LYH44: The Forrest Gump Guide to Authenticity

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Show Agenda

  • Featured Presentation: The Forrest Gump Guide to Authenticity
  • Daring Greatly – Dr. Brene Brown [affiliate link]
  • Leader Eat Last – Simon Sinek [affiliate link]
  • The War of Art – Steven Pressfield [affiliate link]

Featured Presentation

You can find the full blog post on this topic at haroldarnold.com/forrestgump

I love movies. In fact, movie watching has been a favorite hobby of mine for many years. In a true testament to how fast time flies, I recently realized that one of my favorite movies, Forrest Gump, celebrated its twentieth anniversary just this past year (2014).

What made Forrest Gump the blockbuster that was the top grossing film in North America that year and still ranks in iMDB as the 13th best movie of all time?

The Face of Authenticity

There are many reasons for its success including excellent actors, a creative story, and several really signature sound bytes that still carry a punch even twenty years later.

But, I believe there is one other factor that propelled Forrest Gump into the record books and cemented its place in American movie lore. 

That reason is authenticity.

  • Authenticity is what makes you uniquely you.
  • Authenticity is what allows you to wield influence in places inaccessible to everyone else.
  • Authenticity is a magnetic force that draws people towards you.

The Face of the Resistance

Your creativity, the very reason that God placed you here, is crumbling under the weight of doubt, regret, apathy, and guilt. Steven Pressfield in his book, The War of Art calls it “the Resistance”. In the Holy Bible, Saint Peter calls it “the Adversary”. It, in fact, goes by many names.

This Adversary is dark, evil, and intent on destroying your unique influence by accomplishing one single goal—making you a copycat.

  • The copycat feels accepted because he does what everyone else does and sounds like everyone else sounds.
  • The copycat doesn’t get targeted for criticism because he chooses to run with the pack rather than stand out.
  • The copycat feels comfortable because he stays in his zone, his comfort zone where he is safe.

The problem, of course, is that the copycat is a fraud. God did not make any copycat. Not one. Copycats are human derivations.

What is your favorite line from Forrest Gump? What connections do you see between the movie and your own call?

Check out the blog post HERE to read more about this.

Please do me a huge favor and click HERE to go to iTunes and leave me a rating and review. It will only take 2 minutes of your time. And, it means so much to me. And, just for you, I’ll give you a shout out on the next show.

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Categories: Leadership, Marriage, Parenting, Podcast
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”