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First of all, let me state my disclaimer: I am NOT a film critic, nor do I claim to be. However, I am a lover of quality and movies are no exception.
The King’s Speech is the epitome of cinematic genius: cinematography, acting, music and costumes. However, it is the powerful story that sparked a two-hour discussion with my family about King George VI’s stutter and his manhood quest to conquer it with the help of a highly unorthodox speech therapist, Lionel Logue.
Here are some of the takeaways from this year’s Movie of the Year:
1. You decide your value
That’s right, you must decide your value before you expect to receive braces from the world. And, here’s the deal: It must come from within. I have seen it so many times. In fact, I personally know very well. From the outside, you seem to have it all: a great job, health, body, friends, life, but you don’t embody your worth. You try to find it outside yourself through praise, promotions, a certain weight or affections.
In the movie, the King of all people suffered from low self-esteem. He allowed his stutter to define his value, instead focusing on his strengths as a husband, leader, and the inherited state he was born into.
What you focus on grows. Every time the King focused on his speech impediment and fear of judgment, he lost his ability to speak without a stutter. However, when Lionel made him focus on his strengths and emphasized his worth, the King was able to speak with less stutter and more confidence.
You cannot, and I repeat, cannot wait for others to determine your own worth. You will be waiting for a long, long time. It’s up to you to decide how you want to show yourself to the world, and then it’s up to you to put on your big girl panties and just do it.
Then, and only then, will people start seeing you the way you want them to see you.
Stop saying that! Forward…
2. You don’t need a bunch of credentials
Lionel Logue, the speech therapist who was instrumental in helping King George VI overcome his speech impediment, did not have a college degree or certification. What he did possess was a passion for helping people find their voice and a proven track record of delivering results.
I have seen people pursue more credentials than can fit in an application line in order to feel qualified and worthy. For some, there is never enough. They are always looking for more external validation and education. I am not against initials after a name. I actually have a couple behind mine. However, I think it’s important to examine why you want more ratings. Is it for the love of learning or maybe it is necessary for the path you want to follow? Or does it come from a place of not feeling good enough and afraid of being judged incompetent? I hate to break it to you, but there’s no need for another title to deal with that problem.
By the way, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates don’t have initials behind their names, other than CEO and billionaire, both of which are self-proclaimed.
3. Unorthodox is where it is!
The King worked with many “traditional” speech therapists who followed normal modes of treatment. However, it was Logue’s unorthodox approach that produced results: singing his words, using “shit” and “fuck” as a catalyst to speak, and having the Queen sit on the King’s chest while he breathed through her diaphragm. .
Many people try to create lives, bodies, and businesses based on what they are told they “should” be doing, such as creating a thirty page business plan, getting an MBA, joining a gym, cutting out all carbs, join the PTO. , train in a certain way, and do not forget to put your child in every activity under the sun and, as a result, get exhausted. Simply put, you become ordinary and miserable.
Let me ask you a question. Who do you pay attention to? The traditionalists or those who are paving their own eccentric path? Amazing, stellar, extraordinary, excellence…these things are never ordinary. They are born of extremely unorthodox people.
4. Find someone who believes in you
Lionel Logue believed in the King’s ability to be great long before the King realized it himself. When you surround yourself with someone who believes in you, refuses to believe your “sad” story, and supports you when you feel like you can’t take another step, you’re already ahead in the game of your life.
I say it often and I’ll say it again: support is the key to success.
5. You have a voice
Perhaps the biggest lesson of The King’s Speech is this: you have a voice. You have something unique to share, a story that needs to be heard, a talent that needs to be offered. People often hide their voice behind excess weight, mediocre lives, and repressed desires. As with King George VI, fear is to blame: fear of imperfection, judgment, failure, and even success. What’s your story? What are you dying to say?
Don’t worry if you’re not sure. Finding your voice takes time and patience, but it cannot be found if you dare to speak. When you begin to share your voice, you begin to savor the freedom of being yourself.
That is priceless!
6. Fear must be controlled, not avoided
When the King entered the room with Logue and the microphone to deliver his speech, he was not without fear. In fact, you could feel the fear in the look in his eyes, the beads of sweat on his forehead, and the initial tremor in his voice. However, Logue was there to remind him that he had a job to do and that it was bigger than fear. Fear is part of the human experience. It has a purpose: to keep us alive, but in our modern society, fear is often unnecessary and destructive. If left unchecked, it can keep you from living the life you want.
Steven Pressfield writes: “Henry Fonda still threw up before every performance on stage, even when he was seventy-five years old. In other words, fear doesn’t go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew each day.” Look at fear like this: it’s there to keep things the same. If he is 50 pounds overweight, fear will scare him into continuing his destructive patterns. If you’re stuck in a cubicle at a job you hate, fear will convince you that you’ll never be able to pursue what you love. If you want to seek support for your goals, fear will tell you that you cannot afford it and that you should not invest in yourself.
Here’s the bad news: fear doesn’t go away. If you try to avoid it, you will never change. But, there is good news. Once you learn to move through it, you become unstoppable. Someone recently asked me how I felt so comfortable doing some of the things I do. I chuckled, “I rarely feel comfortable. In fact, most of the time I’m scared to death.” Fear lets me know that I am on the right path. Fear doesn’t care if you’re a king or a janitor. He will do everything to stop you. Despite the fear, King George VI completed his speech and comforted a nation in times of war.
Beyond fear, what will you do?