I never really thought of myself as a superhero movie kind of person. My favorite films have always leaned toward indie slice-of-life with quirky characters and romantic comedies. Then I saw Iron Man and freaked out!
I loved Tony Stark’s quick wit and snappy comebacks. From there I moved on to Christopher Nolan’s moody, dark Batman, and loved him in a completely different way. Then a couple of weeks ago I saw Man of Steel and was completely blown away. So many of our stories are the classic battle of good versus evil, but because Superman’s innate sense of goodness came through so strongly in this film the struggle was even more pronounced.
This movie wasn’t just touching and entertaining either. I found myself reacting to the lessons of the story in a way that you might not always associate with summer blockbusters.
Clark Kent – age 9: “The world’s too big, Mom.”
Martha Kent: “Then make it small. Focus on my voice. Pretend it’s an island out in the ocean. Can you see it?”
Clark Kent – age 9: “I see it…”
This scene between Clark and his mother was one of my favorites. Because he was so sensitive to the constant stimulation of our world, he experienced everything very intensely.
Even though we aren’t from Krypton, we can all relate to problems seeming bigger than they actually are, our daily tasks feeling like untamable beasts, or the path to our goal looking similar to scaling a mountaintop. Is that even a thing? “Scaling a mountaintop”? Let’s just go with it.
When we find ourselves hiding in the corner with our eyes squeezed shut and our hands pressed tightly over ears, let’s take on the role of Clark’s mother and focus on making things smaller and more manageable.
Looking at your to-do list as a whole can be completely overwhelming. Break it down task by task, ignoring the other items on the list until you’ve completed THE ONE THING you’re working on.
Jonathan Kent: “You’re not just anyone. One day, you’re going to have to make a choice. You have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be. Whoever that man is, good character or bad, it’s going to change the world.”
No pressure, Clark.
Seriously, though. No matter what our circumstances are, we have the power to decide what kind of person we want to be. The choices that we make, how we spend our time, who we associate with, and what we do all have an impact on how we feel about ourselves, our lives, and the world we live in.
Are you the person you want to be? If not, how can you work toward making those changes?
Jor-El: “You’ve grown stronger here than I ever could’ve imagined. The only way to know how strong is to keep testing your limits.”
When was the last time you took a creative risk? Getting stuck in our comfort zone can keep us from growing, both personally and professionally. Doing the same thing every day is easy, but challenging yourself every now and then can make you feel more alive.
What can you do TODAY to test your limits?
If you haven’t seen Man of Steel yet, you HAVE to go. If you want help testing your limits and making positive changes to become the creative person you want to be, learn more about how we can work together.
I hope you guys have a great weekend! See you back here next week. xoxo