In 2014, Christopher Nolan came to the world with a movie called Interstellar. I watched it, and it instantly changed me forever.
To me, this was not just a brilliant movie, it is a life lesson and one of main sources of inspiration, passion and wisdom!
For whom who did not see that movie, please do, and expect having hard time understanding its end!
The story is about an astronaut ( Matthew McConaughey) going to the space with a team of other astronauts to search for a new planet for humankind to live in as earth will be uninhabitable within some years
It takes us to an epic journey in space that prevails how miraculously human instincts of survival, love and whole existence can beat all expectations, odds and norms!
Interstellar is a life lesson, you can watch it and enjoy it, then forget about it; or, you can absorb it and take it through your life as a guiding principle!
I find a great analogy of this story with many situations we face in our lives, where we need to leave places and take bold steps for better futures.
Take the professional career as one solid example.
You landed to your dream job at this great company, but after few years, this job is not how it used to be, and the decision of leaving it, or leaving the company altogether and peruse another challenge doesn’t look easy.
New moves may need different skills than the ones you already have or used and also great deal of courage which is something not everyone is ready or prepared for.
The ability to move and peruse new challenges identifies -to a great extend- what kind of person you are!
In your professional life, Some changes are small, some are not, but the ones that change our lives are always not! like a big career move, or even a career shift, or maybe something a lot more complicated like perusing something new in a place you know nothing about!
Two opposite types:
– A Survivor will always find reasons to stay within the same job, same place and same status-quo (especially if it provides safety and comfort).
– A Dreamer who will always think about new opportunities and look up for them, and there is the spectrum between both types.
An Interstellar will take whatever it takes to achieve his/her goal and will go further to the very end for it, an Interstellar is the successful and resilient Dreamer!
Life needs all types of people, no better side here. However, if you believe you are ambitious, driven, talented and willing to take risks in your life, then you might need to know some of these principles that I concluded from the movie which might help you being your own career and life Interstellar!
1- There is always something that you have not seen before!
Cooper ( Matthew McConaughey) had to fly to space, leaving everyone he loves behind (though he left earth to save everyone he loves there!) which made it more difficult for him and his family (especially his daughter whom he had a special connection with).
He left on a belief that there is something out there that would present the last hope for his species.
Generally, most of humans tend to believe that their circle is almost the center of everything in the world, the more this circle is comfortable and cozy, the less they feel the need of getting out of it.
Same on the career level, the “Nice job trap” I call it…where you can’t get out of it as it provides a good sense of comfort, financial coverage…etc
However, the seed of Change starts to grow only from understanding that there are always things you have not seen before, people you have not met, places you have not been to and achievements you can attain.
If you have the guts to take a brave leap to leave your zone, and go to these places and peruse new opportunities, you will reach to statuses that probably few can achieve!
There is always something new out there and it worth risking for!
2- Current status-quo may kill you!
Based on some information and calculations, NASA realized that humanity would have no future on earth in few years, so they sent multiple missions to space to explore new planets in another galaxy where humans may inhibit. As surrendering to the current status-que meant the extinction of humankind!
In your career life, if you just stayed put with the current status-que for too long it means that you will be more vulnerable to be wiped at some point later!
Nothing stays the same, people change, your network changes, and you might be too weak to change your status by then because you did not take that step earlier.
However, someone can be just happy and satisfied with the regular job and the traditional career ladder; in that case, he/she wont need to think about being a dreamer or Interstellar and that is totally okay!!
If not, then you will need to challenge your status-quo and leave at the right time! And that might be the most difficult — or even the most insane- decision you will make!
Sense the water heat, gather information then take action before its too late, otherwise, you will end up like this miserable frog!
3- Believe in Murphy’s law: “What can happen will happen”!
Statistically, Cooper and his team had the slimmest chances of success, however, they took that scary risk on a belief of surviving. And finally we know they were right! ” Eureka”!!
Don’t say I have no hope to find a new job or to work on this startup idea or move to this new place! If there is a chance of success, then your vision, effort and personality can make your odds way higher! and it can happen!
