POSITIVE AFFIRMATION
"Today I’ll be floating from one thing to the next, always focused, always content."
Combining two of my loves - watching movies and writing about productivity - I look for takeaways from the movie for how we can be more productive and positive.
The past weekend I got to watch Dune Part 2 in the theatres, after watching Part 1 over like 20 times in the past couple of years. (Hey, remember there was a pandemic!)
Here are a few of my favorite lessons from these incredible two movies, no spoilers.
What’s Mood Got to Do With It
Timothée Chalamet plays Paul Atreides, son of the Duke Leto Atreides. I assume based on his station in life, he’s privileged to get the best training and education. And when a person becomes accustomed to privilege without enough exposure to the “real world,” it easy to lose track of what matters.
When Gurney, played by Josh Brolin, barks, “what’s mood got to do with it?!” I translate that to being focused and productive. When we’re with our family, we should be with them. When we’re at work and working, we should be working. And when we’re exercising, we should be exercising. Mood might help or hinder, but it really shouldn’t.
My Point is I hope we can take a step back and appreciate what we do have in this life. Then, we realize, that our mood does not control us. Instead, we can recognize the mood, but then continue on as we should.
Giving Proper Due Credit
When Frank Herbert wrote Dune, it’s well known he was, “heavily inspired by the Middle East, North African and Islam.” In coming up with his universe, he borrowed references, language, and designs. This begs the question of how much of anyone’s work is “original” and how much is “borrowed.”
Over the past few years, I’m been consuming a lot of productivity-related books, and at this point, a lot of them sound similar. They all reference the famous marshmallow kids' experiment. They all talk about the different types of bias and the negative effects of social media. I wonder when I get around to writing my productivity book, do I need to also cover this stuff again?!
My Point - almost nothing we produce is original anymore - and that’s ok with me. I prefer the term, “remix.” If I have permission and properly give credit to the source material in making something that can create awe and enjoyment, then I say go for it.
Debate Point - The Cosmo and Washington Post review of 'How Dune: Part Two erases its Middle Eastern, North African and Muslim influences’ makes an interesting point when remixing work could result in hurting people. I disagree with this assessment because there are new considerations in 2024 versus in 1965.
(more lessons from movies)
➩ Watch This Movie, Change Your Life - And that movie is… The Secret Life of Walter Mitty!
