FIRE IN THE BELLY: LESSONS FROM THE MOVIES

Last night, by chance while channel surfing, I made a choice to re-watch once again the adrenalin-pumping action drama, 'XXX' (2002),  on Max cable television in Ho Chi Minh City. In fact, I had re-watched the movie countless times on DVD before, including once in the movie theatre in Singapore.

The entertaining story centred on how Xander Cage (played by Vin Diesel), an extreme sports athlete with a very bad attitude, was recruited by a secret US government outfit, headed by Gibbons (played by Samuel Jackson)  on a special covert mission to gather intelligence on a Prague-based organization that wanted to  destroy the world, led by the crazy dude with a fancy name, Yorgi.

I really enjoyed rewatching the particular segment when he was finally coerced into accepting his unsolicited assignment to help Uncle Sam, as illustrated in the following fascinating dialogue from Gibbons: 

"... You ever watch lions at the zoo? You can always tell which ones were captured in the wild by the look in their eyes. The wild cat. She remembers running across the plain, the thrill of the hunt. Four hundred pounds of killing fury, locked in a box. 

But after a while, their eyes start to glaze over, and you can tell their soul has died. The same thing happens to a man. 

Leavenworth Federal Penetentiary is no joke. 

They'll take a wild man like you and throw him in solitary just for the fun of it. No more mountains to board, no more oceans to surf. Just a 6-by-8 cell with no window and only a bucket to shit in. You can avoid all of that by doing me this small favor... "

Somehow, this wonderful lesson from the movie resonates with another adrenalin-pumping action drama, 'Rocky III' (1982), which I had also re-watched numerous times on DVD.

In the particular movie, world champion boxer Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) was knocked out by the arrogant Clubber Lang (played menacingly by Mr T).  As a result, nobody believed in Rocky anymore, except for one man, former world champion boxer Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers). 

The seemingly daunting challenge for Apollo was whether Rocky could regain that hunger in order to get back into the ring as a real fighter.

As Apollo attempted to stimulate Rocky's fighting spirit, and wanted the latter to be back in top-form quickly, the following memorable dialogue segments in the movie, fueled by an equally pulsating signature song/music from the Survivors,  summed up the motivation very well:

Apollo: "... Now, when we fought, you had that eye of the tiger, man; the edge! And now you gotta get it back, and the way to get it back is to go back to the beginning. You know what I mean?... "

Apollo: "... See that look in their eyes, Rock? You gotta get that look back, Rock. Eye of the tiger, man... "

Apollo: "... Damn, Rock, Come on! What's the matter with you?" 
Rocky: "Tomorrow. Let's do it tomorrow." 

Apollo: "There is no tomorrow! There is no tomorrow! There is no tomorrow!"
  

At the end of the movie, Rocky ultimately regained his former self  by  giving his former rival a really brutal lesson,  aptly exemplified by the real-world champion boxer Mike Tyson who once said:

" Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the face!"

The foregoing two insightful lessons somehow bring me back to the eighties to reminisce what senior statesman Lee Kuan Yew, while serving as Prime Minister, had grappled with the crucial issues of cabinet leadership renewal.

He was concerned that the new bunch of young PAP leaders-to-be did not have that "fire in the belly", because they did not go through the ‘baptism of fire’ during an election.

Unfortunately in recent years, to the chagrin of all Singaporean folks, the hot potato of unprecedented ministerial salaries had to a great extent altered the political equation in the country.

Nonetheless, against the backdrop of what I have been talking about in this post, just ask yourself:

"Do you have 'the look of the lion in the wild'"? or

"Do you have 'the eye of the tiger'"? or

"Do you have 'the fire in the belly'"?

For me, as a professional success coach, the three phenomenons basically accentuate the power of purposeful focus, from the tripartite perspectives of mind, body and spirit. 

In a nut shell, I hold the explicit view that it's the mandatory prime driving force for anyone wanting to pursue personal as well as professional excellence.

Think about it.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM A SCOUT-SNIPER?

I had probably watched the thriller movie, 'Shooter', on DVD more than half a dozen times.

In fact, I had watched it again a few weeks ago.

The exciting story centred on how a retired US Marine scout-sniper, Bob (played by Mark Wahlberg) was hook-winked and double-crossed by a high-powered rogue group led by an enigmatic Colonel Johnson (played by Danny Glover), in collusion with a mysterious senator in deep cover within the US government establishment, to take on a seemingly patriotic assignment, with the objective of flushing out a known assassination attempt on the US President.

