The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management: #7 Watch or read media sources when you need inspiration
Do you strive to improve yourself? Are you self aware? Do you accept responsibility for your actions and decisions? Are you a source of strength for others?
These are the questions that reflect the nature of the second level in The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management series.
The first rule of level 2 offers ways to pursue self improvement by watching or reading media sources when you need inspiration or are processing an issue or learning why you’re drawn to specific media and don’t realize it.
Is media reflecting a need in you?
When my life feels chaotic or disorderly, I watch a Star Trek TV series. Star Trek Next Generation is one my favorite TV shows because of the strong chain of command, management, and leadership themes. I also enjoy Voyager and have learned to appreciate Enterprise, but realized that I have different reasons for watching these them. Voyager and Enterprise reflect my innate curiosity in learning how people can evolve over time in their personal lives and career.
Frankly, I’m incapable of watching any TV show without constantly seeing career management or leadership teachable moments. The only show that doesn’t trigger my inner management geek is Fringe because it takes me out of my reality. I’m too busy wondering when Olivia will return from the Other Side or if Peter and Olivia will ever get together. I can’t even watch Bones without seeing management moments between Camille and her team or personal branding lessons in Zack’s character.
Media as inspiration
Over the past year, I discovered this correlation between which media I was consuming and why it filled in a need me. I’ve learned to become mindful on why I watch a certain movie or TV show to discover what I may be processing at the subconscious level. Today, I’ll choose specific media when I’m trying to trigger a process or thought.
For example, when I’m waiting for creativity to inspire me, I watch my Winston Churchill documentary. As a renaissance man, Churchill embodies how a person can be a leader, a painter, and a writer, finding time to nurture his creative side while saving England during World War II. Personally, I think that’s so cool. I wish I had an inner Churchill to channel, but trust me, I cannot paint.
Action Items
What are you favorite movies or TV shows? Why do you like them? What need do you think they fill in you? Were you inspired or motivated by a scene? How can you watch a specific show to trigger a creative process or thought?
There are reasons why like certain movies or TV shows. The trick is being self aware enough to understand why like them and how they may affect us.
P.S. There are times when media is only entertainment. If I were you, I wouldn’t be too worried about why you love The Nightmare on Elm Street. I doubt you have a need to channel you inner Freddy Krueger or maybe you do and you just don’t know it yet.
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The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management series outlines my rules of personal and work success. After reflecting on my personal values, I made this list, realizing values are my rules of being or life management principles. Based on your experiences, I hope this list inspires you to identify your own rules. Here are the rules to my success that may help you over the course of your journey:
- The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management
- The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management: Overview of the Pyramid and Its Levels
Level 1: Rules for Our Fundamental Nature
- #1 Find your own spirituality and practice it.
- #2 Know what you want or the Universe (or God) won’t know what to send you: If you don’t know what you want, how can you get to where you want to be?
- #3 Fate or free will? Regardless of what you believe, we all have a purpose to being here. The tricky part is discovering what it is.
- #4 Don’t wait for your future to happen to you, you have to be vigilant in making your future happen.
- #5 Understand your dark side, but don’t give into it or indulge it.
- #6 Aspire to always help and teach others.
Level 2: Rules of Continuous Learning and Modeling
- #7 Watch or read media sources when you need inspiration. Reflect on why you like a certain movie or TV show, so you understand why it moves you.
- #8 Always be learning. Continue learning through books or any source that gives you new ideas on how to approach your work or feeds your passion.
- #9 Become self aware. If you aren’t, then how will you know you’re screwing up?
- #10 Accept responsibility and make peace with your decisions and the consequences of those decisions. They have created the person you are today. The trick is, do you like what you’ve created? If not, then how can you change?
- #11 Keep a lid on chaos. Never let situations or emotions get away from you. Be the calm in the eye of the storm as strength, reflecting confidence for the most vulnerable people in your life.
Level 3: Rules for the Actual Journey
- #12 Stay still and don’t move if you feel lost, so you can find yourself or let the opportunity find you.
- #13 Always be course correcting.
- #14 Surround yourself with trusted and loyal friends. Be prepared to deal with betrayal without ambivalence. But be prepare to forgive (if the person is sincere, I mean really sincere).
- #15 Learn to channel your inner extrovert, if you’re an introvert. Learn to channel your inner introvert, if you’re an extrovert.
Level 4: Rules of Adapting to Environment and Interacting with Others
- #16 Make peace with your weaknesses. We’re not perfect. Even your strengths will turn into weaknesses. The trick is knowing when your strength has become a weakness.
- #17 Master your emotions and body language. Use them strategically in life and work.
- #18 Mentor yourself via the Space Time Continuum. What would your future self tell your present self? How can you get back on track? What have you done well? What more can you do? What would you tell yourself as a child, teen, 20 or 30 something?
Level 5: Rules of Humility
- #19 Never take your success for granted. Always prepare for the worst case scenarios. Be prepared for two steps forward and one step back.
- #20 Be humble. Treat others well, don’t be arrogant, and don’t drink your own Kool-Aid.
Level 6: Rule of Being
- #21 Be compassionate.
Similar Posts:
- The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management
- The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management: #10 Accept Responsibility for Your Decisions
- The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management: #6 Aspire to always help and teach others
- The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management: #4 Be Vigilant in Making your Future Happen
- The Smart Lemming Rules of Life and Career Management: Overview of the Pyramid and Its Levels
