Life Lessons in the Movies Part 2
A few weeks ago my sister and I watched a movie entitled "Video Girl". The movie is about a woman from a small town becoming a video vixen after being noticed by a director. She then moves to California away from all of her family to be with him, living a good life for a while, then allowing her "friends" get in her ear, and spiraling downhill from the use of cocaine and alcohol. Now, this movie brought up a lot more points than the evil of drugs, but how low people's wills really are.
The first thing I noticed was how quickly she gave up in the beginning of the movie. Originally, she was an amazing ballerina, featured in shows and newspapers everywhere. After a car accident that shattered her knee, she quit.
Even after being told with therapy she could recover and be near as good as she was before, she still quit. Why? If ballet was her passion, all she envisioned herself doing, why did a bump in the road stop her from even trying to build
herself back up? In life, you have to push yourself. If you have a true passion for something, you never let anything
stop you from achieving that goal. I believe nothing beats a failure but a try. If you try, and don't succeed, you can at least say you gave it your best shot. But if you never attempt something, what can you say? All you can say is you
gave up, and now you have nothing to show for.
The second thing I noticed was how easy it was for her friends to convince her of anything. They easily convinced her to be in the first video, move to California, try and network herself (even though she was perfectly fine where she was) , and even snort cocaine. There is a difference between; taking things into consideration, being independent, and trying new things; and letting others completely run your life. Instead of encouraging her to go to school, try ballet again, or even find a better job, they convinced her to move to California with someone she barely knows and become a Video Vixen. It taught me, to be content with life, and remember things can always get worse. It
taught me, (though I already knew), that it only takes one time to gain an addiction that is not easily fixed.
The movie enforced a lot of things I've been taught in life that I never really pay attention to until seeing it happen to someone else:
1) There's always an up. No matter how far down you think you are, you can always turn yourself around. Whether it's a drug addiction or burning bridges with people you can always fix the issue. You just first have to realize there is an issue, and are committed to getting the help you need.
2) It's okay to try new things, but don't be stupid and let those things control your life. It's okay to change your hairstyle, try out for a sport you never played, date a guy who is completely off your radar, but you should never experiment with life-altering things such as sex, drugs, and anything with a potentially deadly side effect.
3) Trust your own instinct instead of others. Don't do something because someone else is okay with it. If you have a bad
feeling about something, or you aren't comfortable in a situation, leave it alone.
All in all, I learned to never give up and listen to myself instead of others. What others say can be beneficial to you, it shouldn't be the only say you listen to. You have to live your life for yourself, not anyone else, and if "friends"
are upset with your choice- they probably weren't your friends to begin with.
Just Musing