16 Business & Life Lessons From
‘The Greatest Showmanʼ
Posted May 3, 2018
Matthew Brown - MB - Mossbauer Spectrometer (NASA)
“Having a dream of something incredible in your future shouldnʼt
delay your happiness, it should merely enhance it.”
Some people are rockstars. Some people are entrepreneurs.
Some people are rockstar entrepreneurs — they have it all. The
Greatest Showman was a rockstar entrepreneur.
I like musicals, and this film is one for the modern age. If youʼre
looking to make something of your life, there is an abundance of
lessons on display throughout.
I found myself just thinking, YES! So true. Absolutely. Good man.
Keep going. Fuck the haters!
A lot of what Iʼve preached to you over time was portrayed in the
film, so much so that I had to write this post. Most people will have
watched the film and felt all nice but not really noticed whatʼs really
important, so Iʼm going to unpack it here for you.
As I live and breathe entrepreneurship and personal development, I
probably watched it through a different lens to most. Hereʼs what I
saw – the key takeaways and how I generally see the world – a place
of wonder and opportunity.
No matter what you want to achieve, thereʼs lessons in here for all of
us – so take note! Hereʼs your 16 business and life lessons from The
Greatest Showman.
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1) Have a vision that others will see as fantasist
Dream so big they think youʼre crazy.
The film starts with P.T Barnum (Hugh Jackman) as a poor boy who
meets a young girl from wealth and as they grow up his fantasy
develops into a dream that he will do anything to achieve.
He promises to give his beau an amazing life and clashes with her
rich father who believes he isnʼt good enough to be with his
daughter. This is just the first challenge he has to overcome and one
that he doesnʼt even flinch at, for his belief in himself is too strong.
2) Success takes time, but happiness doesnʼt
The days of struggle are certainly not the days of misery. P.T,
Charity and the children are most content when they have nothing.
P.T loses his job on one of the girlʼs birthday and he quickly realises
he doesnʼt need money to create a special moment with the family.
Having a dream of something incredible in your future shouldnʼt
delay your happiness, it should merely enhance it.
“I WISH FOR HAPPINESS LIKE THIS FOREVER” — CHARITY
BARNUM
3) Have unwavering audacity
After losing his job, P.T manages to get a large bank loan by putting
up a bankrupt companyʼs assets as security, without the bank
knowing the truth. He uses this money to buy the premises that
then evolves from a museum to ‘The Greatest Show on Earthʼ
“A MANʼS STATION IS ONLY LIMITED BY HIS IMAGINATION.” –
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JENNY LIND
4) Your why is more important than your how
There are many paths that can take you to Rome.
P.T knew his why, that was his superpower. He wanted to give his
family a great life. How he was going to do this was of no concern.
The show came about by chance. If you want something enough,
youʼll find a way.
This is another example of why executing is so much more
important than theorising.
5) Life-changing moments can come from the most unexpected
situations
The museum is failing when P.Tʼs daughter tells him one night –
‘Daddy you need some things that are alive in your museum.ʼ This
starts the process of turning the museum into a circus, which then
becomes ‘The Greatest Show.ʼ
6) All publicity is good publicity
It just is.
Itʼs hard enough to get noticed, both now with the over-population
of the internet, and back when the film was set with the lack of
available outlets.
A negative review or bad publicity is sometimes what you need to
start getting the attention that could change the game, providing
you know how to manage the ‘opportunity…ʼ
P.T. told critic Mr. Bennett, “Those smiles arenʼt fake. It doesnʼt
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matter where they come from. The joy is real” after a barrage of
negativity. He also incorporated the critic calling the show ‘a circusʼ
into the name and genre of the show.
Never hate your haters, love them and use them to fuel your fire.
7) If youʼre good enough, nothing else matters
P.T. enters a washer room and hears a woman singing. He searches
for her and finds a larger lady with a full-on beard. He thinks sheʼs
perfect and does whatever it takes to get her in the show, despite
her reservations.
If youʼve ever been criticised, rejected, or hurt; donʼt worry.
Someone out there is waiting to find you, personally and
professionally. In the mean-time, love yourself unconditionally and
do what makes you happy – like singing aloud at work!
If you are constantly striving to get better and youʼre good enough,
your time will come.
8) Stigmatise at your peril
Itʼs 2018. Not only is there no room for racism, sexism, ageism, hate,
or anything like that because itʼs wrong. Youʼre also massively going
to miss out if you walk around with a prejudice attitude.
How can you be creative if youʼre not willing to entertain variety?
No matter our backgrounds, race, education etc. we all have a
special talent to offer. If you can build your thing based on the
talents of people from a variety of backgrounds you can create
something new. Something thatʼs interesting, ground-breaking, and
unique. Something that pays.
