Friday, February 24, 2006
Change Your Role in Your Life Story and Change Your Life
"The idea that we're all connected in the collective unconscious is an extremely important part of what makes entertainment successful," said Chris Albrecht, head of HBO and perhaps one of the most original minds in television today, when he was interviewed for an article in Fast Company.
This notion also helps us recognize that each person’s actions have unintended consequences on others, influencing their world view and actions.
Adds Albrecht, "You can't translate that interconnectedness literally, but you can be aware of the ideas behind it: that the psyche has a structure, that the unconscious is a very powerful force, that we're all on a journey, striving for individuation and wholeness. If you understand that, you have a better grip on what's relevant, resonant, and rich about human experience."
Consequently, in choosing new TV programs, ‘The only thing we have to go on is our own sensibility -- the gut.’
That sensibility boils down to one principle, says Albrecht: ‘Ultimately, is it about something something that is deeply relevant to the human experience?
Sopranos isn't about a Mob boss on Prozac.
It's about a man searching for the meaning of his life.
Six Feet Under isn't about a family of undertakers so much as it's about a group of people who have to deal with their feelings about death in order to get on with their own lives.
The next question is, Is it the very best realization of that idea? Is it true to itself?’"
Suggestion: Albrecht’s approach to choosing memorable TV programming can also be used to help us make meaningful choices in how we live our lives.
Change your role in your life story and you will change your life.
What words or actions can you craft to become the more fully developed character you want to become in the more satisfying story line for the next chapters of the adventure story you want to live for the rest of your life?
Get some ideas by reading my article, *Be an Author of Your Life Story*
(http://www.sayitbetter.com/articles/con_author_life_story.html).
This notion also helps us recognize that each person’s actions have unintended consequences on others, influencing their world view and actions.
Adds Albrecht, "You can't translate that interconnectedness literally, but you can be aware of the ideas behind it: that the psyche has a structure, that the unconscious is a very powerful force, that we're all on a journey, striving for individuation and wholeness. If you understand that, you have a better grip on what's relevant, resonant, and rich about human experience."
Consequently, in choosing new TV programs, ‘The only thing we have to go on is our own sensibility -- the gut.’
That sensibility boils down to one principle, says Albrecht: ‘Ultimately, is it about something something that is deeply relevant to the human experience?
Sopranos isn't about a Mob boss on Prozac.
It's about a man searching for the meaning of his life.
Six Feet Under isn't about a family of undertakers so much as it's about a group of people who have to deal with their feelings about death in order to get on with their own lives.
The next question is, Is it the very best realization of that idea? Is it true to itself?’"
Suggestion: Albrecht’s approach to choosing memorable TV programming can also be used to help us make meaningful choices in how we live our lives.
Change your role in your life story and you will change your life.
What words or actions can you craft to become the more fully developed character you want to become in the more satisfying story line for the next chapters of the adventure story you want to live for the rest of your life?
Get some ideas by reading my article, *Be an Author of Your Life Story*
(http://www.sayitbetter.com/articles/con_author_life_story.html).
