I have often been passive in my life, and I have been actively trying to change that. I have found inspiration through many different parts of media. Media is so expansive. I have found myself drawing from movies, shows, music, and books daily. The following five pieces of media are ones that have impacted me and inspired me to take the reins on my own life.
- Secret life of walter mitty
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This 2013 movie with Ben Stiller is my biggest inspiration to live my life how I want to live, and encourages me to search for things that make me feel fulfilled.
[Slight Spoiler Warning] This movie follows Ben Stiller’s character, Walter Mitty, who is a photo developer at Life Magazine. Mitty is a daydreamer who has vivid daydreams of a life far more interesting than his own. The movie follows him on a search for the missing perfect photo for the final print issue. You feel the tone of the movie shift when Mitty takes the steps into the airport on the search. The words tucked into the background of the sequence read out: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”
These words are the motto of Life magazine and are completely representative of Mitty’s journey. My favorite scene of the movie is when Mitty finally reaches the man who took the final picture and he sees what he is taking a picture of–a snow leopard. Mitty asks when he’s gonna take the photo and he says “Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment, I mean me personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. Just want to stay in it.” This is such a wonderful scene because it really just shows how we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. How we are so distracted constantly that sometimes it can really be nice to just sit and live and not worry about the act of simply taking a photo.
- Forever by Noah kahan
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This song is a favorite of mine. I found it special from the first time I heard an unreleased snippet on TikTok. “Forever” is about making the most of your life, especially when you find life to be meaningless for so long. This song follows through with living life with another person and sticking with them for life. Even if you have no money, you can still be rich in love and friendship. It is about not letting life pass you by and how important it is for you to prioritize the love in your life.
- Floating rock tiktok trend
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This TikTok trend is one of the more wholesome trends that I’ve seen on the app. It was/is about how unserious life can be and how we are only on the planet for a temporary amount of time. The term “floating rock” refers to how the earth is just a floating space rock. While doing some research into this, I found one creator who says “This life is short but it is filled with endless opportunities if you give it your all… because what else is there.” I think the trend encapsulates how you really don’t need to take your life too seriously. When you relax and just take life as it comes to you, you will just realize that we live on a floating rock in space.
- Anthony Bourdain
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Anthony Bourdain was a person, not a piece of media. He was a chef, author and television personality on food travel shows. This quote is from a voiceover on one of these shows─I am unsure of which exact one, but it is one of my favorite quotes of all time. “If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” This quote really resonates with me as someone who goes the college across the country─from California to Massachusetts.
- “’till you can’t” by cody johnson
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The sentiment of this song is to do things before it’s too late. The song discusses how you have to do something now because you don’t know when you won’t be able to. It discusses how you need to take the chances that are available to you while you still can. You won’t get another chance to live, so you might as well take those chances.
These pieces of media are ones that truly make me feel like I need to just live and not worry about anything. Like I can do anything that I need to do to reach my goals. Each one of these is perfectly unique and could apply to different people in different ways. I hope every one of you reading this takes a chance on these pieces of media and makes your own path through life.
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