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Hugh Jackmanʼs character knows this, which is why he advertises
for ‘unique personsʼ or ‘curiosities;ʼ the people who will become the
foundation of his success.
“NO ONE EVER MADE A DIFFERENCE BY BEING LIKE EVERYONE
ELSE.” – P.T. BARNUM
9) You work for your people, not the other way around
A great leader inspires confidence with charisma and true belief. He
does not have people working for him, he must work hard every day
for his people.
Everything begins and ends with P.T. Barnum. He is the reason the
performers put themselves out there in the first place, and he is
their reason to keep going when tragedy strikes. He has a
responsibility to never stop believing. He works for them whilst
being responsible for them, forever.
Great leaders are few and far between because the above is hard.
Thatʼs why heʼs The Greatest Showman!
“They donʼt understand you, but they will.” – P.T. Barnum to Lettie. A
poignant moment of true belief in the face of unprecedented
adversity.
10) Fuck the opinions of others
The main thing Iʼve learnt over the last couple of years is this.
I donʼt need to develop ‘a thick skin,ʼ I just donʼt have to care. I have
no interest in what anybody thinks about me – Iʼm too busy doing
my thing.
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I remember the anxiety of publishing my first ever blog post and
even worse – sharing it on Facebook! Now, I secretly hope to get
some abuse on the blog or on social. I want to use it to fuel myself
even more. Weird, but true.
I want you to love me like I love you, but Iʼm happy if you donʼt. I love
me and that matters the most.
If youʼre fully in love with yourself youʼll be happier, more confident
and in a new zen place forever more. Practice this mindset, itʼs
worth it.
“I AM BRAVE. I AM BRUISED. THIS IS WHO IʼM MEANT TO BE.
THIS IS ME.” – ‘THIS IS MEʼ SONG LYRIC PERFORMED BY LETTIE
11) Make others happy
Making others happy is the best thing in life. Period. When someone
emails me, DMʼs me, or says to me at an event or on the street that
they enjoyed one of my articles, or it helped them in some way, it
makes me feel something that I canʼt get from anything else.
If you can find something to do with your life that makes others
happy youʼre going to win.
Legacy > currency. Create a movement with your passion.
The Greatest Showman has one main goal – to make the people
happy. It doesnʼt matter how.
You owe it to those whose life you can change to deal with the
haters and keep going. One day the love will overpower everything
else.
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12) Never give up
“COMFORT, THE ENEMY OF PROGRESS.” – P.T. BARNUM
No matter how bad it gets, if you want to be the greatest or make
the biggest impact – never, ever, give up.
That doesnʼt mean mindlessly doing the same thing thatʼs failing. It
means you, as a winner, must adapt, create and keep moving until
things fall into place.
13) Your people > everything else
When a protestor burns down the theatre, everything is lost. Except
for the most important thing of all – the people all survive. This is all
that really matters…
Your people and your culture are your biggest assets, and the show
can go on.
P.T finds a huge tent and the show continues.
If you are lucky enough to have such a close-knit family or
community, you can get through anything, if you stick together and
want it enough.
“THE SHOW MUST GO ON.” – P.T. BARNUM
14) Never forget where you came from, or who got you to where
you are
P.T gets drawn in by European singer, Jenny Lind, who he brings
over to the U.S. to perform.
After an opening show and ongoing success with her singing act,
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P.T and Jenny go on tour. P.T mingles with the rich and famous and
discards spending time with his family and rejects the performers
who are the very reason he had the show in the first place.
“WHEN YOUʼRE CARELESS WITH OTHER PEOPLE, YOU BRING
RUIN UPON YOURSELF.” – JENNY LIND
Being humble is the most important skill I want to develop. Iʼve
never had an international show or mega success, but I know that
the quickest way to obscurity and misery is to start thinking Iʼm
better than anyone else.
I played golf last week with someone worth tens of millions, yet I
had no idea. I was told afterwards. He was the most down-to-earth,
kindest, and humblest man there. Respect.
Humility = longevity
15) Never forget why you started
Thankfully P.T realised where he was going wrong. He stopped the
tour with Jenny and went back home. The show continued with P.T.
handing over the reigns to business partner, Phillip Carlyle, played
by Zac Efron.
P.T. went away to ‘see my daughters grow up.ʼ
Heʼd finally remembered why it all began – to give his family a better
life. But without him there, life was never going to be better.
16) Family first. Then everything else
Whether youʼre going through the best or worst moments of your
life, remember this.
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“YOU DONʼT NEED EVERYONE TO LOVE YOU, JUST A FEW
GOOD PEOPLE.” – CHARITY BARNUM
What else is left to say.
-Matthew Brown
If you enjoyed this and took some value away please keep the
conversation going by sharing this article, or quotes from it, with
your friends on social and give me a mention! I want to create the
greatest written show on Earth, but I need your support
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