It's Time to Discover Your Inner Eddie
The last weekend of a recent holiday break, I stretched out on the sofa one last time. Hot brew to hand, I settled down to watch the biographical sports film: Eddie the Eagle.
I have distant memories of Eddie, who in 1988 became the first British sportsperson to compete in Olympic Ski Jumping since 1929. As a kid I remember him being in the news headlines and his memorable morning interviews on TV AM. His name, trademark glasses and that grin were hard to miss.
So I already had a reasonable idea of the plot, when I settled down to allow Dexter Fletcher to retell the story of Eddie’s journey to the Winter Olympics in Calgary.
Two cups (Yorkshire, milk, no sugar), some laughs, smiles and a tear or two later, and as the credits rolled I felt really inspired! We all need to be a bit more like Eddie! He was completely fearless in the pursuit of his dream. He ignored the naysayers and never gave up. What was so overwhelming was his unrelenting positive attitude in the face of so many physical and mental hurdles. Even in the ultimate cauldron of competitiveness, he was the star of the Winter Olympics by coming last. Not only did he remain true to his dream, but he did this by being true to himself.
So here are 7 things that we could all learn from Eddie:
1 - Stay focused on your goals
2 - Respect the people who say you can’t and prove them wrong
3 - Be positive and embrace positive behaviour
4 - Never give up
5 - Stay humble
6- Be brave - don’t be afraid of failure
7- Be your true self
By extending these values out into my work in marketing, I realised that clients and brands also need to be a bit more like Eddie. One thing’s for sure at Media Bounty, we LOVE working with brands that are brave. Being risk averse has its place, but sometimes you just have to pull down your goggles and push off into the unknown. That’s how new and amazing things happen.
Extending the spirit of Eddie just a little further into the uncertain political horizons of 2017; the leaders of this world could all do with putting the kettle on and having a Sunday night in with this inspiring and heroic story as the main feature.
Matt Webster is Co-Founder of Media Bounty
