

Each time I told my friends about the movie stars I met (and talked with) my friends looked at me as if i was someone special. I’m not. I’m simply me. I did enjoy my undeserved fame with my friends, however, and I did enjoy telling my friends some of the lessons I learned from the celebrities.

It occurs to me now that you might enjoy these suggestions too.

1) Make time for yourself. We do what we can do make time for ourselves.
Paul Newman & JoAnne Woodward

2) Always follow a plan. My husband has a plan for everything.
Ann-Margaret

3) Watch out for interruptions. Interruptions destroy your rhythm.
Gene Kelly

4) Be sure you enjoy whatever you do.
Gene Autry

5) Keep practicing, practicing, practicing!
Diana Ross

6) Expect the unexpected. My work relies on the unexpected.
Bob Hope.

7) Whatever you do, love your work with all your heart.
Clint Eastwood

8) Surround yourself with positive people.
James Belushi

9) Stand up for what you believe in and dedicate yourself to that.
Charlton Heston

These are good lessons, aren’t they? They sure had an impact on me, and I’m hoping that by sharing these suggestions with you right now, they will have an impact on you as well.

Please let me know if you have a comment. You can put your comment here.

What do you do when something goes wrong?

Many people tell me they like the way their year is starting (and I’m hoping that 2011 is starting out good for you too!). A few other people have told me their year started great, yet they fell off track, and they ask me what I suggest they do.

My advice is simple: Get back on track!

Please think with me.

It’s normal to fall off track. Everyone does! Nearly every plan has a weakness somewhere. What matters most is to find a way to get back on track as quickly as possible if something does indeed go wrong.

Success requires skills, not science. Thus be sure to aim for progress, not perfection!

The best project planners not only set up plans, they also make lists of things that might go wrong so they are ready with alternate steps if something does indeed go wrong.

Now think about a quarterback. Whether you like football or not, you know that successful quarterbacks want all their plays to work, yet they know that all plans do not work. And, as good as any quarterback might be, he or she never knows which way the wind will blow or who on their team might get hurt. Thus, when something does go wrong, they do whatever they can to quickly get back in the game with an alternate plan.

Here’s the point.

If you had a plan for the new year and you fell off track already, forget it! Get back on track with a new step right now. It’s still early in the year and you have an opportunity for a great 2011.

Does this ring true to you? Please leave your comments here.