Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors asked this profound question to the world. In his poetic recordings he asked; “Did you have a good world when you died, enough to base a movie on?” How prescient, considering that a movie was made based on the life of Jim Morrison. Oliver Stone’s film “The Doors” told the story of Jim’s exciting and tormented life. Unfortunately, Jim died early and was found dead in his bathtub while living in Paris from heart failure caused by drugs and alcohol. Jim had enough of a world to base a movie on. What about you?
This is a great question to ask yourself as you go through life. Think of it as if you were writing an autobiography about a great person who left an impact on the world. Like all stories, there will be triumph and tragedy. There will be people whose lives you have positively affected. No story would be complete without a protagonist who wants to hurt you or complicate your life, even if you realize that he has been your own protagonist at times. The key point to ask yourself about your story is “What is the theme?”
I want to know in my story that I helped shape my children’s lives for the positive and that the people around me felt good in my presence. I want to know if my books, speeches, and writings helped change someone’s life or prevented someone from committing suicide. I want to know that even though I often headed in the wrong direction, I got back on track and worked hard to impact the world I lived in. I want to have seen the world and meet people from all over the world. I want to make connections and break barriers between people, cultures and countries. I want to stop and enjoy the beauty in the world and help others find it too. My book or movie should be a positive story that is more exciting than fiction.
Think about your life and think about how it should be before you die. So ask yourself the question; “What am I doing now that’s making that story happen?” “Am I striving to live life to the fullest, or am I just slipping through it?” These are questions you need to ask yourself on a daily basis to stay on track. You don’t have to cure cancer or build an empire to make a good movie out of your world. You just need to seek to do good for others and live life according to what your passions are calling you to do. Now go make your movie, day after day. Constantly create new plots, locations, and characters for your movie. Look for ways to constantly improve it, until the director says “Cut.”