I first watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with my younger cousin. She said something like, “This is my favorite movie. It reminds me of you.” She was right. It’s become one of my favorite movies, a solace when I am troubled and uncertain.
It’s about a guy–Walter Mitty–whose daily life follows a predictable and mundane routine. He finds escape in fantasies, until one day he makes one small change that leads to another change and another and eventually he has stopped fantasizing about how life could be because he’s too busy living it. When I watch this movie I am reminded of my own process and journey, how I used to just pop into another world in my head when my real situation became too much. (Dissociating I think they call it.) How my whole life changed through a series of small, seemingly insignificant events that eventually landed me where I am now. Walter is a very relatable character for me. (Fun fact: This was my introduction to Ben Stiller and I was very impressed.) He’s steady, responsible, and unfulfilled, capable of so much more than dreaming. Much like most of us, perhaps.
I recently watched a video on the YouTube called “Walter Mitty and the Process of Fundamental Change” by Ampelis.org. Now, I don’t know anything at all about Ampelis.org, but I do know I really like their thoughts on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It’s about the small steps you take to bring about a fundamental change in your life. (Watch the video here.)
Sometimes I re-watch this video because the concepts presented are solid and thought-provoking. So I started asking myself questions to see how I could apply the principles presented to my daily life.
If you’d indulge me for a moment, watch the video (it’s about 14 minutes) and then allow me to share the questions I ask myself while watching it.
A “Readers’ Guide” to watching “Walter Mitty and the Process of Fundamental Change”:
- We as humans are designed to assess potentialities. What potentialities do you see for yourself and your life? What does a better version of yourself look like?
- What change do you want to bring about?
- “Great change has its origins in small simple decisions.” How would you make that first step? What is stopping you?
- Work backwards. What leads to that goal state? Where does it begin? What starts that chain of events?
- In the video they make the assertion that we are not isolated beings, that we should seek ourselves among others. What interchanges/influences/impacts are at play in your own life? How are you connected? How are you isolated? What systems are you a part of? How are you seeking yourself?
- How is your landscape helping or inhibiting you? How would you change your landscape, temporarily or permanently?
- Who would you take with you or who would you leave behind?
- How do you impact your world?
I’ll leave you with one last quote from the movie:
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.
–“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty“
Thank you for reading these thoughts. If anything in this post resonated with you, please, feel free to share in the comments. After all we are not isolated beings. We are influenced by internal and external forces every day. Be a good one.
With hope for a happier life —
— Shalanosa
Shalanosa's Sanctuary 