Life is like a box of chocolates . . . you know how the rest of the quote goes. Forrest Gump is a movie that I believe effects everyone that sees it. Whether you think the movie is touching, moving, funny, sad, poignant, or a history lesson, most people walk away from this movie feeling and thinking something. There are several morsels of truth that this movie shed light on and I would like to share with you the ones that spoke to me the most.
One of the morsels of truth that I took away from Forrest Gump is not focusing on your limitations but instead on the possibilities. Forrest Gump never saw himself as anything but normal. He never paid attention to his weakness that he could have used as an excuse or crutch. He never allowed what other people thought of him or how they viewed him effect the way that he viewed himself. Because of this, he never set boundaries, never uttered the word “can’t”, and never thought that he wasn’t good enough. With this outlook anything is possible, as Forrest Gump proves; from teaching Elvis to dance to meeting the President of the United States, when you have no boundaries to sky is the limit.
A second morsel from Forrest Gump is to give 100% of yourself in everything you do whether that is love, friendship, family, work, etc. When you give 100% of yourself in everything you do, you will be surprised at what you receive in return. When you give 100% of yourself, you are giving not only the best parts of yourself but your whole self to include your vulnerabilities. You are sharing with people everything that you have and in the process encouraging others to give just as much of themselves. Think of how Forrest Gump’s attitude begins to change Lt. Dan’s attitude. The more Lt. Dan sees Forrest giving so much of himself to Bubba Gump Shrimp and life in general, Lt. Dan begins to give more of himself. He begins to see life differently, and understand that you get out of life what you put in.
A third morsel of truth from Forrest Gump is to give with the intention of never receiving anything in return. Forrest Gump loved, supported, worked, etc. without ever thinking of what was in it for him. He gave because that is who he was. He got more out of life from giving then ever receiving. Forrest never gave with the intention of ever receiving, to include loving Jenny, helping Lt. Dan and continuing the memory of Bubba with Bubba Gump Shrimp. His intentions were always good and came from his heart. Forrest was lead by his passions and his desire to help the people he in his life and in turn was rewarded with friendship, love, and exciting life.
The fourth morsel of truth that I learned from Forrest Gump was life is uncertain, you never know what is going to happen, but make the most out of it. Don’t focus on the negative, don’t focus on the past, and don’t focus on all the things that can hold you back. Forrest Gump always looked forward, kept his head up, and accepted whatever life threw his way. Because of the way he lived his life was rich.
These are just a few of the lessons that I learned from the movie Forrest Gump. If you haven’t seen the movie, I encourage that you do. If you have, I encourage you to watch it again and see if any other lessons speak to you. Going forth this week, think about how you can be more like Forrest Gump; living a life of endless possibility, giving 100% of yourself, living with intention, and learning to see the best in what life has to offer.
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