What You Can Learn From Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen yesterday. I wasn't a fan of the first one, but I really enjoyed this one.

And yes, of course, there are things I learned from Transformers that can help you pwn workouts and life.

"But, JO... I'm not a Transformer and/or I do not possess the ability to transform..."

I know that, but there are still things you can learn that translate beyond the literal ability to transform. So here they are:

1. TEAMWORK

Mild spoiler: there's no way the humans and Autobots could have defeated the Fallen and the Decepticons if they hadn't all worked together.

"I guess that's cool, JO... but I don't plan on taking on an alien race anytime soon or anything else I can't handle on my own."

You're missing the point. The point is, humans are a species designed to be social, to support each other, and to interact. 

One of the reasons why Crossfit is so amazing is because of the group dynamic. People in a Crossfit class support each other, and push each other to new levels.

Of course it is necessary to be strong independently, but often we can accomplish incredible internal and external feats with the support or aid of friends and loved ones.

I'm not saying you need to do Crossfit, just using it as an example.

So go give your workout buddy a hug, a nice big sweaty one, and keep on being there for each other.

2. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS/BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Mild spoiler: Shia saves the day by doing something completely illogical that no other sane human would have told him was a good idea. But he trusted his instincts, and he believed in himself. The result: winning the war and saving the planet.

Having a positive mental outlook, and knowing that you can conquer the odds, are necessary in order to achieve greatness in life.

Additionally, we all need to trust our instincts sometimes. Not all the time, just sometimes. You know when I'm talking about. When you get that feeling in your stomach that you just know you should or shouldn't be doing something. Most of the time you're right.

Believe in yourself, and trust your instincts. You'll accomplish more than you can imagine.

3. VERSATILITY

Another reason why the Transformers are so great is because they are versatile. They fly when they need to fly, they shoot when they need to shoot, they drive when they need to drive, they look like hot chicks when they need to look like hot chicks (see the movie, it happens), and they can even throw roundhouse kicks when they need to.

And guess what: if Optimus Prime was only capable of staying in that truck-cabin form, and if Bumblebee couldn't do anything besides pickup girls as a Camaro, the story would have ended a wee-bit differently. It was the Transformers' versatility that won them the battle.

I believe that versatility is one of the most important traits for humans. Again, Crossfit focuses heavily on versatility in its definition of fitness. You may be the world's greatest long distance cyclist, but what happens if there's an earthquake and you need to move some heavy-ass rubble out of the way to clear a path to your little sister's room, pick her up, and carry her to safety (as quickly as possible, because every second counts)?

Of course this isn't going to happen in your everyday life, but you never know when you'll need to do "something."

I'm not going to get into this too much, as I'm going to write an entire article on versatility in the future.

In the mean time, go and see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I've already conferred to you most of what you can learn from the movie, but you can still hear some loud noises, watch stuff blow up, and see a couple really sweet shots of Megan Fox.