Turn Anything into an Advantage
It is Thursday! This week I bring you a documentary about Doc Holiday, Iceman, and Jim Morrison, along with a book I am thoroughly enjoying reading! Plus, I’ve got some pithy quotes to get you thinking. Enjoy this week’s Three Action Thursday!
What I am Watching
Val Kilmer has starred in some iconic movies including Top Gun, The Doors, and Tombstone (note that I didn’t mention Batman). But there is probably no film as important as his newest one, a documentary about his own life called Val (Free with Amazon Prime).
The film follows the life and career of the actor, including footage of Kilmer shot by himself throughout his career, footage of his childhood, and home movies. The film showcases his battle with throat cancer and gives a behind-the-scenes view of his personal life. I was skeptical about the film, but I was pleasantly surprised. Kilmer has had an amazing life. It is full of tragedy, personal growth, huge life experiences, and some incredible life choices that I did not expect, and that’s on top of a two-year battle with throat cancer.
What I am Reading
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
In the book, Achor shares how rewiring our brain for happiness helps us achieve more in life. It makes us more successful in our careers and our relationships and as students, leaders, and parents. The book defies conventional wisdom that once we succeed, we’ll be happy; that once we get that great job, win that next promotion, lose those ten pounds, happiness will follow. However, science reveals this formula to be backward. Happiness fuels success, and not the other way around. In fact the book goes even deeper, research shows that happy employees are more productive, more creative, and better problem-solvers than their unhappy peers. And positive people are significantly healthier and less stressed and enjoy deeper social interaction than the less positive people around them.
Shawn offers some interesting tactics in the book, and I think the premise is a strong one. Looking back on my life, I do think having a positive attitude and seeing the glass as half full allowed me to overcome challenges and build deeper and more authentic relationships.
BONUS MATERIAL: Here is Achor’s TedTalk on Happiness.
Quotes I am Pondering
Words are currency, so spend them wisely.
~ Unknown
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
~ Viktor Frankl, holocaust survivor, Austrian neurologist, and psychiatrist, from his book Man’s Search for Meaning
Notice that more good things happen to people who show up early than to those who are a little late.
~ Unknown
