A Book of Possibilities

Guest post by Dani of Positively Present. You can follow Dani on Twitter.

The other night I watched Last Holiday, a pretty cheesy, feel-good movie that, for some reason, always seems to suck me in. I’ve probably watched it on TV about 5 times, and –much as I might hate to admit it – every time I watch it, I’m inspired.

In the movie, the lead character, Georgia (played by Queen Latifah), keeps a Book of Possibilities, which includes all the things she dreams about and wants to have in her life someday. If you’ve ever heard of a vision board, you can imagine what this book is like. It’s an entire collection of dreams and wishes and hopes, with everything from specific kitchen supplies to the character’s dream man cut-and-pasted into the pages.

Of course, from the very first time I saw the film, I was fascinated by the book and instantly thought to myself, “What a great idea!”

Once Georgia is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease (don’t worry, I’m not spoiling the film – this happens right at the beginning), she strives to live her life to the fullest, going through her Book of Possibilities and turning them into realities. Sure, this isn’t the most unique premise for a movie, but that’s what makes it so interesting. People like to watch films about people who, when coming to the realization that life is short, work as hard as they can to make their dreams come to life.

Clearly, having watched Last Holiday multiple times, I’m one of those people that enjoy the Hollywood version of life-is-short. In my opinion, there’s nothing like watching someone else realize the brevity of life to make you feel inspired.

Creating Your Own Book of Possibilities

Watching the film for the possibly fifth time, I was again inspired when the credits finally rolled. And, for the fifth time, I switched off the TV and went about the rest of my night, which, in this case, included activities such as packing for a business trip, chatting on the phone, and devouring the pages of a great book.

It wasn’t until I was about to switch off the light beside my bed that I realized that, though I’d been inspired by the film and the main character’s creation of a possibilities-filled book, I hadn’t actually taken any action relating to the inspiration. I’d just let it spark some ideas in my mind and then I’d let them fade out slowly, just the way those credits had at the end of the film.

And this wasn’t the first time this had happened. Clearly I’d seen this film many times, every time I’d been inspired by the underlying themes, and not once had I taken action. I’d just gone about my life, letting the ideas I’d been inspired by slip away. How often does this happen to me? To us? We see an idea, we are inspired, and then we somehow ignore it. I sat upright in bed and realized, then and there, that I could — and would! — create a Book of Possibilities of my own. It wouldn’t take much time and it would be a great way for me to uncover things that I’d always wanted but never really worked towards.

When the weekend rolls around, I have plans. I have a stack of magazines and a great old photo album. All week, as I’ve been traveling and working and writing for my blog, I’ve been jotting down ideas of the things I want to put in my Book of Possibilities. The wonderful thing about this project is that it’s endless and it’s limitless. I can keep adding to it always. I can allow myself to add what it is that I want to my book because, after all, they are my possibilities.

If you haven’t seen Last Holiday and are looking for a bit of inspiration, I’d highly recommend it. And even if you don’t feel like checking out the movie, think about the possibility of a possibilities book. Or, better yet, don’t think about one – create one!

Tagged as: Book of Possibilities, Book Reviews, Dani at Positively Present, Films, Last Holiday, Motivation, Positively Present