How I Learned To Script My Life Like A Movie

In my late teens, I was bored with life. Society. How adults were living. Even successful people. I wanted no parts of it. So, I started doing something weird.

I started living the day and grabbing my story book at night, picking out an exciting moment or taking the entire day…

… and asking myself:

"If this was a scene from a movie, how could I storify it so it comes across as interesting?"

Then I’d write. A few paragraphs. Or a couple pages. Then pass out. Wake up, live, repeat.

I did this because I wanted to learn how to write — how to write stories that get the heart moving and the zest for life flowing.

But the more I did, the more I realized:

My stories were quite vanilla.

In order to write a better story, I first have to live a better story.

So over time what happened was I would be living my life and at the back of my mind I’d have the thought:

"Do something interesting, Tej! – make something happen – take some risks – who cares how it ends up – it’ll make for a good story!"

(It was almost as if I started living with the voice of the director guiding me in real time so I had writing material for that day.)

So that’s what I did. Or at least, I tried.

Some days the coward in me won. But most times — especially during the critical moments when I was stuck at a fork in the road, I made the more interesting decision.

Play it safe, go corporate or jump into online biz, try to make something out of nothing – what would make for a better story?

The latter! Alright, let’s do it.

Stay comfortable in my home city or go call other places of the world home for 6 months – what would make for a better story?

The latter! Alright, let’s do it.

Be okay making money in baby steps or say F it: "I’m going to challenge myself to make $x in x days" – what would make for a better story?

The latter! Alright, let’s do it.

Send a boring, typical email to land a potential new client or staple a hundred dollar bill to a letter, write out an irresistible piece of copy, and FedEx mail it to him – what would make for a better story?

The latter! Alright, let’s do it.

Keep doing the same old shit: wake up, work, gym, party, sleep or give into the feeling that was telling me there was so much more to us and our potential and follow it into the heart of the unknown even if it destroyed my entire life and idea of self in the process, the same self I spent so long building – what would make for a better story?

The latter! Alright, let’s do it.

Not every story ended in victory. Some stories ended with the pain of disgust and misery flowing through my bloodstream. Heck, some stories even brought me to the brink of what felt like death (multiple times).

Regardless, it didn’t matter. For it made for a good story so I’d take the blow, turn it into words full of life, and file it away inside my story book.

By doing so, I noticed my writing started to improve.

Very quickly.

But that wasn’t the biggest benefit.

Biggest benefit: My life started to improve – in magical ways because I was forced to view my life through the lens of a director and make it worth watching.

Over time, I amassed a small book that contained the stories of my life – from the years that was, moments that was, highs and lows that was. And the more I did, the more I realized:

What makes for a good story/movie is the same thing that makes for a magical life. So if you want to live a magical life, learn the workings of a good story and live in accordance, my friend.

Such is how you learn how to live life like a movie.

–

A magical life like a magical movie is extraordinarily ordinary.

An average man or woman is going along with the motions of life, senses something is off, senses something is wrong.

No longer wants to keep living in the same way, but there’s a problem: he’s a coward. He doesn’t know how to break free.

But yet, he still tries.

He puts one foot in front of the next as he ventures into the unknown by setting a big target and deciding to go for it.

Will he get it or fall flat on his face?

Nobody knows, we can only watch so we do as the hero is met with many challenges, obstacles, pains, setbacks.

He can either give up and roll the credits or keep fighting, crawling, moving forward. He goes with the latter. Facing many trials and tribulations that test his will and inner strength.

But through these trials, he is forced to transform and become a greater being.

–

Towards the end of the movie, the character that we see is no longer the same character that started the journey for he is now a new man, a transformed man with a transformed life.

And as this happens and the credits roll, our hearts fill with the juices of awe…

… because we realize his story can be a reflection of our story.

In other words, the reason the hero’s story resonates so deeply with us is because we know we’re capable of undertaking the same adventure and living out the same epic movie, in our own way.

Some of us do. Most don’t.

But if you do, you’ll eventually realize that when the movie of our lives comes to an end, the greatest thing we leave behind is not our bank account or our material possessions…

But our little book of stories.

For stories is what pushes humanity forward. Good stories are what allows us to evolve and grow. We learn from stories, bond over stories, grow hope from stories, become better from stories.

–

Each of us plays a critical role in the grand movie of life.

At any moment, we can put down the programmed pen of society and pick up the pen of our heart and say:

"F going along with the same old BS – in 100 years – none of this is going to matter, but what will matter is my little book of stories – so stories I’m going to write, but in order to write, I must live.

So what will make for a good story today? Ah… what will make for a good story is the same thing that will make for a good life."

With that understood, you go on your journey – living life – making stories aka living out the movie of your life in real time.

Before you know it, you’re living and acting and directing at the same time and creating a movie/life that is uniquely yours and when it’s done:

It’s something that the average person cannot even fathom.

For it is no longer just a life, but a magical life that contains all the elements of a good story:

Risk, passion, fulfillment, magic, awe, wonder, love, joy, overcoming challenges, thrill, zest, friendship, and the quest for something greater than yourself.

Oh what a life this is. Oh what a story we can write.

Your friend who is passing you the pen,

/tej