Sheila DeButler - Be the Hero in the Movie of Your Life: A Creative Approach to the Art of Self Discovery

in the Movie of Your Life

A Creative Approach
to the Art of Self discovery

By

Sheila DeButler

Be the Hero in the Movie of Your Life

By Sheila DeButler

Edited by Steven Goldsmith

First Edition 2011

Real Freedom Publications
22 Orlagh Court
Knockline
Dublin 16

www.realfreedom.ie

ISBN: 978-0-9562322-0-5

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced
without written permission of the authors and copyright owner.

For your free download of Sheila DeButlers music go to: www.realfreedomcoaching.com/music
Then just enter the code: XNDS432LND... Enjoy!

Okay. Why movie?

In this world of out-of-control global warming, intractable terrorism, international warfare, economic uncertainty, as well as our familial challenges, relationship issues, addictions, frustrations at work fears, worries, pain and suffering, its all too easy to succumb to negativity, to spiral into depression, to feel hopeless, overwhelmed, lost.

Often, we retreat into the world of cinema to escape from these feelings, but only for a fleeting 100 minutes or so, and then reality seeps back into our lives, and the negative feelings return.

But it is our common experience of films that makes the cinema industry such rich ground for a book about self discovery.

I have to begin by pointing out what this book is not. This is a not a work of film criticism, and I will not be referring to the specific lessons of specific plots in specific films. It may be possible to write a book selecting the best film stories to model our lives on, but a central premise of this book is that modelling our lives on fictional stories is fraught with danger, and is neither a healthy nor constructive approach to self discovery. If you are interested in whether Forest Gump or Frodo Baggins is the best role model for your own life, this book isnt for you. If you want to know how to discover and reveal your unique, authentic self, using the medium of movies as framework for that discovery, then, by all means, read on.

(SPOILER ALERT: I will be talking about many films in this book, some of which you may not have seen. Because I am not a critic [see my chapter on criticism!], and I am writing about movies to see what we can learn about our own lives, I make no bones about revealing important plot points, or even the endings, of the movies I discuss. If you havent seen a movie Im talking about, then either rush off to your rental store and watch it first, or read on at your own risk!)

On the one hand, this book is also about the negative lessons cinema has to teach us. These include the myths and lies that are inherent in cinema which is, after all, a medium of illusion. Also, as youll see in the chapters on film genres, in particular, the very structures of the stories upon which films are based reveal a great deal about how we perceive our own lives.

Furthermore, a film unlike a book or a painting or a poem or a song is an art form that requires the collaboration of a vast array of people. Theres the host of artistic talent including the screenwriter (or screenwriter s there are frequently more than one) the director, cinematographer, editor and, of course, actors, as well as set designers, costume designers, composers, musicians, and on and on. But there are also producers, agents, investors, accountants large numbers of people in suits whose primary interest in the project is financial, because at the end of the day a film is an expensive enterprise aimed at making a substantial profit.

This huge aggregation of competing interests and agendas generates tremendous tension in the process of creating a film, and well look at the various lessons we can learn from the desire for fiscal success in cinema and the resulting artistic and creative weaknesses that desire spawns.

On the other hand, I equally want to focus on the positive lessons of movies. What do they get right? And how can we use these lessons as a model for our own lives?

I have immersed myself in the field of self-development for many, many years, studying the work of people like Ekhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra, and working closely with true visionaries like Don Miguel Ruiz and Mooji. This field can be extremely complicated, challenging our most precious assumptions, raising questions wed prefer not to answer, confronting us with our deepest fears. But in all my years of study and teaching, counselling and writing, I have come to realise that the core messages of self-development are actually quite simple, and I believed I could find a way to express them that would minimise the reluctance and fear usually associated with a journey of self-development.

This is why Ive chosen the medium of movies to introduce the reader to approaches which, if followed faithfully will lead to a productive, creative, fulfilling and enlightening journey of discovery.

Imagine:

What if we could capture the magic that films produce? What if we could instil in our lives the sense of excitement and joy that our cinematic heroes display on the silver screen?

The best movies are both meaningful and emotionally engaging in other words, fun. What if we could make our lives more meaningful and more fun?

We can. And this book is about using the positive lessons of the magical medium of cinema to rewrite the script of our lives, to direct the action, edit the story, and produce a compelling blockbuster with you as the hero.

Self discovery is a lifetime activity in fact it is the most beautiful and fulfilling journey you can embark upon, and one you will never want to end. This book is a tool for helping you embark on that journey. And of course the beginning of any journey is often the most difficult part. Its the part where you commit yourself to something challenging, gird your loins, suck in your gut, set your jaw and put one foot in front of the other.

That isnt easy. Nor is sustaining the commitment to change in such a way that it becomes a new way of living. This book is about making these vital first steps toward discovering your true, authentic self as engaging, enjoyable and compelling as watching a good movie on a comfy couch.

Movies provide the perfect metaphor for our modern lives. Each film is like a little window into a possible life, an alternative reality, each one offering an array of choices and presenting the consequences of those choices unambiguously. As we watch a movie we have strong, even fierce opinions of what the characters should and shouldnt do in every situation. We shout them at the screen: Dont open that door! Look behind you! Dont tell him the truth, stupid! and we are ultimately rewarded when our opinions are borne out.

Through movies we get to consider what it would be like to be powerful, sexy, rich and brave. We get to imagine ourselves being kidnapped, imprisoned, victimised, humiliated and find within ourselves the strength of character to transcend.

Movies by which Im focusing on feature films made primarily for entertainment are a common ground for most of us. Whatever our taste in books (or whether we read them at all), we tend to share the most popular movies in common. How many of the following movies have you not seen?

Back to the Future

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid