4 Hollywood Pillars of Strength

So here I am almost a year into my graduate program at BYU. I'm working towards becoming a Principal and it hasn't been easy. When I started the program I became very overwhelmed and started to feel the effects of my stress.  Going from Teacher to Principal is a big change. Being a teacher is fun, I get to make fun lessons, work with students, etc etc. Being a Principal will be much more rewarding financially, but it's going to be a bit more stressful. I'm not a very confrontational person, and assistant principals have to yell at students a lot. I'm hoping that I'll be the exception to the rule and I'll be able to talk to kids in a positive way instead of a nagging yeller.
The program is tough, the job is going to be tougher, but I need to pump myself up for it. So I turn now to my 4 Hollywood pillars of strength. If I can be like unto them, I'll be successful and I'll beat the rest of this challenging program. I've got weaknesses to overcome. Changes can be painful...but making it through the tough stuff is rewarding in the end.



1. Aron Ralston- "Eliminating the things that keep me trapped"

 I know this is a Hollywood 4 Pillar thing, but this actually happened. I just love the movie so I'm going to count it. I have certain weaknesses that make me feel like I'm not up to the task of being a principal. Just like Aron Ralston's arm kept him trapped in a canyon, I have weaknesses that get in my head and make me feel like I can't succeed. I need to eliminate these weaknesses by painfully changing myself into what I need to be. He cut his arm off...I can change myself as well. Meeting the real Aron Ralston remains one of the greatest moments in my life.



2. Rocky Balboa- "It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward"


Rocky Balboa is my hero because on paper he never stacked up to his opponents. Every guy he fought, Mr. T, Dolph Lundgren, Apollo Creed, etc was bigger than he was and should have straight up killed him. I'm in a tough program that makes me feel like I'm Rocky walking into the Russian arena. I've taken hits here and there, and there have been days when I question whether or not I can beat this thing, but every time things get tough I think of Rocky getting punched and punched and still walking forward.


3. John Mclane- "Yippy Kai Yea _________"

So I watched all 3 Die Hard movies this weekend. John Mclane is probably the greatest hero in the history of movies. Dude is always in the wrong place at the wrong time yet he doesn't run from the problem, he faces it head on. He gets shot, bloodied, broken, thrown out of planes, and it doesn't matter. He still laughs at his competition and delivers his famous "Yippy Kai Yea" line while smiling as the terrorists either A- Fall out of a building (Die Hard) B- Blow up in a 747 (Die Hard 2) or C- Get their Helicopter caught in power lines (Die Hard 3). The best part about John Mclane is his resourcefulness. He has a goal (kill the terrorists and save his wife). I have a goal (beat grad school and provide for my family). When times are tough and I feel like quitting, I just repeat to myself "Yippy Kai Yea________" which is Ironic since it's a BYU program...but yeah. Yippy Kai Yea.



4. Captain Jack Sparrow- "This the day that you will always remember as the day that you..."


Jack Sparrow a great character. The reason I look to him is because of his swag. This guy is silly, goofy, tipsy and all over the place, but he knows what he's doing. The pivotal moment for me from all 4 Pirates of the Caribbean movies was at the end of the first film. The audience had laughed their way through the whole film and enjoyed the comical visage that Jack had projected. However, after Jack lifts the curse at the "opportune moment" and shoots Barbosa through the chest there's a shot of Jack starring at Barbosa with a smoking gun and a look on his face of complete seriousness. Jack knows when to turn it on and turn it off. I'm much like Jack where most people think of me as goofy light hearted Justin...but that's just a result of my being an eternal optimist. FYI even when I'm in the worst of moods and I'm feeling like garbage- I put on my happy face and crack jokes. I know when to act different ways. I can turn it on and off...just like Jack. So yes I'm cheerful and joking, but at any given moment I'll be the all business Jack with the metaphorical smoking barrel.