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It's NOT about the Pen! How 'The Wolf of Wall Street' Can Help You Win at Life
Monday, June 8, 2015 at 5:00AM 
(l-r): Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio star in 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'Martin Scorsese's biographical comedy The Wolf of Wall Street is one of the wildest movies I've ever seen. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, there are useful lessons about greed, herd mentality, addiction, leadership and unethical behavior that can be gleaned from this film; which (aside from reminding me of the crime drama Boiler Room starring Ben Affleck, Giovanni Ribisi and Vin Diesel) is based on the memoir of former stockbroker Jordon Belfort who enjoyed an inflated version of the American Dream until becoming one of the FBI's (and the SEC's) most sought after white collar criminals.
Of all the takeaways from such a movie, there's potential for life to have greater wins than losses if you understand this simple principle -- it's NOT about the pen.
In one restaurant scene, Belfort, played by DiCaprio, asks a group of friends to sell him a pen. He also makes the same request to millionaire hopefuls, during a seminar later on in the movie. Both scenarios bring similar results of people attempting to win him over on various features this basic writing tool possesses. What most fail to recognize, save for his drug dealing buddy Brad's quick "supply and demand" comeback, is that their value proposition emphasizes the thing they're trying to market rather than the problems its end-user wants to solve. That approach is not the most effective way to get other people, especially strangers, to give you something of value -- in Belfort's case…that would be money -- in exchange for whatever it is you are offering to them.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'Asking yourself what's in it for the other side makes a big difference between succeeding at getting what you want out of life and losing out on achieving goals. This is precisely how Jordan Belfort grew his brokerage firm in The Wolf of Wall Street; he kept the staff at Stratton Oakmont productive by playing on their individual desires for money, status, power, sex, drugs and/or related wants.
However, you don't have to be selling stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. to apply this one lesson to your own circumstances. Every day, there be times when your interactions with people involve some type of trade, whether that is for material goods, services, approval, validation, information, friendship, employment, romance, job promotions, support or other things you (and/or the other party) value. When those moments arise and you need to close the deal, remember that it's about figuring out if their needs or wants can be met with what you bring to the table, and if so, how can this be done. That is how you win.
Which scenes in The Wolf of Wall Street struck a chord with YOU?
When was the last time YOUR salesmanship skills were put into play?
Today's post about 'The Wolf of Wall Street' is written as part of my participation in June's "Movie of the Month" series hosted by The Large Association of Movie Blogs (#TheLAMB), for which I am a member.
Reader Comments (2)
Although I have seen Boiler Room, I have not seen Wolf of Wall Street. It isn't a must see for me,, but I like Leonardo Di Caprio so I'd watch it for him.
I will admit that as a self-published author, I do not have the wolf mentality when it comes to marketing my books. Maybe that is something I need to work on if I want this gig to be more than a pipe dream.
Angela,
We're both in the same both with not having interest in Wolf of Wall Street and having seen Boiler Room. I'm very fond of many Leonardo DiCaprio movies but didn't exactly jump out of my seat in anticipation for this one, lol. In time, however, I came across people who had good things to say about the flick and then I became more interested in watching it but still procrastinated on doing so until it was voted for The Lamb's MOTM. It turned out to be a lot different than what I expected...both in a good way as well as a somewhat shocking "did-that-just-happen?!" kinda way. DiCaprio gave a heck of a performance in this movie. He really does great work. Thank you for your comment on this post :)