The Schulich School of Business recently held their first Marketing Conference here in Toronto and I was honored to be one of the social media marketing panelists. Other panelists included representatives from Staples, P&G and Sprouter.org.
It was exciting to share my passion for what I've learned about Facebook, LinkedIn and blogging with the attending students and professors. It was a joy knowing my stories, and those of the other panelists, could help accelerate a student's path to achieving their career goals.
I stayed to attend the two other panel discussions on Green Marketing and Entertainment Marketing that featured some world-class specialists. They shared experiences and advice that inspired me as well. It goes to show that motivational opportunities can come from anywhere no matter what field you're in or want to go into.
There are many movies that feature specialists inspiring others with their knowledge, experiences and wisdom. Here are 3 diverse examples:
The Matrix 1999
The character Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) acts as a powerful mentor for Neo (Keanu Reeves) teaching him how to "believe" and "free his mind". Neo was able to achieve incredible success in discovering his hidden abilities by trusting and having faith in Morpheus's wisdom. He kept his mind open to his own potential.
A Beautiful Mind 2001
Based on the true story of Nobel Prize winner, John Nash, he educates students and inspires the world despite his mental illness of schizophrenia. There is a powerful scene near the end of the film where Nash (Russell Crowe) is jobless and is simply working out mathematical equations in the Princeton University library. Students begin to gather around him eager to learn more. Nash soon earns a teaching position there despite the mental illness he still lives with.
School of Rock 2003
The character Dewey Finn (Jack Black) initially appears to be a highly unlikely teacher. He is obnoxious, broke and self-centred. And yet he has a huge passion and knowledge base for rock and roll. His ability to teach is unleashed when he recognizes the opportunity to share what he knows to young students at a prep school. Dewey ends up growing as a person and helps build the self-esteem and self-confidence of all his students. The bonus is they end up as dazzling rock and roll stars!
So keep an open mind to the knowledge, experiences and wisdom of anyone around you. Keep feeding your mind by attending conferences, reading biographies, watching TV or online interviews and learning about people who have already traveled the path you want to follow.
Real world stories can inspire you to move forward into the unknown. Energize your optimistic mindset so you will be excited to make your career or life goals come true!
There are so many other movies with empowering mentors, teachers and coaches. Let me know your favourites in the comments button below.
Emmanuel Lopez-Motivatorman
Motivational Specialist
For Individuals & Organizations
See more info: www.motivatorman.com
© Emmanuel Lopez 2010
10 comments:
Thank you Emmanuel for coming out to the Schulich Marketing Conference and for saying what you said. You have really inspired me to look at things from a fresh perspective.
An awesome blog post and I agree with the list of movies here. I have watched all three and Matrix is really up there in my all-time favourites list. Also, regarding “School of Rock”, I like the fact that even a goofy personality like Dewey can inspire others because of his passion for rock and roll.
Might I also add one of my favourite movie franchises, the “Star Wars” saga to the list here? By trusting in the teachings and wisdom of Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke was able to transform himself from a simple farm boy to a great Jedi. This trust was strong enough to even stop him from going over to the Dark Side! This is so apt for business today as we need to have “correct” role models whom we can look up to and have trust in their wisdom in order to transform ourselves and emulate such great personalities.
Finally, I hope you continue to do what you do and inspire many more.
Shaikh Salimuddin,
Schulich School of Business
Hello Shaikh,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and movie recommendations. I too am a huge Star Wars fan (original 3 movies)! Sharing your perspectives is much appreciated.
Emmanuel
Motivatorman
Hi Emmanuel,
Thanks for coming out and sharing your experience with us on Friday.
I'd like to say that I like the concept of being so inspired or motivated by something external, that one ends up adopting it as his/her very own, as seen in movies such as The Last Samurai and Dances with Wolves, and more recently Avatar (though I did not enjoy Avatar just as much!). It's about self realization; understanding the shortcomings of one`s life/experiences and finding peace and oneness in something new and letting your ego down to accept this new experience as the most important part of you now.
I think it is great inspiration for people who feel lost in the journey of life and need some direction or motivation to bring out the best in them.
Best,
Vinayak Rao
Director of E-Marketing, SMA
Schulich School of Business
Hello Vin,
Wow! I was moved by your comment. Thank you for articulating so well the core values of how movies can positively affect people.
You've inspired me!
Emmanuel
Motivatorman
Another bang-on blog post, Emmanuel!
Thank you for sharing your experience at the Schulich Marketing Conference - judging from some of the comments in this post, you obviously made as much of an impact on the audience as the other speakers made on you! :)
Some of my favourite movies about mentoring (that haven't been mentioned):
Peaceful Warrior
Zombieland
Happy Gilmour
Steph @ Live Lighter.org
Thanks Steph. Always a pleasure to receive your comments! Thanks for sharing your movie favourites.
They are so diverse and I've enjoyed them all too.
Emmanuel
Motivatorman
Hi Emmanuel,
Thanks a lot for coming to the Schulich Marketing conference. We had put in lot of effort in organizing the event and we are glad that it was well received by all the attendees. And this was only because of the quality of speakers. So, thanks once again for making the event successful.
Your talk was very insightful and inspiring.I completely agree with you that movies are very effective in inspiring and motivating people. Movies helps us to visualize the situation and allows to apply the learning in a similar scenario.
I really liked your list of movies and Matrix & Beautiful mind are on my all time favorite list.
I have listed some of the movies, which influenced me a lot in my life.
1. Shawshank Redemption
2. Invictus
3. Twelve Angry Men
Thanks once again
Kishore Parthasarathi
President, Schulich Marketing Association
Schulich School of Business
Hi Emmanuel... It was great to listen to your expert comments on the social media during the conference. But I guess better than that is to have this relationship with you that would hopefully last longer as ever...
I am huuGGEE fan of movies... I have been known to sit through some of the worst movies of all times without a hint of regret... :P
And don't even get me started on how many movies have inspired me in the weirdest ways possible...
lets just say... once I saw the movie Chocolate factory and ate nothing but chocolates for a week!!!
Great to have met you... See you around!
-Pranay Joshi
(Be Awesome & Modest)
MBA Candidate 2010
E-Marketing Director,
Nonprofit Management Association,
Schulich School of Business
Thank you Kishparth and Pranay for your comments. I too love Shawshank Redemption and Invictus. And glad you both were inspired by my talk at the Schulich Marketing Conference!
And I can feel your passion for movies in your comment Pranay. Keep loving movies!
Emmanuel
Motivatorman
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