Whenever I run into someone who’s a bit odd, I find myself whispering to myself, “What’s with that guy?” I know. I know. I shouldn’t. But I’m so used to having people behave a certain way that when they fall outside my version of the norm – whatever that is – it’s something that calls my attention.
Now I’m not always a fan of the heroes Hollywood lifts up for us, but let me point out a few that definitely inspire me and better yet – cause me to spend a little time thinking about how I can improve myself.
Take “Forrest Gump.” Here Tom Hanks plays a simple, unintelligent (“Stupid is as stupid does”) Alabama boy that:
- reaches outrageous success on Bear Bryant’s Crimson Tide,
- is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam and
- starts a shrimp boat empire after Hurricane Carmen that makes him a millionaire.
Dustin Hoffman plays another one of these types. As the autistic “Rain Man” he plays opposite Tom Cruise, the “normal” brother, who learns a lot about himself when his father passes away. He is left to care for Rain Man – a brother he never knew he had. Another great example and a super movie.
Finally take a look at Cuba Gooding’s role as “Radio” a true story about a developmentally challenged man who is taken in by a high school football coach. He becomes the team and the town’s inspiration.
Gooding was nominated for Best Actor for his role and both Hanks and Hoffman took the Best Actor Oscar for their performances. Though in real life the challenged or oddballs get pushed aside, there’s something inside us that feels inspired by them. It’s like by being around these folks something inside gets activated and we feel called to be better people.
I’m the first to admit we are definitely too uptight as a society. As working professionals we feel we must fit a certain mold in order to “get ahead.” This runs contrary to what we learn from these film characters.
Whether it’s something that’s been bred in us or something we’ve conditioned ourselves to do, this “uptight-ness” or need to fit the mold decreases who we are and pigeon holes us into being something we’re not.
My recommendation? We should all spend time doing some personal self-reflection to expand our self-awareness. If you don’t spend some time doing this at least once a year, you are long overdue. How would you go about this? My own “Breakthrough” book has some exercises for doing this. There are books like “Now, Discover Your Strengths” that have both an assessment and an explanation of people with different areas of strength.
You may consider taking a Myers-Briggs assessment or maybe even a 360 degree teamwork or leadership assessment. There are books like “Emotional Intelligence” that help you become more aware of the non-technical skills that are necessary for success because of the relationships they can help us foster.
Any one of these or many others can help you explore the real you versus the conditioned you and help you tap into the strengths that can contribute to your success.
