Tip#300: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 1 – Top 25 Movies

One of the most important keys to achieving your dreams and goals AND overcome unexpected change and crisis is to cultivate supportive relationships.

With this posting I am celebrating my 300th Movies That Motivate tip and 3 years of documenting my career successes and challenges with this blog. I am also celebrating every single person during this time that has supported and encouraged me to keep following my passions despite the intense obstacles I've faced.

These friends, family, allies and online connections helped energize me whenever I felt depleted. So thank you everyone! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

How People Give Energy

A simple form of acknowledgement from anyone can lift you up when life or work gets too heavy. People can be your strength when your problems are overwhelming. And people can be the most powerful resource to help get you to wherever you need to go.

Having relationships you can count on starts with developing an open mindset and respect for those around you. It's about having an attitude for thinking beyond yourself and becoming aware of how you can help others.

It's about adopting that small town community mentality for supporting one another. It's about nurturing even a small handful of friends who will all stand by one another when times are tough.

Social media is also an amazing online tool that can teach us all about cultivating relationships. It's about making heart-felt contact with like-minded people. Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn can accelerate the process of building relationships. Social media networking can help you develop the skills for making meaningful connections with anyone around the world.

Whether it's online or in person the principles are the same for building outstanding relationships: Share your authentic self and connect with like-minded people!

There are many movies that demonstrate what it is to cultivate supportive relationships. Here are my top 25 movie recommendations:

1) A Christmas Carol 1951

This classic story demonstrates the importance of keeping an open-hearted attitude to relationships. It reminds us all that a negative attitude towards people can be damaging in the long run. It will lift your spirit to see Scrooge (Alastair Sim) transform into a joyful, loving soul at the end of this film.

2) A Knight's Tale 2001

This movie shows how one person's dream of becoming a knight attracts others to support his passion. The enthusiasm of this knight named William (Heath Ledger) attracts a talented wordsmith to help promote him and later brings in a talented metalsmith who creates a stronger suit of armour. Together with William’s two assistants they forge a powerful team.

3) Apollo 13 1995

This movie shows how professionals stick together to solve a problem that seems impossible to fix. Based on the true story of the Apollo 13 disaster it is inspiring to see a tireless team of experts work together to save three men stuck in space in a damaged space craft.

4) As Good As It Gets 1997

This movie shows how three strong friendships are created when you overlook the differences between people. Melvin (Jack Nicholson) learns to be more caring for his injured neighbour (Greg Kinnear) after experiencing a home robbery. The neighbour is later supported by Carol (Helen Hunt) who learns to enjoy life again after her sickly son is arranged medical care by Melvin.

5) Be Kind Rewind 2008

This movie shows how a vibrant, supportive community can be created when people are passionate about an exciting idea. Two friends make low budget but imaginative videos of well-known movies that become popular through word of mouth buzz. They inspire an entire neighbourhood to become part of the movie-making process.

6) Contact 1997

This science fiction movie has an inspiring message about relationships that actually comes from extraterrestrials. When Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) successfully makes contact with a superior alien race they tell her, "You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other."

7) Crocodile Dundee 1986

This movie demonstrates how a small town man retains his down-to-earth, sociable personality to make authentic friendships in New York City. Dundee (Paul Hogan) never compromised who he was by conforming to the harsher attitudes of a big city. You see how magic it is for him to quickly make friends with anyone anywhere.

8) Field of Dreams 1989

This movie shows how one man follows his inner voice to accomplish an unusual task of building a baseball field through the support of others. It shows how (Kevin Costner) is able to overcome public scrutiny and financial challenges through the support of his wife, daughter and just one other person who believed in him (James Earl Jones).

9) Ghost Town 2008

This movie shows how an insensitive man can transform a negative attitude towards people and learn how to interact more thoughtfully. It is inspiring to see that even a cold-hearted person (Ricky Gervais) can rise above his lack of people skills and become more compassionate.

10) Groundhog Day 1993

This movie shows how a man achieves his dreams and goals by altering his negative attitudes towards people. Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is a powerful mirror for anyone feeling caught in a loop in their lives or relationships. He demonstrates that goals can be attained when you change your narrow mindset and become more thoughtful of others and focus on how you can be helpful.

11) It's A Wonderful Life 1946

This classic movie demonstrates the true nature of wealth, "No man is a failure who has friends." George Bailey (James Stewart) learns to survive a desperate financial crisis after recognizing the difference he had made in the lives around him. In the end Bailey realized he had an abundance of friends and family eager to help him in his darkest hour.

12) Jerry Maguire 1996

This movie shows that one man’s desire to create the business he dreamed of can be accomplished even if he only had one assistant and one client. Maguire (Tom Cruise) demonstrated that as long as one or two people believed in you that any dream is possible.

13) Julie & Julia 2009

Based on true stories of chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and blogger Julie Powell (Amy Adams), this movie has two inspiring tales about two women that follow their passion for food and the loving support they received from the men in their lives. It also shows the power of blogging and how social media can help you connect with like-minded people all around the world.

14) Lord of the Rings Trilogy 2001, 2002, 2003

This fantasy movie shows how Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is given the task of traveling a great distance in order to destroy an evil ring. He is not alone on this quest as three friends stand by him through many challenges. You also see how they receive incredible support from many characters along their long journey.