Don’t give up on your aspirations just because the chances of success are slim, plan ahead, and go for it before it’s too late
4- Choose the right people!
Cooper had a team of three human astronauts and one Robot, later on, one more Robot joined. This formed a team centered on one absolute goal, they were all working in harmony and devotion to serve this purpose, which is exactly what anyone needs from the people working around him/her.
Later on, they met Dr. Mann ( Matt Demon), who was a deceiver and his surviving instinct took over him to trying killing Cooper and escape away!
We meet many people in our lives, we do not choose whom we meet sometimes, but we can choose whom to stay with, so try to see the substance of everyone you meet, make sure you have the right ones around you as much as possible. Avoid the ones who will be skeptical or lazy or toxic or jealous or liars…etc., they will just drag you down!
Choose whom you want to be with. Be with people who who are not jealous from you, can enable you, support you, push you forward or enrich your horizons, beware of the toxic ones!
5- Honesty 90%…Humor 75%
Cooper asking TARS ( a robot):
Cooper: What is your honesty parameter?
TARS: 90%
Cooper: 90%?
TARS: Absolute honesty is not always the most diplomatic, nor the safest form of communication with emotional human beings!
You have always to be honest no matter what, however, being diplomatic is essential to let your message be heard and successfully reach to others. This is what this conversation above entails and this what you should do along your journey.
However, with yourself, you can be less diplomatic as what Cooper did at the end setting the new TARS’s honesty level to 95%! Clear Self perception and mirroring is a mandatory talent for success!
Humor is essential for our daily life, being too serious wont take you anywhere most probably, we are humans, we need to smile and go through life with that!
Be honest always, diplomatic when needed and humorous sometimes…this will make your journey a lot more successful, clear and enjoyable
6- You will loose and most probably fail!
Cooper lost most of his team through a journey of struggle, patience and perseverance. He was on a brink of death multiple times. Finally he made it YES, but this came with high tag prices!
Success is not free! When you see a success story, you do not know what was the price paid to create it, be ready to pay yours and be ready to also accept your failures / losses!
7- Rage against the dying of the light!
Professor Brand kept sending this message from Earth to the crew in space:
“
Do not go gentle into that good night
Old age should burn and rave at close of day
Rage, Rage against the dying of the light!
Though wise men at their end, know dark is right
Because their words had forked no lighting they
Do not go gentle into that good night!
Rage, Rage against the dying of the light!
“
Keeping the same pace, energy and passion is impossible, you will go through lots of struggles and desperation…what will keep you alive is always your rage against failure and darkness!
During the dullest and blackest moments, raging, resisting and fighting is most needed…do not loose hope until you loose your existence!
8- Take it to the end!
At some point, Cooper had no chance to go back to earth, he had two choices: “To give up” or “To continue further”!
When we make decisions, we may think we are prepared for the consequences and circumstances we might face along the way just from the givens we have in hand then, however, the actual way to your goal will never be the same as you thought it will be!
Be prepared for the unknown, recharge your energy along the way, and just do not make surprises, haziness or uncertainty stop what you have committed to finish earlier!
9- It’s all about Love!
A special and intangible relationship between a man and his daughter saved the world in this movie! an unseen bond between two humans though they are million miles away in two different galaxies!!
Love what you do, love people you work with, love someone who can empower you and give you the energy to go by, the unknown power of love exists! and that’s what’s life is all about!
Surround yourself with the people whom you really love and who they love you back, embrace the mysterious power of love to achieve things your couldn’t imagine achievable!
10- Choose your end!
Cooper managed to save humankind in a very complicated way, however, he then chose to be with the one whom he leaned to from the beginning.
A sophisticated chronicle of achievements and actualization that ended with an eternal inner-self peace!
Sometimes the journey of life takes people too far, where they feel helpless to choose their end or change their last direction, this will be the worst end.
Have power to choose your end, preserve your legacy and choose where you want to be at last!
Go for your goals, start your journey and achieve what you want, just do not forget to be strong enough by then to enjoy a good end ever after!
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