Six things I learned from Owen Suskind and Life Animated

Owen Suskind never intended to be my teacher or sidekick.

But when Owen agreed to make a documentary film of his life, based on his father, Ron Suskind’s best-selling, titled “Life Animated”, he did. I watched the documentary, and read the book. The lessons I learned from Owen and the Suskind family humbled me, brought me to tears, and made me question the foundations of some of my most cherished beliefs. If that statement doesn’t make it obvious to you, this was some painful stuff. I didn’t always like what I found in my introspection. But through it all, it ended up promoting some positive changes in my life.

Of course, there are more than six lessons you can learn from Owen and the Suskind family. I’m limiting it to six, this makes this review short and sweet. I’m not sure if these are the most important insights to learn, but it’s what came to mind as I wrote.

1) The power of story, and the hero’s journey. Whether it’s the written word, movie, animation, or song. That story is a mirror that reflects society. We are hard-wired to understand stories. Story is how information was passed from generation to generation before written language. Story bonds us together. We use stories to help us understand society and find our place in society. While I watched many Disney animated movies with my own children growing up, I gained a deeper appreciation of Disney’s retelling of famous fables. So much so, that I plan to watch them all over again this year.

2) Success doesn’t always show in your external life. Hard press battles fought and won internally may amount to the greatest success in your life and never be seen. Keep that in mind, everyone has fought or is fighting their own internal battles, it is just more obvious in some.

3) Like the Hippocratic oath, first do no harm. Be friendly with the people you meet in life. Help those who cross your path. It’s okay to be the sidekick, mentor, facilitator, and friend. Help others fulfill their destiny on their hero’s journey, and who knows, maybe in the process you’ll find your own inner hero.

4) Love your family. Hold on to it tightly. Your family is a lifeboat that can help you withstand the toughest seas encountered in…