6 life lessons from the king’s speech
First of all, let me lay out my disclaimer: I am NOT a film critic, nor do I claim to be. However, I am a lover of quality and movies are no exception.
The King’s Speech is the epitome of cinematographic genius: cinematography, acting, music and costumes. Yet it’s the powerful story that sparked a two-hour discussion with my family about King George VI’s stuttering and his quest to conquer adulthood with the help of a very unorthodox speech therapist, Lionel Logue.
Here are some of the takeaways from this year’s movie of the year:
1. You decide your value
That’s right, you must decide your value before you expect to receive brakes from the world. And, here’s the deal: It has to come from within. I’ve seen it so many times. In fact, I personally know this very well. From the outside, you seem to have it all: a great job, health, body, friends, life, but you don’t embody your value. You try to find it outside of yourself through praise, promotion, a certain weight, or affection.
In the movie, the King of all people suffered from low self-esteem. He allowed his stutter to define his worth, instead focusing on his strengths as a husband, leader, and the inherited status into which he was born.
What you focus on grows. Every time the King focused on his speech impediment and fear of judgment, he lost his ability to speak without stuttering. However, when Lionel made him focus on his strengths and emphasized his worth, the King managed to speak with less stammer and more confidence.
You cannot, and I repeat, you cannot wait for others to determine your own worth. You will be waiting for a long, long time. It’s up to you to decide how you want to show yourself to the world, and then it’s up to you to put on your big girl panties and just do it.
Then, and only then, will people start seeing you the way you want them to see you.
Enough of saying that! Forward…
2. You don’t need a lot of credentials
Lionel Logue, the speech therapist who was instrumental in helping King George VI overcome his speech impediment, did not have a college degree or certification. What he did possess was a passion for helping people find their voice and a proven track record for delivering results.
I have seen people pursue more credentials than will fit on one application line in order to feel qualified and worthy. For some, there is never enough. They are always looking for more external validation and education. I’m not against initials behind a name. In fact, I have a couple behind mine. However, I think it’s important to examine why you want more ratings. Is it for the love of learning or maybe it is necessary for the path you want to follow? Or are you coming from a place of not feeling good enough and afraid of being judged incompetent? I hate to break it to you, but there’s no need for another title to deal with that problem.
By the way, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have no initials behind their names, other than CEO and Billionaire, both of which are self-proclaimed.
3. Unorthodox is where it’s at!
The King worked with many “traditional” speech therapists who followed normal modes of treatment. However, it was Logue’s unorthodox approach that got results: singing his words, using “shit” and “fuck” as a catalyst to speak, and having the Queen sit on the King’s chest while breathing through his diaphragm. .
Many people try to create lives, bodies, and businesses based on what they are told they “should” be doing, like creating a thirty page business plan, getting an MBA, joining a gym, cutting out all carbs, join the PTO. , train a certain way, and don’t forget to put your child through every activity under the sun and get exhausted as a result. In short, you become ordinary and miserable.
Let me ask you a question. Who do you pay attention to? The traditionalists or those who are paving their own eccentric path? Amazing, stellar, extraordinary, excellence…these things are never ordinary. They are born to extremely unorthodox people.
4. Find someone who believes in you
Lionel Logue believed in the King’s ability to be great long before the King realized it himself. When you surround yourself with someone who believes in you, refuses to believe your “sad” story, and supports you when you feel like you can’t take another step, you’re already ahead of the game of your life.
I say it often and I’ll say it again: support is the key to success.
5. You have a voice
Perhaps the biggest lesson of The King’s Speech is this: You have a voice. You have something unique to share, a story that needs to be heard, a talent that needs to be offered. People often hide their voice behind excess weight, mediocre lives, and suppressed desires. As with King George VI, fear is to blame: fear of imperfection, of judgment, of failure, and even of success. What’s your story? What are you dying to say?
Don’t worry if you’re not sure. Finding your voice takes time and patience, but it can’t be found if you dare to speak. When you start sharing your voice, you start to savor the freedom of being yourself.
That is priceless!
6. Fear must be controlled, not avoided
When the King entered the room with Logue and the microphone to deliver his speech, he was not without fear. In fact, you could feel the fear in the look in his eyes, the beads of sweat on his forehead, and the initial tremor in his voice. However, Logue was there to remind him that he had a job to do and it was bigger than fear. Fear is part of the human experience. It has a purpose: to keep us alive, but in our modern society, fear is often unnecessary and destructive. Left unchecked, it can prevent you from living the life you want.
Steven Pressfield writes: “Henry Fonda still vomited before every stage performance, even when he was seventy-five years old. In other words, fear does not go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.” Look at fear like this: it’s there to keep things the same. If he is 50 pounds overweight, fear will scare him into continuing his destructive patterns. If you’re stuck in a cubicle at a job you hate, fear will convince you that you’ll never be able to pursue what you love. If you want to seek support for your goals, fear will tell you that you cannot afford it and that you should not invest in yourself.
Here’s the bad news: fear doesn’t go away. If you try to avoid it, you will never change. But, there is good news. Once you learn to move through it, you become unstoppable. Someone recently asked me how I felt so comfortable doing some of the things I do. I chuckled, “I rarely feel comfortable. In fact, most of the time I’m scared to death.” Fear lets me know that I am on the right path. Fear does not care if you are a king or a janitor. He will do everything possible to stop you. Despite the fear, King George VI completed his speech and comforted a nation in times of war.
Beyond fear, what will you do?