15) Master and Commander – The Far Side of the World 2003

This movie shows the power of teamwork and respect for one another aboard a British ship in the 1800's. The crew is a very diverse age group from boys through to seniors and yet they all work together in unison to accomplish the tasks they are given by their captain (Russell Crowe). Throughout the story you see it is their overall comradery that keeps them supportive of each other.

16) Meet John Doe 1941

This movie demonstrates the power of being neighbourly and how that positive message can spread across a nation. Doe (Gary Cooper) unwittingly becomes a spokesperson for helping those in need. He ends up inspiring an incredible movement of countless John Doe clubs for people doing good deeds.

17) Mr. Deeds Goes To Town 1936

This movie shows how a small town man uses inheritance money to help those in need. Deeds (Gary Cooper) inspires by maintaining his small town roots and spirit to help those who truly needed his new found wealth. At one key moment he shares his philosophy that if someone is having problems driving up a hill that one ought to pause and give them a helping hand.

18) My Date With Drew 2004

This documentary shows how the idea of "6 degrees of separation" can help you achieve your dreams and goals. The concept is that we can connect with anyone we want based on a small number of people in between you and that person. It is inspiring to see Brian Herzlinger's path of connections unfold that lead him to having a dream date with Drew Barrymore.

19) Ocean's 13 2007

Despite being bank robbers this close-knit group of thieves led by Ocean (George Clooney), this movie inspires by how they stand together when one of their own is double-crossed by a casino owner (Al Pacino). This film also inspires by how a team can work together effectively even though there is occasional friction amongst the group.

20) Pay It Forward 2000

This movie shows how powerful a random act of kindness can be and how making this a conscious practice can spread out to countless others like a healthy virus. It is the simple idea created and demonstrated by a 12 year old (Haley Joel Osment) that inspires a chain reaction of good towards others. This is also a fantastic mirror for how social media works in spreading information and connections at a rapid rate online.

21) The Pursuit of Happyness 2006

Based on a true story, this movie shows how a man (Will Smith) maintains an optimistic mindset with his potential employers despite being homeless and a single parent. It is his heartfelt people skills that lead him to building the business relationships that support the dream job he is training for.

22) Rudy 1993

Based on a true story, it follows a young man's dream to attend a prestigious football college and the people that helped him along the way. Rudy (Sean Astin) was so tenacious and passionate that he always attracted the right person into his life to accomplish his goal. Even when he was at odds with the football coach his entire teammates stood by him.

23) Star Trek 2009

This movie celebrates the ongoing message of the Star Trek TV shows and movies of an optimistic future for mankind where the spirit of teamwork is the key to achieving success. At first you see how the characters experience personality clashes but then quickly learn to work as a team to achieve a greater good.

24) The Terminal 2004

This movie shows how one man can overcome an unusual challenge through resourcefulness and building supportive relationships. Based on a true story, you see how an eastern immigrant (Tom Hanks) deals with being forced to live in an airport terminal by making the most of what he has AND helping airport personal any way he can.

25) Tucker - The Man and His Dream 1988

Based on a true story about a man who follows his dream and overcomes overwhelming odds through the support of his family and work team. You see how Tucker (Jeff Bridges) maintains his optimism through his loving family despite the challenges they faced during the creation of his revolutionary automobile. Tucker's resilient team is equally devoted to helping make his dream come true.


Recognize the Power of Relationships

So recognize the power of supportive friends, family, allies, teamwork and online networks like Facebook or LinkedIn. Achieving your dreams and goals requires not only passion and optimism it's also crucial for you to foster relationships that BELIEVE in you.

Life and career challenges require supportive people. Workplace tasks require energetic teamwork. A winning sports team requires mutual support and trust. Realize that all successful individuals on this planet made it because of the supportive relationships they cultivated.

And remember to keep an open mindset for how you can help others because that is the key to being in the flow of receiving the help you desire. Take time to encourage others to keep moving forward in their own challenges and someone somewhere will do the same for you when you are down.

There is a powerful energy that flows from cultivating relationships. Let that positive energy flow out from you today and give it to someone who needs a lift!

Related Tips:
Tip#300: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 1 – Top 25 Movies 
Tip#824: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 2 – Bell Let’s Talk Day - Wild Card  
Tip#856: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 3 - Mental Health - John Nash - Welcome to Me 
Tip#859: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 4 – Paper Planes
Tip#886: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 5 - Walk the Line
Tip#899: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 6 – Depression - A Little Chaos
Tip#907: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 7 – Depression - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2  
Tip#918: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 8 - The Intern   
Tip#1118: Cultivate Supportive Relationships, Part 9 - Alpha  Tip#41: Recognize The Support Around You - 4 Movie Tips 

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND:
"HOW TO PRESS PLAY WHEN YOU’RE STUCK ON PAUSE"
Energize Your Career or Business Now - Toronto Workshop
Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 1 – 4pm
See invitation for details: Here

Emmanuel Lopez-Motivatorman
Motivational Specialist For Professionals
Your Motivational Wingman!
www.motivatorman.com
© Emmanuel Lopez 2009