If your life was a movie, what kind of movie would it be?

Is it a romantic drama where the protagonist goes on a topsy-turvy, roller-coaster ride of ecstasy, jealousy and heartbreak?

Is it a comedy where the main character fumbles their way through life, gets caught in awkward situations but takes it all in stride with amusement?

Or is it a thrilling adventure where the hero had to surmount numerous trials and tribulations in the struggle for a worthy cause?

Whichever genre you choose for the movie that is your life… it speaks volumes about how you see yourself and the world you live in.

Think of your life like a movie plot.

We all have a ‘story’ in our minds about who we are (the protagonist), the people in our lives (the supporting characters), our background (the origin story) and our idealized future (the ending).

Because we tend to perceive time as a straight line from A to B, we might see our life as a narrative comprising of sequences – just like a film reel.

Act 1 to Act 2 to Act 3.

Scene 1 to Scene 2 to Scene 3.

But we forget – life is actually just one moment in time.

Our past and our future are just two abstract concepts that exist purely in our mind.

In reality, we live one frame at a time… but in our minds, we see the whole video – even if the whole video hasn’t even fully played out yet!

Our past is nothing but a series of snapshots and clips we store in our minds.

We can edit, delete, corrupt, distort, rewrite, overwrite them as we wish.

What’s left is what we think is the most accurate representation that we’re satisfied with…

…even though it may not be 100% true.

Because there’s no way to verify it. Your past exists solely in your mind.

No one can dispute or argue your past, because no one else has the ability to replay them… only you do.

So how are you replaying your life stories?

Are you showing 4K, inspirational adventure IMAX films that portray you as a hero who continues to succeed despite life’s challenges?

Or are you screening crappy, low-budget, B-movies that depict your worst sides – making you feel horrible about yourself and turn others off in the process?

Either way, you decide what the next scene will be.

Change The Genre, Change Your Life

A lot of people ask me: how can I motivate others when I speak?

How do I become more humorous and entertaining?

Or how do I develop an emotional connection with the person I’m talking to?

The answer is simple: change the lens by which you view the stories of your life.

In movie terms – change the genre.

Here’s an example.

Your life is turned upside down after you were fired from your job.

You feel lost.

You felt like all your hard work has gone down the drain.

The clock is ticking as you have to pull together every last resource you have to survive.

If you see your story as a tragedy – this would be where your story ends.

But if you decide right now that your story would be an inspirational one, then this is only a minor setback that you.

Because in inspirational stories, the main character always finds a way to succeed.

That’s the thing about life – as long as we’re alive – we decide what the next scene is going to be.

We don’t have to live life on autopilot.

We can always CUT and change our perspective.

Erase the storyboard and start fresh.

Second tip: Choose to change what you focus on.

In the process of creating a horror movie – the devil is in the details.

The way the camera pans slowly into the mysterious doll sitting in the corner. The eerie music that theatrically increases in tempo – making your heart race in anticipation.

The click-click-click staccato of the flickering lights, the creaky sound of the wooden floorboards as someone comes up the stairs.

The expression of pure terror on the face of the main character.

Get the picture?

A film is in its truest art form when the directors are painstakingly setting up each frame to reflect the emotion they want to convey to the audience.

The best movies are great at taking us on a ride. We soar high up in the sky in bliss and then plunge back to Earth, sinking to rock bottom.

Life is like that too.

But by the end – what are the scenes you are focusing on?

Like the earlier example – when you get fired from a job – do you see a devastating blow that triggers the start of financial ruin and breakdown of your relationships?

Or do you see a God-given opportunity to re-invent yourself and build the vision of a better future by pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams?

The lesson here is simple: be the hero of your own movie.

Regardless of what you’re going through, remember that you have the opportunity to zoom out, see the big picture and flip the script.

What choices can you make that can turn your story around and lead you to success in the end?

You can choose the character you want to be.

You can choose the paths this character takes.

And you can choose how this story ends.