14 Things I Learned/Remembered by Watching Collateral Beauty

Photo by adrian on Unsplash

1. What is your “why?” — The Big Why

It seems that most of us tend to just do stuff. Do we ask ourselves why? Not typically. We tend to do the things that are expected of us — expected by family, friends and society. We work, we clean, we attend family and community functions. We pay our bills and eat and attempt to keep our lawns looking nice. But, what truly motivates us? What is your “why” for doing what you do? If the answer is, “just because,” it is time to reconsider your plan and what you want out of life. When you focus on the “big picture” or “keep your eye on the ball” you are essentially focusing on your why, and if you allow your “big why” to guide you, it will be discovered that a wide variety of great things will find a way into your life.

2. Life is about people.

Independence, self-sufficiency and the strength to go it alone — these are fine things and at times, we do need to go it alone. People are so adamant in believing being single is better than being in a relationship. This is because so many people have forgotten how to have a relationship. We have forgotten how to truly connect with others, remember that others are only human as you and, like any other thing we do in our life, relationships (including love relationships, work relationships, friendships and family relationships) take effort and consideration.

Without people, there is no life. Without loving others and helping others to reach goals or helping others through sad times, what is the point in any of us being here? We can be happy with our jobs, our hobbies, our possessions, our accomplishments, but at the end of the day, it is the people in our lives and the potential people in our lives that bring an added amount of happiness — the happiness that counts.

3. Love, time, death — these three concepts connect every single human being. “We long for love, we wish we had more time, we fear death.”

These three concepts rule our world.

Love: We experience and long for love — from our families, friends and significant others. Love makes us feel like we have a purpose. It regenerates us. It can make us feel powerful and can ignite our self-esteem. When we feel we have been denied love from any of…