So this weekend I went and saw the movie “Moneyball” starring Brad Pitt. I haven’t really had high expectations of movies since The Star Wars prequel so you know how deep my emotional movie attachment goes. Moneyball is the story of Billy Beane, the outstanding general manager of the Oakland Athletics, and the person the Cubs should hire… but that is a whole different story.
The story hit home to me. It was a story of romance and despair, not the type of romance that features a guy who falls head over heels for a girl to only have his heart ripped out, but romance of an idea. The character portrayed by Pitt, was nostalgic, and passionate about his idea to change the game.
He believed so strongly in his convictions that he would portray himself as being cool, under control and collected… while carrying the world… his world alone. He was nostalgic about the game and what it meant to him, but also the thought that it needed to change.
He believed in himself, and rewarded himself with loyalty, respect and faith in his ideas. I was so drawn in by his passion to do the unthinkable, with limited resources, believers and all the other factors against him to try to make that difference. He put his heart and soul in to what he believed even though it could put him out of the game he loves forever.
He wanted to beat the odds, and while he hasn’t won that final game of the season, he created change. He created the idea that sometimes to be a leader, and change the game, a person has to be unconventional and true to the journey. The movie eloquently portrayed how heavy a person’s heart gets with the notion of being swept up in something that consumes him.
I always seem to gravitate towards the story of beating the odds. I always take my feelings personally that I am true to myself, my heart and that I want to make a change when no one else thinks I can. I don’t want to take the easy road; I don’t want to take the stability… I want to make that change and set that example for my kids that I stayed true to my heart and what I believed in. I want them to know that you only need faith in yourself to make that difference.
I want them to know that sometimes being romantic, nostalgic about the ideology of what they want to accomplish is alright to use as a driving factor. It’s alright to let it soak into your skin, consume you and let it take over your heart. It’s alright to drive with the windows down, soaking in the moonlight on a fall night with the road and your thoughts. It’s that passion of belief that sets people apart. It’s what makes what we believe in our fingerprints on life.
We are often our toughest critics, and we hate to hear others echo what we have said to ourselves millions of times before they say it once. We question, we judge, we execute ourselves to a further degree than anyone out there can imagine… it’s because we want to succeed, and we hate and fight failure.
There are a lot of things that I want to change in this world and particularly in my life. It’s because I choose to want to make that change… I get to choose what I fight for and believe in because only I know which ones I am romantic about.