At the end, he escaped and eventually tracked down and neutralised all the bad guys, with the unlikely aid of a disgraced FBI agent, Nick (played by Michael Pena).

Naturally, as in most Hollywood movie productions, a beautiful woman also got dragged into the web of intrigue, serving unfortunately more as eye candy.

As a matter of fact, many nights earlier, I had also watched another thriller movie, 'Enemy at the Gates', on DVD about a deadly cat and mouse game between a Russian sniper (played by Jude Law) and a German sniper (played by Ed Harris) at the tail end of the Battle of Stalingrad.

Several years ago, I had also watched the thriller movie on cable television in Singapore, 'Sniper', followed by its two subsequent sequels, 'Sniper 2' and 'Sniper 3'. Tom Berenger had played the US Marine sniper veteran featured in all the three movies.

In a nut shell, somehow I seem to have this unquenchable fascination for watching snipers at work, even though they were conceived in the minds of creative Hollywood producers.

Well, for me, I always hold the view that reel life reflects real life, and vice versa. That's why whenever I sit down to watch a movie, I always make it a point to mine and extract my learning experience from the movie beyond the entertainment perspective.

I have read that real-world snipers actually work in team of two, as depicted in the movie, 'Shooter'.

What actually fascinates most is the skills repertoire of the scout-sniper, which comprises:

- the mental skills, especially the ability to think ahead (I call it "anticipatory prowess", as depicted by Bob in the movie), and to look at the situation critically;

- the patience to wait for the perfect opportunity to fire upon a selected target;

- the ability to "neutralise" environmental distractions; and, more importantly,;

- the ability to manage the countless mathematical variables in the head, about wind speed, wind direction, range, target movement, mirage, light source, barometric pressure, temperature and even the earth's rotation (that's why he works with a spotter in a sniper team);

- the physical discipline and survival skills;

- the observation, reconnaissance and surveillance skills, especially the ability to catch the slightest "unnatural disturbances" in the environment around them;

- the camouflage skills, to avoid detection and staying alive;

- the stalking and infiltration skills, including stealth adeptness as well as the ability to adapt and improvise with whatever resources at hand;

on top of the clever marksmanship with tactical weapons and a precise understanding of ballistics.

Interestingly, I read that marksmanship accounts for only 10% to 20% of their overall skills repertoire.

The skill and the power of observation are rated very highly.

While digging through the net for information on scout-sniper training, I found the following interesting games as part of their observational skills training, known as the KIMS game:

It goes something like this.

A number of different objects are placed randomly on the table: a bullet, a paper clip, a bottle top, a pen, a piece of paper with something written on it.

They may be 10 to 20 items.

Trainees are given a minute or so to look at everything on the table.

Then, they have to go back to their desks & describe what they saw.

They are not allowed to say "paper clip" or "bullet".

They have to say, like, "silver, metal wire, bent in two oval shapes."

In other words, the training requires you to observe the objects more closely or critically.

The foregoing game is repeated with more objects to look at and with less time to look at them.

To add to the challenge, the time between seeing the objects and describing what is seen gets longer as the scout-sniper training goes on.

By the end, they may see 25 objects in the morning, train whole day, and then at night be asked to write down descriptions of all the things they saw in the morning.

Another observation skills training happens in the field with a sniper scope.

What they are required to do is to scope out random but hidden objects in a field.

For me, this intense observational practice is intriguing.

Now, I can understand how all these observation training manoeuvres eventually help the scout-sniper to function superbly with stalking, infiltration, and  reconnaissance manoeuvres in the field under dicey circumstances.

I reckon the same acute observational skills of a scout-sniper can also readily apply in the skills repertoire of today's business professional, except for the "one-shot, one-kill" score.

To be able to spot opportunities, a business professional today must exercise active and intense observational skills in novel situations as well as in ordinary encounters, besides a substantial dosage of personal creativity and a broad network of contacts.

MEN & MACHINES: IS THERE A TRUE DIFFERENCE, ULTIMATELY?

On Sunday night, I sat down with my two young nieces from Vietnam to watch the sci-fi fantasy movie, 'Terminator Salvation' on StarHub cable television for the first time. [The movie was released to the theatres only last year.]

It was supposedly the third sequel to the popular 'Terminator' movie series, which had Arnold Schwarzenegger in the principal lead.

In this particular one, Arnie was obviously missing, although there was a short CGI segment showing him as a menacing new-generation Cyborg.

The story plot wasn't as good as the earlier trilogy. In fact, it was somewhat confusing, because of the introduction of one strange character, Marcus (played by Sam Worthington) who was both man & machine, unlike the earlier fellow predators.

