Life Lessons from Walter Mitty
Every once in a while, often at year’s end, I’ll rewatch one of my favourite movies: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Walter goes through a comically desperate misadventure to redeem himself after a mistake at work, and in the process, finally understands his value in the world. It’s a funny and beautifully philosophical take on the value of a person’s life and their dreams, and it’s the balm that soothes me when life makes me angsty.
Outwardly, this film speaks of adventure and travel, but that’s a surface level appraisal that misses the charming nuances. There are a lot of important and gentle messages in the movie, about life, work, and paths not taken. Here are a few I’ve identified. Spoilers ahead.
It’s never too late to reconnect with your younger self
One of the most iconic scenes of the movie is Walter gliding down an Icelandic road on a longboard, the joy of his long-forgotten youthful obsession evident on his face as he winds through the vast landscape.
The things you loved as a child stay with you, even if you gave them up years ago. Reconnecting with them can revive that pure delight that comes so naturally to children. Who couldn’t use more of that in life? Forget about being good at it, or that you thought it would be your job one day. That takes away the very essence of why we enjoy something: for ourselves. There’s a culture of turning hobbies into side hustles, as though the money coming in legitimises them. Enjoying things for their own sake is enough, though, and it seems we do this less and less as life gets packed with obligations.
Kids do things just because they’re fun. Why not try being like that again?
Life is bigger than work
When Sean chooses not to take the photo of the snow leopard, he explains to Walter that if he really enjoys the moment, sometimes he stays in it; sometimes he doesn’t take the shot.
It’s Sean’s job to take a photo, but when it’s important to him, he puts the moment first. We can’t always do that in life, but work doesn’t have to be the default for everything. We get to choose what’s more important, at least some of the time. Sean is a photographer, but he’s also a person who really appreciates the beauty of that mountain and it’s elusive cat. He wants Walter to see that too.
Our lives are more distractable than ever and more oriented toward external validation, and the line between work and life are the blurriest they’ve been. Putting work second, and taking some moments that are just for us, without the distraction of someone else’s opinion, is important to reinforce our identity and sense of purpose.
Choose your moments and savour them fully.
A humble life is not an insignificant one
“Beautiful things don’t ask for attention” Sean says to a confused Walter.
Walter chose his family over his professional skateboarding dream when he got a job to support them, and in the process, he lost himself along the way.
Taking the responsible path left him feeling as though his life and work weren’t very significant, and he copes by daydreaming relentlessly of himself as a dashing hero figure.
Through Sean’s eyes, though, Walter starts to realise his importance to the people around him. In doing his job well, he had kept his family together, and he’d elevated Sean’s photos to become art, conveying his photojournalism all the world over. Even though he didn’t get to live his childhood dream, his reliability and humility has become crucial to the people in his life. He is their real-life, understated hero.
What could be more significant than that?
Beautiful things don't ask for attention
At the end of the movie, Water has made peace with the life he’s led. He’s made sense of that path and recognised it’s value and is ready to live his life consciously.
Whatever path you’ve taken, it led you here. There will be things that you might have wished you’d done, but if you’d taken that road, what else would you have missed along the way? Try to let go of any regrets about all that could have been and focus on what’s here now and what’s yet to come. Your next step is your choice.
Remember: you are more than the sum of your unrealised dreams.
