Lessons learned from Shawshank Redemption

Now I know this movie came out in 1994 and really didn't do very well in the box office. Since, it's gained a great following and has become one of the all-time greats - go figure!

I have it on DVD and have been meaning to re watch it for some time. I don't analyze films much, if at all ... but in review, there was some really cool themes in the movie. If you haven't watched the movie these may not make sense (I don't want to give too much away - No Spoilers!)

Lesson 1: HOPE - (see this too)
"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." We all need it, and it sustains even the weakest of hearts.

Lesson 2: Persistence
It's a main Hollywood theme. Tell somebody can't do something and you have a movie character people pull for. Rocky Balboa and Rudi - the little Notre Dame walk on - are two off the top of my head.

You feel that way with Andy, the lead character. Wanting to expand the prison library with no available funds, Andy writes a letter a week until given a little money and a few books. Not satisfied, he writes two letters a week and finally gets adequate help.

Lesson 3: Live in the Moment
One of my favorite lines in the movies goes, "Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying." How many times do we truly enjoy the moments in our lives? If we don't do the things in our life that make us happy allowing us to truly live, then we are simply working on dying.

Alcoholics Anonymous has a saying that goes: "You're either working on recovery or you're working on a relapse." Enjoy the moments, the relationships, the process before one day we look back and the moments are gone. (Boy aren't I reflective!)

Spend more time with family and friends. Tell loved ones how much!

The movie is rated R by the MPAA - language and prison violence