Great list of inspiring movies

So much of what is possible in each of our lives depends on how we see the world. Is our perspective positive, or negative? Do we see possibility, or impossibility? Meaning, or pointlessness?

And so much of how we see the world depends on how we feed our minds. Dish up a steady stream of negative, violent, hopeless input, and it can't help but color our perspectives. Serve a constant flow of inspiring, positive, hopeful input on the other hand, and it will nourish a similar worldview (And with the stress and uncertainty people are feeling these days, nourishing that positive worldview is more important than ever).

With that in mind, I am always on the lookout for movies that inspire me and make me feel good. I want to feed a sense of peace and possibility.

The question is always, "What movie should I watch?" You can't turn around in a video store without knocking over a DVD with a dark, violent view of the world, but really good positive movies are much fewer and farther between.

I recently came across an excellent list of life-affirming and inspiring movies. I printed it out and highlighted the ones that I've already seen (about a third of them) and by and large agreed that they belonged on the list, which seems a good indication that the others stand a good chance of being worth watching as well. So I'm giving this list two thumbs up.

Next time it's movie night at home and you're looking for a movie to watch, this list is a great place to start.

Which movies from the list would you recommend? Are there other inspiring movies you would suggest that aren't on the list?

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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

Comments

[David]

I found the most recent Rocky movie - Rocky Balboa - very inspirational. Rocky's son has an unfulfilling corporate job with an abusive boss. But the son tries to convince Rocky not to follow his dreams because it will make his (miserable) corporate job even worse.

Rocky then gives an incredible speech to the son about how he shouldn't blame others for his unhappiness:

"Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying: You ain´t what you wanna be because of him or her or anybody."

Here's the Youtube link, but it's worth seeing it in context of the whole movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1tXhJniSEc

[Tim]

Curt:

Thanks for sharing this list. David, I would have to agree with you about the recent Rocky movie, although I would include all the Rocky movies. Growing up, the Rocky movies were very influential for me..and recently I purchased Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky on CD. I ripped the CD and put it in my MP3 player and I sometimes play this before walking into work. Good to see The Pursuit of Happyness on the list, as well. Yes, life is filled with plenty of things to worry about. But we do need to fill our minds with some good stuff.

[BobW]

One of my favorite movies is Blue Skies Again: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085254/ )

On the surface, it's a light comedy about a young woman who wants to be the first woman pro baseball player; but below the surface, there are important messages about not quitting, about being who you are, and about taking risks.

My favorite quote from the movie is between the player's agent and the team's coach:
"You're way off the deep end here, Liz."
"Aw, Lou, the shallow end's for sissies."

[Meridith Levinson]

The first inspiring movie that comes to my mind, that I would recommend to others is "Little Miss Sunshine." I'm surprised it wasn't on the list.