The Upside is a comedic look at the relationship between a wealthy man with quadriplegia and an unemployed man with a criminal record who’s hired to help him. While being touted a comedy, it takes a very serious look at vulnerability, trust, fear, and risk taking. I don’t want to spoil the movie if you haven’t seen it (you should), just know that after watching it, when you connect the dots backwards, two seemingly tragic lives changed for the OH SO better, when they were each forced out of their comfort zone.
I’m sure you’ve heard before that you must take risks to be successful in business. You have to stand out in some way from everyone else who does what you do. For most people, maybe you, that brings up a lot of fear; of failure, judgement, loss of stability, damaging your reputation, disappointing others, even success.
Where do you wish you had more success? Your business? Personal life? Health? All of those and then some?
I can tell you from working in various industries (health clubs, entertainment, travel, publishing, customer service, call centers, etc.) there are successful people paving the way all the time. But in the split second you hesitate to follow in their path, the seeds of fear grow to become tangled weeds of disappointment, regret, and failure.
Sounds dramatic, I know, but guess what? These weeds are the voices in my head when my negative self-talk kicks in with: “You’re going to regret it,” “Who do you think you are?” “What gives you the right?” and on and on. I call it Jekyll and Hyde, because one moment I’m so confident and excited, and then a fear creeps in and Hyde takes over.
I have to use FORCE in those moments to get myself back on track and focused on my big dreams, dreams I know wouldn’t have been shown to me if they weren’t meant for me. So, I force myself to eat or exercise, or call a friend, anything to change Hyde back to Jekyll. Eventually it works, and I’m back on track, in this great pursuit of building a business that inspires and motivates others to push out of your comfort zone, and go for what you want today, because we’re not guaranteed a tomorrow.
See? It’s weird that this article is based on a comedy, right???
And Action!
Write 3 actions you know would get you closer to your dreams but haven’t taken for fear of getting out of your comfort zone where others see you.
Individually, write what’s possible if you actually took those actions.
Now that you recognize the possibility, decide today, how you will force yourself to take action.
The challenges of health, love, pain, poverty, and more are so beautifully woven into this film that the humor just reflects how silly the limitations we put on ourselves are.