Has this ever happened to you?

You’re at a movie. In the car. At a concert.

And it comes full on at you. Seemingly out of nowhere.

A word, phrase or musical note that mysteriously connects the dots…to a blog post you’re trying to write, a project you’re in the midst of, a message that seems important to you and/or for others.

So, if you’re anything like me and you’re in a pitch-dark movie theater, you scramble around in your purse (why is it always the big cavernous purse without compartments?) for something to write with (sometimes it’s eyeliner pencil), and something to write on (frequently a crumpled receipt). You manage to scribble it down and then…

Movie’s over. You exit and key takeaways become throwaways (relevancy and timeliness were so clear inside the movie).

This time, I emptied my purse, retrieved the scrappy handwritten notes to self from a delightful remake of A Star is Born, along with powerful questions to apply when you find attention’s lagging or lost on something that matters to you.

The fourth (yes, fourth!) version of A Star is Born, is a romantic musical drama that follows seasoned musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), who discovers and falls in love with struggling artist Ally (Lady Gaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight.

Here are two movie musings from the film to help get you to get started when getting started feels like a moving target.

Why Remembering What’s Important and Your “Why” is Not a Given

If you’ve ever had trouble getting started on a project or pivoting in a new direction (and who hasn’t?), losing sight of what’s important and why is often the root of procrastination, indecision, plain-old stuck.

In the words of Bradley Cooper, who plays Jackson Maine, “Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die.”

The truth is, we cannot move into a new role or identity without a letting go, a shedding of something we believed or used to do. That thing that we stumble over, that thing we hold tight to because we know it, it is familiar, it may have even worked for us in the past. But comes a time, if we want to grow, we’ve got to identify what’s holding us back. And let it go to grow.

As we evolve, what’s important and why it’s important will change. For change to occur, it’s essential to”turn the movie house lights on”: who were are now, what we want now, so that we continue to expand from experience.

Leading True Powerful Question: What old belief or identity do you hold tight that is getting in your way, not serving you anymore?

There’s No Substitute for Showing Up

Whatever you’re after–more self-confidence, resilience, sharpening/updating skills, challenging new achievement–there’s no amount of thinking or talking about it that’s ever going to take the place of showing up. We often anticipate a challenging undertaking as daunting, as all, or none, the two extremes.

The words of Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), “Unless you get out there and try to do it, you’ll never know. That’s just the truth. If there’s one reason we’re supposed to be here is to say somethin’ so people wanna hear it. So you gotta grab it and you don’t apologize you don’t worry about why they’re listenin’ or how long they’re gonna be listening for. You just tell ‘em what you wanna say.”

The truth is, to have a chance at achieving what we’re after, the guiding principles are somewhere in between: small steps and getting started.

Leading True Powerful Question: How do you hide from showing up and what impact is it having on you? Are you saying what you wanna say?

We head to the movies to escape, yes. And also to aspire.

Do these takeaways have meaning for you? What are others you came away with? How will you take the next step and Be the Star of Your Own Life?