Where are YOU a Slumdog?

I recently saw the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.  It's rare that I agree with "The Academy", but this was a really terrific movie with such a moving story.  As you likely have heard, it's about a young boy, Jamal, from the slums of Mumbai, India who overcomes some incredible odds in his life and ends up winning the grand prize on India's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.  That we know from the trailers.  What the movie is most about, though, is the journey this boy and his brother, Salim, take that leads them to where they are.

I won't give away too much so as to spoil it for you, but suffice it to say, they've had a large amount of hardship starting at a very young age.  The young brothers, considered "slumdogs", lived in great poverty, were ignored, discarded, and even abused. 

We see the two brothers each shaped differently by their experiences.  Salim becomes hardened, jaded, and at times, cruel: focused only on money and trying to survive.  He turns his back on love in all its forms.

Jamal goes through the same journey yet holds fast to his dreams for something better.  It was love (and not just love for his girl) that made Jamal fully reveal his humanity to others...it is what made him so different from his brother. 

There are so many messages one can get from this gem of a film.  The thought that stayed with ME after seeing it was how different each of these young men becomes.  They start at the same point, yet end up in such different places, having walked the same path.  This is not an unfamiliar story.  Many autobiographies share stories of overcoming poverty, abuse, disabilities, and insurmountable odds to surpass what was believed possible for them.  Some examples are the likes of Oprah and Abraham Lincoln-to name but a few.

What can we learn from the similar themes of each of these stories? Just like Jamal, these people didn't let their circumstances shape their lives.  They rose above their "handicaps" and worked to create a greater outcome.

As I further reflected on this theme, I discovered that the "slumdog" to me represents our "dark side": our fears, disbeliefs, jaded attitudes, self doubt, and external obstacles. Feeling invisible and discarded can make a person fearful and live their life in that "darker side" as was exemplified in Salim.

Here are five keys to taming YOUR inner Slumdog:

1. Hold fast to your vision and do not let go of it, despite what may seem like insurmountable odds. Victory may be right around the corner but you won't know it if you quit.

2. When you succeed, recognize that there will be doubters! There will be those that want to bring you down in order to make themselves feel better. They may mistakenly believe that just because THEY couldn't do what you've done YOU can't either.

3. Know that you CAN choose your path despite circumstances. Be conscious about your choices so you don't feel like a victim of your circumstances. Remember, when you say "Yes" to one thing you are automatically saying "No" to something else. Follow your gut instinct, it's usually right.

4.    Love conquers all!

5. Keep your mindset positive and empowering. Working in the IT world for so many years, I often heard the expression "Garbage in, garbage out" as it relates to the quality of computer programming. Well, our mind is the ultimate computer program and this too applies. So put GOOD STUFF IN!

Jai Ho (translation - May victory be yours)!

© 2009 Victoria Cook. All Rights Reserved.

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