Yes, This is a Lesson on Business Mindset Inspired by a Hallmark-type Movie!
Okay… it is confession time. Some of you may know from my Facebook posts, that I may have a slight addiction to sappy, romance, Hallmark-type movies. You name it, I have probably seen it – or can guide you to what not to watch too! I was in romance movie heaven when I visited my Aunt last November as she has two – count’ em two – Hallmark channels on her TV.
Well, as I was watching one of these last weekend (okay re-watching as I have seen it 3 times. Ugh, okay maybe it is 4 or 5 times, but it is so good!), but it reminded me how our mindset can totally affect our results.
As we all kick off the new year with tips of goal setting, business planning and setting intentions for 2019… your mindset will affect how you do it all.
The movie has some fabulous lessons to learn about life, and business and I want to share them with you, whether you are a romance movie kindred spirit or not.
I will be honest, I was a little worried about writing this article, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. And all my worries about sharing my weakness for romance movies went out the window! Why? Because I know there are some inciteful lessons here. And movie inspired or not, I’m sharing them!
This movie that prompted this really does have a lot of lessons about how we think about the things that matter to us. Things that affect how we live and how we run our businesses.
The movie is called The Ultimate Gift and stars James Garner, Drew Fuller and Abigail Breslin among others. Now it is not an Oscar winner, but it is a great movie with an even better message. It is sappy, happy and lovely. You will cry and cheer all at the same time. Most importantly, you might learn from the lessons of the Gift.
The premise of the movie is that a rich grandfather has passed away and wants his grandson, who hates him, to learn some lessons that may change his view on life. The movie is called, The Ultimate Gift and is based on Jim Stovall’s best-selling novel, which has sold more than 4 million copies.
The Ultimate Gift, the grandfather gives his grandson is a series of gifts. It is based on these 12 gifts below. If you review each and think about what the gift might be for you in your life; it could help make a shift in your mindset. To inspire you to consider some of the things that may be keeping you from moving forward in life and business. It is all about mindset.
Enjoy, and seriously… go rent the movie, find it on TV or on YouTube and watch it. It has a great message.
Here are the 12 Gifts that make up the Ultimate Gift.
Gift of Work – We all need to learn the value of working hard and just working. Unless you are independently wealthy, taking action to earn a living is going to be required and making your business grow will require work – work from you. Sometimes you need to think back to the hard jobs you did before. Some may have been hard labour, hard on the brain, and some easier but all jobs and work we do, will teach us many valuable lessons. One big lesson for me about work is that to be a business owner – you will work harder than anything ever.
Gift of Money – It does make the world go round, and without it, things can be different. With it, things can be very different as well. Your hard work will bring in the money that can then help you achieve other goals and pay for what sustains you in life. As a business owner, if you want the money, you will need to do the work. There are no shortcuts to success. No work, no money.
Gift of Friends – Well, this one for me is one of the best lessons and a no brainer. We all need friends to cheer us, support us, encourage us and keep us grounded… and to do the same for them. I cannot imagine life without my friends, old friends, new friends, family friends, VA friends… they all make my life better. People often ask how I can work from home all these years and not feel lonely. Holy crap. Not once have I ever felt like I am working alone or lonely. I am on Facebook with friends or strangers daily, I tweet to people, I have skype / messenger chats with my friends, my accountability partner, calls with my coach, and in between plays with the dogs.
Gift of Learning – Continual learning is key to developing ourselves. It is one of the reasons I sign up for training programs every year, attend conferences and also offer training to my students via my Inner Circle and Blogging Mastermind programs. We all need to learn, especially if we are business owners. Get out and take part in programs where I develop my skills. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that training is an expense not an investment in yourself.
Gift of Problems – You will never learn how to create solutions unless you have problems. We face problems every day running our businesses. How you handle them and seek solutions can be a determining factor in your success. Fret on them and spin your wheels, find ways to work through them and you keep moving forward.
Gift of Family – Family is everything to me. Family can be made of many types of people. They will be the people you truly treasure and love. They may be the people you cannot stand. As the saying goes you can pick your friends but not your family. They will be the reasons why you do many things, or not do other things. When it comes to mindset, family will drive a lot of what you do. Accept it and embrace it, good or bad.
Gift of Laughter – Laughing is often underestimated as something that affects how we think and act. I love to laugh and am very good at laughing at myself too (Just check out the hashtag #kathyskitchenmoments on Facebook). My dog, Pepper makes me laugh, my kids, husband, tv shows, movies and friends. Smiling can have endless rewards. And most importantly it can change your outlook on the moment and many moments in the future.
Gift of Dreams – If you can Dream It you can Do it. A quote attributed to Walt Disney. Now that was a man with quite a mindset. We all need dreams and goals to have something to work towards in life. Whether it is a personal or business goal or dream. Have dreams. They give you something to work toward, a goal. Sit down and think about your ‘dream’ and what you want. Then take steps to make it happen. No one will care about your dream as much as you ever will.
Gift of Giving – Give and Ye Shall Receive. We have all heard it, and it really can change your mindset in many ways. Whether you give to neighbours or friends, or even strangers, it will feel good. And let it feel good is one of my pieces of advice. I lost a neighbour and friend to cancer this week. During the last 7 years our family helped him and his wife in many ways because it was easy for us to do, and we felt good knowing we were helping. It is good to give. Often you will find when you give, you will always get something back. In the case of Jerry, we got his friendship and his wife Laura’s.
Gift of Gratitude – Practicing gratitude is hard. Being comfortable with gratitude can be even harder. With our neighbours, they often wanted to thank us for our help by treating us to dinner or a movie or buying us different surprise gifts that came long all during the year. At first, we were a little uncomfortable, but then I realized it was as important for us to accept their gratitude as it was for us to give to them.
Gift of a Day – Well this one I get, but it is hard to pick what makes a day, or a perfect day. perfect day. I think the message is to take certain days and make them days you treasure. Days that you remember forever. I am still working on what I think is a perfect day to have, but meantime I continue to work on this one. My recent bowling birthday probably counts as I think about this. Taking my family – all of us grown-ups – to a bowling alley to celebrate in a fun way. We had a fabulous time with lots of smiles and laughs. That was a great day.
Gift of Love – What is life without love? Love means many things to many people. It is a nice feeling to be loved, and even more rewarding to love others. I cannot imagine my life without my husband, Marco, the love of my life, nor my kids, my family, my friends. Love means letting yourself go, taking chances, giving in, trust, acceptance … and so much more. My advice: Do what you love, be with whomever you love and love who you love. But just, love. Experience love every day if you can.
Well, there you have it, my lessons on mindset from a Romance Movie. I hope it inspires you to reflect on your goals and mindset and how they can propel you forward in life, and business.
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