An unexpected afternoon off gave me the chance to watch the film Gran Turismo. I wouldn’t normally choose to watch a film about motor racing, but when I saw the trailer I knew I had to, and I’m glad I did!
Gran Turismo is based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough. Jann was an avid gamer who had excelled in the game Gran Turismo. Jann also had dreams of becoming a racing driver. One day he receives news that there is going to be a GT Academy and he is one of the qualifying drivers to compete for a place. Long story short, he goes to the GT Academy, qualifies, and starts participating in real races, in real cars, with real people. The film is fast paced and full of action as you’d expect from a film about motor sports! However, it also goes a way to touch on some really important things.
Take Opportunities As They Arrive - Jann wants to be a racing driver. When he gets wind of the competition for the GT Academy, he does everything in his power to attend. We all have our dreams and aspirations, but very often we are too busy to notice the signs and opportunities that are afforded us. I don’t regret anything I’ve done because it can be used as a learning point. However, I do regret the things I didn’t do. For example, it had been my dream to be a professionally working actor and one day I saw that there was going to be an open audition for The Rocky Horror Show. At the time I was working for the civil service and I asked my boss if I could have the time off to attend this, he said regretfully it wasn’t possible. Instead of taking a sick-day and attending the audition which would have given me valuable insight and experience, I went to work. I will never know what would have happened had I gone to the audition and whilst I am proud of my integrity I regret not taking this opportunity.
They Are Your Dreams - Not everyone will understand your dreams and they don’t have to. Your dreams are your personal thing. Stay focused on them and do everything you can to achieve them. If you don’t put the work into the dream then it’s always going to be that…a dream. It’s also acceptable for a dream to change but don’t change it just because the original dream isn’t manifesting as quickly as you would like. As long as you pursue your dreams in a moralistic and safe manner that’s all that should matter. Take risks, but be responsible.
Ignore The Naysayers - There will always be naysayers, those who will discourage you or hinder your progress because they don’t believe in what you’re aiming for. They don’t believe that what you’re aiming for is worthwhile pursuing. They don’t believe that you’re going to make it. Whilst it is important to acknowledge the possible “bad” things that can happen it is far more important to stay focussed on the positive. If someone is offering constructive criticism that can help you grow and develop aiding your forward momentum towards your dream that’s great. But if they’re just being negative then that’s not helpful (or constructive). It is your dream, not theirs and by staying true to yourself you are already winning. If you pay too much attention to the naysayers you are allowing them to control your narrative. Taking control of your own narrative empowers you. Just because someone has failed in a certain area doesn’t mean you will.
Getting Back On The Horse - Bad things happen, they need to. You can’t have good without bad, otherwise how would you know something is good? However, when something bad happens (in the film there’s a tragic accident) you have to get back on the horse as soon as you possibly can (and it’s safe to do so). If the bad thing happening was your fault, learn from it and do everything in your power to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If it wasn’t your fault, learn from it and do everything in your power to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s not about blame, it’s about not letting it prevent you from continuously moving forward. It is very easy to blame afflictions and situations for bad behaviour or less than acceptable performance but ultimately we have the power to achieve anything we put our minds to. If someone tells you “you’ll never dance again” after an accident…would you want to take that lying down? Of course not - you’d want to do everything in your power (that phrase again!) to prove them wrong.
Showing Gratitude - Very often the things we achieve are not just down to us. Yes, we have to put most of the work in in order to succeed, but we need a support network and people to help us. Showing them gratitude can go a long way - and I believe is probably one of the most important things. It doesn’t have to be a financial gratitude or indeed anything materialistic. In fact, very often a thoughtful word or two can go a long way. The Universe is always providing for us but how often do we actually say thank you to it? Most people want you to succeed and will go out of their way to help you do so. Make sure they know how grateful you are.
The timeline of the film may be a little skewed but to be honest I don’t care about that. For me I was drawn into the characters and the story of the underdog succeeding and for it to have had such an impact on me that I’ve felt the need to write a blog about…should speak volumes!