The Poseidon Adventure Lesson - Reliance on Self and Have Convictions in 2023
Happy New Year Thoughts
Happy New Year… Below is an excerpt from a post from my blog on claudinewolk.com. I watch the Poseidon Adventure movie every year on New Years Eve. Yes, the action on the movie takes place on New Year’s Eve but there is another reason that I watch it - it’s inspiring stuff for the new year! I include many motivational posts on this book marketing substack because writing a book and marketing it takes LOTS of motivation. There are ups and downs and uncertainty and doubt at almost every step of the publishing and marketing process. Forward motion is what makes the difference. By the way, The Poseidon Adventure movie was adapted from, you guessed it, a book!
1970’s Disaster Movie The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure - the original one in 1972 - is one of the few movies set on New Year’s Eve. It is one of my favorite movies. If you haven’t seen the movie there will be lots of spoilers in this post, be forewarned. The Poseidon Adventure movie was one of the-popular disaster movies made at the time alongside other winners like Towering Inferno in 1974 and Airport in 1970. The plot is that a huge disaster strikes and the rest of the movie is the people trying to survive it.
The Poseidon Adventure Spoilers will Follow
The thing I always loved about the movie, The Poseidon Adventure, was the adventure of it all. The kids in my neighborhood used to play the made up game, “Poseidon Adventure” using neighborhood swing sets as the obstacles needed to pass to get to safety. There is one character in the movie, Reverend Scott, played by Gene Hackman, who turns the survival story into personal challenge. The lesson of the story of the Poseidon Adventure is something that I carry with me.
The Lesson of The Poseidon Adventure
The lesson of The Posiedon Adventure is a reliance on self and courage of conviction.. A ship gets hit with a tidal wave on New Years Eve. Passengers at the New Years Eve party when the ship rolls completely over are left with a decision. Do they stay where they are in the ballroom or do they make their way up through the ship, which is now upside down? The Reverend Scott character had given a sermon the day before talking about the need for the individual to take care of themselves. “God loves winners, God loves those who try,” the Reverend exclaims. “Don’t pray to God for things, do for yourself.”
Do You Rely on Yourself or Do You Rely on Officials and Do Nothing
Reverend Scott quickly comes to realize that since the ship has overturned the only hope for escape is to move up through the decks to the hull of the ship. The official bursar in the crowd insists on everyone staying where they are. The bursar believes that help is on the way. The Reverend and the few people who think the way he does try to convince others to join them. “Can’t you see the logic?” they say to the stayers. Nope. The stayers stand by the official and go so far as to yell at the Reverend, “You are crazy.” “You are committing suicide.” “Leave us alone, we are staying put.”
“Stayers” Got to Stay
Once the water starts crashing in, of course, the “stayers” all rush to the “Christmas Tree Ladder” that the Reverend and his followers used to reach the next deck up and topple it over rendering it useless. The Reverend can only look on with dismay. The Reverend was right and knew he was right. The officials, the “experts” were wrong.
Common Sense and the Forward Motion of Conviction
The Reverend did not have any particular knowledge except for his common sense and his conviction. The common sense is evident, the ship is toppled over and the way out is up. The “stayers” chose to believe the word of the official even in the face of their common sense. The Reverend’s conviction is the forward momentum that keeps him leading the others to safety. You see, common sense tells him that the way out is up but conviction in his beliefs is the gas that gets him to move forward on it.
Throughout the movie the Reverend is challenged and must call upon his conviction. In one scene, Roggo the cop, a skeptical follower of the Reverend says, “What makes you right?” "Why are you so sure that you are right when all these other people think differently?” The Reverend simply stays the course. “I’m right!” he says.
Perhaps the Poseidon Adventure’s message is an apt one every year, especially as you write, publish and market your book this year. Flex that reliance on self and conviction muscle. You have it in you, you do. And by the way God does love those who try. Forward momentum!
Thanks for joining me this past year and I look foreword to sharing more simple, effective book marketing tips for you to get your book seen and sold!
Feel free to share progress you have made this year on your writing project in the comments. I would love to hear from you.
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