[There are some other seemingly confusing parts, but they are not the focus of this blogpost.]

To put it bluntly, he felt truly - psychologically & emotionally - like a human being [to the chagrin of his masters, known as Skynet], but fought precisely like a machine. He was originally a convict on death row, who was given a second chance by donating his body to scientific research, but was, unknown to him, rebuilt as a new generation Cyborg.

Nonetheless, the principal premise of the exciting movie quadrology had remained unchanged:

All the Cyborgs, under Skynet, were programmed with only one deadly mission: to hunt & destroy John Connor (this time, played by Christian Bale), the leader of men's last stand against machines.

To be frank, who cares, as long as the action sequences involving men & machines or rather Cyborgs were, as usual, terrific to watch, at least from my perspective as a movie buff.

In fact, I like the ending part, which more or less answers the question posed by me in this blogpost title.

After the final battle scene, with all the Cyborgs & the Skynet base destroyed, Marcus decided to give away his life to John, who was very badly wounded, in order for the latter to live. The last battle was won, but the war wasn't over yet. According to him, everybody deserved a second chance, just as he had been accorded.

That's when he uttered (with voice-over):

"What is it that makes us human? It's not something you can program it into a chip. It's the strength of the human heart. The difference between us & machines."

Wow! that's really great!

JUST ONE THING!

I love watching old & new movies on StarHub cable television.

For me, they are often excellent ways for doing a time-out, or just for passing time, or more specifically, "mental downtime", especially in between heavy intellectual processing endeavours, e.g. reading, reviewing a book or writing a blogpost.

When it comes to movies, my preferences are often those in the action genre: wild wild west [unfortunately they don't make them anymore nowadays], war, crime, horror, espionage, sci-fi, outer-space, paranormal & cartoon animations. I can't stand melodramas or movies based on literary works.

Besides entertaining myself for two hours in one stretch, my purpose is also to pick out some interesting lessons wherever possible.

Recently, I rewatched an old movie, 'City Slickers', starring Billy Crystal & Jack Palance.


The story revolved around 3 good friends, all big city boys, on a "mid-life crisis" journey with the opportunity to join a cattle drive through the old wild wild west. There they met the trail boss, Curly (played by Jack Palance) who not only taught them how to become real cowboys, but also one or two other things about life.

In one particular memorable scene, Curly was asking one of the big city boys, Mitch (played by Billy Crystal), whether he knew the secret of life.

Mitch was dumbfounded, & Curly proceeded to say, holding one finger:

"One thing. Just One Thing. You stick to that & the rest don't mean shit."

Mitch pressed for an elaboration, but Curly just said: " That's what you have to find out."

My takeaway from that particular scene is always this:

When you find something that interests you, go for it. Be bold. Just do it. You can try as many things as you can, but pursue only the one about which you are passionate.

Put it in another way, pursue only the one about which you feel most important to you.

The quickest way to success is to do what you love - & love what you do - & then, give it your best shot.

Drawing on my own personal experience, while embarking on the second-half journey of my life after my planned departure from the corporate world during the early nineties, I decided to pursue my passion for just one thing: reading. All my small entrepreneurial ventures - 'The Brain Resource' (retail outlet), 'Left-Brain/Right-Brain Newsletter' (publishing), 'Optimum Performance Technologies' (strategy consulting, training) - then started to revolve around it.

More importantly, to share with readers, once you have embarked on your passionate pursuit, you should always stay focused - with single focus, so to speak - & try not to get distracted. Naturally, you can remain flexible in your approach!

LESSONS FROM THE MOVIE: KUNG FU PANDA

Just a couple of hours ago, I had sat down on the sofa of my living hall to re-watch the really entertaining animation movie from Dreamworks, 'Kung Fu Panda', on StarHub cable television.

I had actually watched it more than a year ago in the theatre.

In a nut shell, the movie was all about the adventures (or misadventures?) of a young goofy Panda named Po (voiced by Jack Black) with big dreams of becoming a kung fu fighter in the village, known as the Valley of Peace.

By day, he was a lowly cook/waiter in the noodle restaurant of his father, Mr Ping, a goose (James Hong; this incomprehensible relationship wasn't explained in the movie) & by night he often fantasised as a side-kick to the formidable fighting quintet, known as the Furious Five, comprising Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) & Monkey (Jackie Chan). They happened to be his fondest idols.

Amusingly & unexpectedly, along the way, he was chosen - & then trained reluctantly by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) to become the Dragon Warrior, but with the blessing of Grand Master Oogway - in order to fulfill an ancient prophecy, under which he had to fight against the vengeful & treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane).

