First of all, let me state my disclaimer: I am NOT a film critic, nor do I pretend to be. However, I am a lover of quality and cinema is no exception.

The King’s Speech is the epitome of cinematic genius – cinematography, acting, music, and costume. Yet it is the powerful story that sparked a two-hour conversation with my family over dinner about King George VI’s stuttering and his manhood quest to conquer it 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 worth before expecting to receive praise from the world. And here’s the deal: it must come from within. I’ve seen it so many times. In fact, I know him personally too well. From the outside, it seems that you have it all: great job, health, body, friends, life, but you don’t embody your worth. You try to find it outside of yourself through praise, promotions, a certain weight or affection.

In the movie, the King of all people, suffered from low self-esteem. He allowed his stuttering to define his worth, rather than focusing on his strengths as a husband, a leader, and the inherited status he was born into.

What you focus on grows. Every time the King focused on his speech impediment and fear of judgment, he lost the ability to speak without stuttering. However, when Lionel made him focus on his strengths and emphasized his courage, the King managed to speak with less stuttering and more confidence.

You cannot, and I repeat, you cannot wait for others to determine your own worth. You will be waiting a long, long time. It’s up to you to decide how you want to appear in the world, and then it’s up to you to put on the big girl panties and just do it.

Then, and only then, will people start to see you the way you want them to see you.

Enough has been said about that! Overcome …

2. You don’t need a lot of credentials

Lionel Logue, the speech therapist who was the key player 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’ve seen people pursue more credentials than can fit on one application line to feel qualified and worthy. For some, there is never enough. They are always looking for more external validation and education. I am not against initials behind a name. In fact, I have a couple behind mine. However, I think it is important to examine why you want to get more ratings. Is it for the love of learning or maybe it is necessary for the path you want to travel? Or do you come from a place where you don’t feel good enough and are afraid of being judged incompetent? I hate to tell you, but it won’t be necessary for another grade to address that topic.

By the way, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have no initials behind their names, other than CEO and billionaire, both self-proclaimed.

3. The unorthodox is where it is!

The King worked with many “traditional” speech therapists who followed normal modes of treatment. However, it was Logue’s unorthodox approach that brought results: chanting his words, using “shit” and “fuck” as a catalyst to speak and having the Queen sit on the King’s chest as he breathed through his diaphragm. .

Many people try to create lives, bodies and businesses based on what they are told they “should” do, like create a thirty page business plan, get an MBA, join a gym, cut all carbs, join the PTO. , train in a certain way, and do not forget to put your child in all activities in the sun and, as a result, run like a rag. Simply put, you become ordinary and miserable.

Let me ask you a question. Who do you pay attention to? The traditionalists or those who are blazing their own eccentric path? Incredible, 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 in himself. When you surround yourself with someone who believes in you, refuses to accept your “sad” story and supports you when you feel that you cannot take another step, you are already ahead in your game of 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 you must listen to, a talent that you must offer. People often hide their voice behind excess weight, mediocre lives, and repressed desires. As with King George VI, fear is the culprit – fear of imperfection, judgment, failure, and even success. What’s your story? What are you dying to say?

Don’t worry if you are not sure. Finding your voice takes time and patience, but you won’t be able to find it if you dare to speak. When you start sharing your voice, you start to savor the freedom of being you.

That is priceless!

6. Fear must be managed, 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 from the look in his eyes, the beads of sweat on his forehead, and the initial tremor in his voice. Yet Logue was there to remind him that he had a job to do and that 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 threw up before every performance, even when he was seventy-five years old. In other words, the fear does not go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must get rid again every day. ” Look at fear like this: it’s there to keep things the same. If you are 50 pounds overweight, fear will scare you into continuing your destructive patterns. If you are stuck in a cubicle at a job you hate, fear will convince you that you will 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 feel 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 track. Fear doesn’t care if you’re 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 during a time of war.

Beyond fear, what will you do?