Everything I Needed To Know I Learned From Star Wars

Star Wars Changed Everything

40 years ago today, George Lucas brought the story of a farm boy who saves the galaxy to the big screen. And then he brought it to t-shirts, action figures, books, video games, and even parody. It's a story that obliterates the art-capitalism divide by turning capitalism into the finest, highest-brow art of all. Maybe as I approach 40, I wasn't able to fully comprehend how this film ushered in the era of the modern blockbuster. My comments about the commercialization of something downplay the film's massive impact. "Star Wars" changed the world by ultimately changing the way that we perceive the world. As I grew up, the more I watched the Original Trilogy, suffered through the prequels, and delight in the newest chapters, the change Star Wars imbued to the world kept me grounded.

While I have no concrete childhood memories of sitting through the original Star Wars, I can tell you everything about every time I saw those movies - who I was, where I was in life, and what it meant at that time. I can tell you everything like:

• That even as I was almost 3 when The Empire Strikes Back came out, my mother took me to see it against my father's wishes, and a member of the Rebel Alliance was born.
• That the Slave I toy was my pride and joy, but instead of being letting Boba Fett pilot it on the reg, I often had him go on missions with Han Solo.
• My Grandmother Ila once took me to see Return of The Jedi 3 times in one day!
• The list could go on and on.

But that doesn't tell you what I learned and how it shapes my life. Here's how.

"Never tell me the odds!" - Han Solo

According to C-3PO, the odds against successfully navigating an asteroid field are approximately 3,720 to 1. Han Solo looks squarely at the droid and let me know that sometimes you just have to buckle up and take some chances. Pursued by Imperial TIE fighters, the Millennium Falcon has a malfunctioning hyperspace drive and they are unable to just to light speed to evade their pursuers. Han bets the odds that he can lose the enemy fighters within an asteroid field. Even when you face insurmountable challenges, you have to realize that the obstacle in front of you might be the way. You have to push through it. You can't quit just because those people around you tell you that you can't do it.

"So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view." - Obi-Wan Kenobi

This is what Obi-Wan tells Luke when asked why he didn't reveal the truth about Darth Vader. I learned the hard lesson that the truth is a delicate and malleable thing. It made me wonder if Luke Skywalker a freedom fighter or a terrorist? Was the Empire right? I guess it depends on what side of the Death Star you happen to be on when he blows it up.

The older I got, the more I reflect on this and realized that to understand anyone I really had to develop a deep sense of empathy. It is the ability to literally experience the world from another person’s perspective; to walk in their shoes, to view life from their living conditions and to feel what it feels like to be that person. I needed to see the world from their point of view. Being able to empathize means that I could become capable of identifying and understanding another person’s feelings, without experiencing them for myself at that particular moment.

"I can't get the vision out of my head. They are my friends and I got to help them." - Luke Skywalker

Throughout the saga, the theme of friendship is paramount. From when Han returns and shoots down Darth Vader to Luke's debating leaving Jedi training to rescue his friends from Cloud City, we are taught that the best we can hope for in our journeys across the galaxy are good, honest companions. They stick by you through thick and thin and won't judge you based on your crazy family.

"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda

While this might be the most cliched piece of Star Wars knowledge, I started to really dig into it a few years ago, especially since Yoda says it. It is speculated that that name Yoda may be from the Sanskrit word "Yoddha" which means warrior or the Hebrew name "Yodea" meaning "One who knows." How much more powerful does this character and become?

He grows deeper. Yoda is encouraging Luke to commit fully. If he is still convinced that there is a difference, then he will fail. He must be certain that he can achieve it, or he will not be able to. Yoda asks the entirety of my generation, Generation X, to commit to something bigger than ourselves. Many people consistently complain about not getting something; about not achieving their goals; and about all the obstacles and problems that make their life “oh so difficult”. These people would immediately quit complaining the moment they realized that: we don’t get what we want; we only get what we are 100 percent committed to. In other words, unless you are fully committed to something, you don’t have a hope in the world of bringing your desires into reality. Yoda asks that of us, but really, we have to ask it of ourselves.

As a member of Relus' recruiting team, Brian Fink focuses on driving talent towards opportunity. Whether helping startups ascend or enterprises adapt to the unknown, Fink focuses on client development, candidate engagement, organizational transformation, and recruiter education. Follow him on Twitter.