What had attracted me to re-watch it was, firstly, the well-choreographed, visually-stunning action sequences, against the backdrop of photo-realistically textured computer-generated imagery - vast, moody, misty landscapes, pastel sunsets, hazy mountain vistas, dewy flowering trees, fanciful interiors, & traditional Chinese colors (dominated by red & gold) - throughout the entire movie of almost ninety minutes' length.

Secondly, & in fact, more importantly, I reckon there are many valuable lessons to be learned from the movie especially for young people, which I had captured the last time, drawing from the witty dialogue:

1) "There are no accidents."

- Everything happens for a reason. We just have to learn to find the true meaning of the events in our lives. No matter what happens to us, not only does something valuable come out of it, but it may be just what we need.

2) "A real warrior never quits."

- Well said, as it resonates with, remember, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone)? Another day, another struggle.

- As a matter of fact, Rocky's fiery words continue to reverberate in my head:

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine & rainbows. It's a very mean & nasty place & I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees & keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get it & keep moving forward. How much you can take & keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

3) "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."

- This certainly resonates very well with what William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925), well-known US Congressman, once said: “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.”

- Many of our trials & heartaches are not designed to make us bitter but better in life. The fact is, troubles do not always last, but tough people do.

- The only people I know with no trials, troubles & challenges are those in the graveyard.

4) "To make something special, you just have to believe that it is."

- If you believe in yourself, you can do anything, including creating miracles;

5) "You are too concerned with 'what was' & 'what will'. Yesterday was history; tomorrow is a mystery, & today is a gift; that's why it's called a present."

- Don't waste time. Seize the day!

6) "The mark of a true hero is humility."

- Definitely, well said. Humility is one of the hallmarks of wisdom.

7) "You have to let go off your illusion of control."

- This was the vital message from Grand Master Oogway to Master Shifu, as the latter struggled incessantly to understand the ultimate choice of Po as the Dragon Warrior;

- Likewise, sometimes in life, we tend to want to control everything that goes around us, which often cause us to lose touch with the greater picture or larger reality of our life;

8) "There are no good news or bad news; just news."

- It's not what had happened to us, it's what we choose to think & do with what had happened;

9) "There isn't any secret ingredient."

- It's already in each & every one of us. This was reflected in the movie, when Po found out that there wasn't anything written - it was actually blank, with a reflective surface - in the Dragon Scroll, which was believed to grant limitless power.

- Likewise, when he found out, to his dismay, from his father that there wasn't anything special in the noodles, either.

10) "The true path to victory is to find your opponent's weaknesses & make him suffer for it."

- In the movie, Master Shifu grudgingly realised that Po had this natural propensity to hunt for food & would go to great length, with physical prowess, to attain it. So Master Shifu exploited it as powerful motivator for Po to pay attention to his training.

- As a matter of fact, Po also unwittingly realised that his greatest weaknesses - cheeky playfulness, roly poly belly & bouncing butt of fat & fuzz - turned out to be his greatest strengths, when fighting Tai Lung, who was terribly cynical of his opponent. Naturally, his physical prowess following the exhaustive training under Master Shifu helped, too.

11) It's OK to say 'I don't know'.

- When Master Shifu confronted Grand Master Oogway: "But who? Who is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power to become the Dragon Warrior?", the latter responded: "I don't know."

- In the same vein, when Po challenged Master Shifu: "How are you gonna change me into the Dragon Warrior? How?", the latter retorted: "I don't know".

- One of the hallmarks of wisdom is to realise how limited one's wisdom is. That's to say knowing how little we know... in fact, knowing we might learn something that will lead us to change our judgement on some important topic, as demonstrated by Grand Master Oogway & Master Shifu in the movie.

- In the real world, we often don't like to admit this, for fear of being ridiculed or of looking stupid among our peers.

12) A master can only show the path or the way. It is up to the student to reclaim or rediscover the greatness within.

- That's how Po rediscovered his own gift - his renewed self-confidence, courage, determination, perseverance, tenacity against impossible odds, & of course, his genuine love of kung fu.

13) Last, but not least: "There's no charge for awesomeness or attractiveness."

- It's very true. It's already inside all of us, in whoever we are & whatever we do.

Attention, Mums & Dads, if you haven't yet watched it, please go & watch this wonderful movie quickly with your kids & use the movie to share vital life lessons with them.

[Extracted & adapted from my 'Optimum Performance Technologies' weblog, where the foregoing was originally an extended movie review.]