The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Takeaway: The idea of making the most out of life is ubiquitous in us all, however we choose to define it. We all hesitate to take the leap into adventure. The question becomes: what will be the event that forces our hand and pushes us into the unknown?
“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is my favorite Ben Stiller movie.
Stiller plays Walter Mitty, an employee at Life magazine, where he spends his time in a basement developing photo negatives for the magazine. He lives an incredibly boring life.
None of this becomes more clear then when, on his eHarmony profile, he struggles to add anything to his “been there, done that” section because, well, he hasn’t been anywhere or done anything.
As boring as Walter is, at the same time he longs for adventure. So much so that he frequently gets lost in daydreams living a more adventurous life—only to be brought back to reality by often confused onlookers trying to get his attention.
It’s not until a mistake at work forces him to set out to locate the magazine’s most prized photographer, Sean O’ Connell, to locate a missing photo. This sets him on a real-life adventure of his own.
If you recall one of my previous posts about the Hero’s Journey, this plot follows that exactly.
Our hero, Walter, longs for something more from life but is too afraid to take a chance. It’s not until his hand is forced (find the photo or get fired) that he gets over his fear and sets out on a journey. Along the way he meets friends and overcomes obstacles. Most importantly, he learns about himself.
He returns home a changed man, forever incapable of returning to his old life as he used to live it.
I love this movie so much because I think it accurately captures the reality of many folks’ lives. Mostly uneventful and boring. Nothing noteworthy or interesting. And yet, many people trapped in this sort of life usually daydream about something more exciting.
The idea of making the most out of life is ubiquitous in us all, however we choose to define it.
We all hesitate to take the leap into adventure. The question becomes: what will be the event that forces our hand and pushes us into the unknown?
I just live by the ABCs—Adventurous. Brave. Creative.
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*The remainder of this article contains spoilers from the movie. Be warned.*
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My favorite scene of the entire movie is Walter and Sean sitting on the mountain in the Himalayas, as Sean is patiently waiting to capture a photo of the Snow Leopard—the most stealthy animal in the world.
Sean finally gets his shot, the snow leopard perfectly in frame and looking directly at the camera from a distance. He calls Walter over to see for himself. We get a glimpse at the beautiful portrait.
Sean never snaps the picture. The snow leopard disappears as quickly and quietly as it appeared.
Walter is puzzled. Why come all this way to never take the photograph?
Sean replies with one of my favorite lines in the movie,
Walter: When are you going to take it?
Sean: Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment, I mean me personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.
Sean sits quiet for a moment taking in the beauty of what he had just witnessed. Off in the distance in the valley below, Sean and Walter see a group of locals beginning a game of soccer.
Sean suggests they head down to join them.
This scene means so much to me.
Not only does Walter realize the lessons of adventure and taking risks that Sean had been trying to teach him via his photographs for almost twenty years, but Sean teaches the final lesson to Walter about staying in a beautiful moment.
It’s a lesson I try to remember in my own life—taking a quiet moment to myself to just take it all in. The beauty of my life.
Those are the two lessons I took from the movie:
Get out and seize the opportunity of life. None of us have chosen to be here, but now that we are we get to choose what to make of it.
Take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this crazy adventure. Life happens fast. Don’t try to rush it.
~ Coach Alex