There are many lessons we can take from all aspects of life. Lots of us love the world of cinema and you can learn lessons from films. Let’s take a look at 11 money lessons from movies.
The Pursuit Of Happiness
One of the all time lessons is that when you’re at the absolute rock bottom, the only way is up. Perseverance is key, using what you have to survive is important. Chris Gardner’s story is heartwarming and inspiring. We just wish his son hadn’t dropped Captain America!
Jerry Maguire
Tom Cruise, sick of the unmoral practices in his industry, resigns from his sports agency job and sets up by himself. This is the successful dream of making your own business work. Going freelance does have it’s risks but it can end up paying you more than working for someone else. Show Me The Money!
The Hunger Games
How can you supplement your life? In the first chapter of The Hunger Games, before she leaves the district as a tribute, we see heroine Katniss Everdeen crossing boundaries to hunt wild game. This helps feed her family who have a meager diet. What could you do in your life along these lines? It could be rearing chickens on your property or simply having a plant pot full of different herbs. Imagine not having to buy eggs ever again and having seasoning on tap. You could save yourself a decent whack of cash!
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The idea of one persons trash being another’s treasure is explored in Episode VII of the Star Wars saga. New character Rey makes a self sufficient living by salvaging junk and upcycling. Live and money lessons here are that you don’t need to always buy new items. There are plenty of things listed online for next to nothing or even free which you can utilise. You’ll be surprised by the quality of some free stuff. If you’re creative you can make the most of things which still have a few miles left in them.
Cast Away
The Tom Hanks film tells a story of a man surviving on a desert island after a plane crash. He uses the little resources he has to survive, showing you that you can live with whatever you have. Survival is important and if you’re struggling to survive financially, be resourceful with what you have. Eventually the wind will change and you’ll be able to sail away from that chapter in your life.
The Social Network
Our money lessons from movies continue with the exploration of the origins of Facebook. The lessons here are to protect yourself from intellectual property theft. The Winklevoss twins sue Mark Zuckerberg and eventually get a large payout. It would have been much simpler if they’d taken measures to protect their idea in the first place. By legally obtaining a patent or just keeping the idea under wraps.
Groundhog Day
Let’s talk about the Bill Murray classic and every other film that has taken the same story and put their own twist on it. If you find yourself in a rut, doing the same thing day in day out, you sometimes need to break the habit to move forward. This is true in you money too. If things aren’t working, making the same mistakes again and again won’t change things.
The Wolf Of Wall Street
It’s easy to be swept along in the patter from sales people. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character of Jordan Belfort fools lots of financial people. Ask questions, be sure what you’re doing with your money. Have an iron clad contract and always read the small print!
Moneyball
Sometimes you need to look at the numbers. Oakland Athletic’s general manager (portrayed by Brad Pitt) hires someone to look at the actual statistics. Jonah Hill’s character is a maths nerd, number crunching those stats to find star baseball players that wealthier clubs have overlooked. Sometimes it’s not about the money you have, it’s about how you use it.
The Net
The Sandra Bullock film from 1995 shows how you can be a victim of identity theft. The internet has become even more accessible since then and there are hackers who are more than willing to use your identity against you and steal your money. Protect your identity.
Indecent Proposal
Robert Redford stars in this film, offering married Demi Moore £1million to spend the night with him. Would you do it? Would you jeopardise your relationships for money? Dignity is worth more than cash so don’t compromise what you believe in for a pay cheque.
I hope you enjoyed these money lessons from movies and can use them in your own life. Next time you’re watching a film, you might start looking at it differently now you know there are always lessons to learn from the world of cinema.
