Julie and Julia (2009)
I went to see the movie Julie & Julia on Saturday night. It was delightful and fun (always love watching Meryl Streep) but what I was really struck by was that it was a story about two women discovering and living their Visions. Yes I do tend to see Visions everywhere I look (no pun intended) but this movie really was about living your Visions!
The movie tells of two women in different times living somewhat parallel lives, one being inspired by the other. Two women, both of whom do not know what they want to do with their lives; they are somewhat lost and unfulfilled. Almost by chance they stumble on doing something that is really their true passion. Neither pursuit lends itself easily to making money and might even seem crazy to others. Both go through struggles, frustrations and setbacks, and both end up being very successful in their respective fields in the end. The other parallel is that they both had very loving and supportive husbands.
For Julia Child her story begins when she is living in France with her diplomat husband and she is looking for “something to do”. She does not have children, and seems that she can not, and is not content to just fill her time lunching, shopping etc. She tries her hand and several hobbies until one night at dinner she and her husband are discussing what she can do next. Her husband (played wonderfully by Stanley Tucci) asks “What is it you really like to do?” (This question, by the way, is one you should ask yourself if you are searching for your Purpose or Vision.) With a laugh Julia responds…”Eat!” We, the audience, laugh at the seeming absurdity and irony in her answer. How can eating be your Vision? Well Julia is passionate about food so she follows this passion and gets involved with food, enrolling in cooking classes at the famed Cordon Bleu cooking academy. The rest, as they say, is history, but the reality in the movie, as in life is that there were many struggles, ups and downs and “failures” before her first book was published and she had her own TV shows.
For Julie Powell her story begins a bit differently. She already knew what her passion was; writing, but she was not living this. Instead, sidetracked after finishing Amherst with a double major in theater and creative writing, she was trapped in a job she hated and feeling “lost.” She was looking for something to save her from the abyss into which she had fallen and decided to learn to cook using Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Having learned of a friend’s recent success from writing a blog, she also decided to chronicle her cooking adventures in a blog, thus engaging in two of her passions; writing and cooking. She created a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) (Jim Collins, 2001) Her BHAG; to execute 524 recipes in 365 days and blog about it. She too went through many struggles, disappointments, and several meltdowns before achieving her goal.
So what can we take from this movie? Both women were searching for a Vision. Both of them had passions and followed their instincts, by simply doing what they were drawn to. Both had BHAGs; 524 recipes, learning to cook, and publishing a book. Both went through many setbacks. Both had supportive partners. Neither one gave up.
The results? Success;For Julia Child-several books, TV shows, awards, a feeling of fulfillment and creations that changed an entire culture and brought joy to several generations. For Julie Powell-a successful blog then book now movie, rediscovering and living her true passion, finding herself and a the making of a movie that can inspire others to discover and live their Visions.
If you are living or attempting to live your Vision and have not already seen this movie I highly recommend it. Go see it then do me a favor…drop me a line and tell me what you think.
(first posted 8.17.09)
