Edit Your Thoughts Like Pixar Edits Movies

Let's apply Pixar's legendary editing process to our subconscious thoughts so we can live a happier life

You become what you tell yourself. If you tell yourself you’re a bad dancer, you’ll accept that as part of your identity.

Maybe others see you as a great dancer. But if you think you suck over and over again, no amount of validation from others can change your mind.

We don’t choose our thoughts. They simply appear and disappear. We choose whether or not those thoughts become part of who we are.

You see, even who we are boils down to storytelling.

Today I want to share some takeaways from one of the best podcasts I’ve ever listened to.

The podcast features two editors who’ve worked on some of the biggest Pixar movies. They share the editing process that cemented Pixar as the best storytelling machine in the world.

Then, we’ll extrapolate how to use Pixar’s editing techniques to cut out the thoughts that don’t lead to happiness.

The Editor Writes The Story

In traditional film, the editor is one of the last steps in the process. The story has already been written and filmed, and then the editor gets the video files and attempts to tell the best story possible.

At Pixar, they moved the editor to the center of the storytelling process. This chart looks complex, but it’s simple. The movie passes through them at each vital step in creating the story.

The editor is the guardian of the story. They ensure the story stays intact at every step throughout the minutia it takes to create it.

The same goes for your subconscious thoughts.

When a thought that doesn’t serve you enters your head, acknowledge that the thought occurred and throw it out.

You are the editor of your subconscious thoughts. You choose which ones become your identity.

Fail Early

The only real failure is wanting to try something and not doing it.

So we must do. Doing is the only way to determine if your idea works. And to find what works, we must drudge through a sea of ideas that don’t work.

A vital step at Pixar was trying things and showing them to an audience. They would then watch the audience to gauge interest. They even asked the audience if anything didn’t make sense.

They’d take the verbal and non-verbal feedback and make changes to the film.

In your day-to-day life, don’t judge yourself for patterns you’ve fallen into. And especially, don’t judge yourself for trying something new and being bad at it. It’s part of the process.

Delete What Doesn’t Serve You

You know the intro to the movie Up, where we watch a couple fall in love, grow old, and regrettably fail to go on the adventure they promised each other?

It’s one of the most beloved sequences in cinema. It’s 4:21 seconds of visuals + a soundtrack.

The original version was over 20 minutes long and had sound effects, but it wasn’t effective.

Towards the end of the editing process, they decided to cut the entire sequence down by 80% and remove all sound effects.

The choice to trim the fat and only leave the most important parts led to one of the most moving scenes in animated film history.

If it doesn’t get you closer to what you want, cut it out of the picture.

That last sentence pertains to your subconscious thoughts, too.

Thank you for reading.