Using lessons from movies to improve your life is a good thing that proves that movies can be more than entertainment: they can be our teachers, mentors and friends, keeping us on track especially when we are away from our familiar surroundings. This is how movies can help you battle the stress of business traveling and help you overcome loneliness, homesickness, and the worry that creeps in when things go wrong with your flight.

1. Carry your favorite movies with you—and a set of good earphones. Create your portable DVD library, and pop a movie in your laptop when you flight delays keep you stuck at the airport; after a long day of meetings with nothing to do in the evening except drinking at the bar; when you need to cheer up with a good, “alcohol-free”, comedy; when you need inspiration from your favorite movie to face next morning’s meetings; when you miss your kids or spouse and the movies you watch together, back home.

2. Watch international movies to learn about the cultures you visit. If you travel internationally for business take advantage from the hundreds of movies made in the countries you visit. Pick some up before you leave home. They can give you insights into how people interact at home and work, how they dress, what their values are, and how they face conflict, competition and challenge.

3. Watch an American movie in a theater when you are in a foreign country — just make sure it’s not dubbed, but with subtitles. The benefits from this activity are plenty. First, you get out of the hotel and explore the city. Second, you get to see how big an influence American culture has outside the U.S.A. Third, you observe how people abroad react to a movie made in America, about Americans. Fourth, you get to see a piece of your own culture shown in the context of a foreign country. And fifth, you have a safe adventure that gives you perspectives, keeps you entertained and soothes your homesickness.

Loneliness and homesickness on business trips are inevitable. The best ways to face them is by being prepared for such challenging moments and by knowing what to do when they come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maria Grace, Ph.D., is an expert at teaching people how to learn lessons from popular movies to find the job, home, relationship, and healthy body and mind they want. She is a Fulbright scholar, licensed psychotherapist, sought-after public speaker and coach, and the author of “Reel Fulfillment: A 12-Step Plan for Transforming Your Life through Movies” (McGraw-Hill, 2005). “Reel Fulfillment” was praised by Publisher’s Weekly as one of the top “self help books out of the self-help box” for 2005-2006.

For more information visit http://www.mariagrace.com and http://www.reelfulfillment.com