Your Next Film To Watch

Read time: 3 minutes

On Saturday night, I chose to stay in.

I had spent most of my day completing pending tasks:

  • Client work

  • Editing new vlog

  • Writing new tweets

... just to name a few.

And as the day drew to a close, I found myself with some "extra" time.

Naturally, I could've read, gone to bed earlier, or even called a friend.

But, I decided to bless my time by watching something on Netflix (which I don't usually do).

After a short & non-inspiring browsing session, I finally stumbled upon what seemed to be tailor-made for me.

... & my current curiosities.

Stutz. 

“Directed by Jonah Hill."

I was intrigued.

A film about the life and career of Jonah Hill's therapist... Phil Stutz

Who captivated me due to his unique & visual model of therapy.

“Isn’t this film 2 years old?!”

Correct.

If you’ve already watched it, I invite you to re-watch it with your “new” & “updated” brain. You’ll pick up on things you didn’t the first time around.

For me, however, it was the first time…

30 mins in — what I thought would be a relaxing and laid-back kind of night ended up with me having my notebook wide open, actively writing down the main themes and tools that Stutz was sharing.

I couldn't stop writing.

Actively understanding every concept he put forth.

And the best part was... I enjoyed every bit!

  • It didn't feel like work.

  • It didn't feel forced.

  • It was all play.

That, my friends, is how you know you're on the path to finding your life's work & purpose.

All your friends are out, drinking & partying; but you're in, learning & writing.

Pretty clear sign indeed…

Yet I had absolutely zero FOMO.

Just pure bliss.

The film showcases powerful & valuable tips/tools that can help those feeling:

  • stuck

  • lost in life

  • unfulfilled & stressed

As such, here are the 3 biggest ones distilled for you in under 3 minutes:

1) Part X

The Villain of your (life) story.

Its aim is to "fuck up your shit"... as Stutz so elegantly puts it.

It's the voice of impossibility.

  • "give up"

  • "you can't do this"

  • "you're not good enough"

That little voice inside your head that is always there & you can't seem to shut up.

And that's the problem...

According to Stutz, you will not be able to get rid of it.

It will always come back.

By just understanding that in itself, you will feel a sense of relief and freedom.

Then, realize that you need it to grow. To progress through life.

You need Part X to grow with you in order to have a change and transformation.

You want to create something new in the face of adversity.

The greater the adversity, the greater the opportunity.”

This leads us to the second point:

2) Radical Acceptance

Every event in your life has something you can take from it.

Learn to "squeeze out the juice" from everything.

In other words, train yourself to see what you're going to do about it.

Not what to complain about.

2 "Rules" for this:

  1. Nothing negative.

  2. Only positive (which requires Willpower & Faith)

With this, everything becomes more meaningful.

Remember, we are no different than Nature.

The sun is always shining above. It's always up there.

Even on the darkest days.

You just need to break through the layer of clouds.

Part X creates the clouds. It thrives on the negatives.

But The Grateful Flow (The Hero of your story) wants positives.

You penetrate the cloud with these.

You do this by reminding yourself (consciously & intentionally) that there is something else up there.

Allow your stream of gratefulness to flow.

Be creative with it.

Be grateful for everything. The smaller the thing, the better.

Use this the next time you find yourself

  • Sad

  • Depressed

  • Stressed out

Or in other words — "out of control".

Gratefulness is the state you want to be in at all times.”

Every thought you have affects your mood, right?

Well, grateful thoughts are what automatically change your mood (for the better).

The sooner you can accept this, the sooner you can start transforming your life.

3) The Secret of Life

Nobody has it figured out.

All the people "ahead" of you... (the "gurus", the "billionaires")... whoever it is you look up to at this moment... they do not have it figured out.

The only difference between them and you is that they've accepted this.

They've understood and acknowledged that they will never figure it out.

Life is a constant game of figuring it out as you go through it.

"Accepting that is the secret," says Stutz.

Your happiness comes from and depends on how you accept this and what you do about it.”

This goes hand-in-hand with this other notion he introduced us to…

The 3 Aspects of Reality:

  1. Pain

  2. Uncertainty

  3. Constant Work

These are the components of life that no single human being will ever be exempt from.

That is part of "The Secret of Life". And now you know about it.

So remember these well, my friends.

Your first step is always acceptance.

Or as I always say... acknowledgement.

Same difference.

I highly recommend watching the movie in its full length to get the most out of these concepts, while exposing yourself to all the other GOLD that Stutz kindly shared with the world.

Thanks for reading!

Much love,

Julian

PS. After the film was over, I randomly turned to the back of my notebook and found more gold written by my younger brother at age 12 (whose notebook I stole)...

Not too different from the 3 Aspects of Reality huh?

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If you prefer shorter-form writing, you'd like my X posts.