We can learn something from anything and we should continually be trying to learn every day.  I firmly believe that.  My Facebook profile says, “My only real activity is consuming as much media and information as I possibly can each day. My brain never shuts off. I’m constantly thinkng, plotting, planning, and learning.” It’s true; that’s what I do every single day.

The other day, I blogged about one of my favorite movie quotes and all time business lessons, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”  That post got me thinking about all the other lessons we can learn from the movies.  With that in mind, here’s my list of 10 things you can learn…

10. Don’t Fake It, Learn It: You can fake anything for a short period of time. I’ve seen people fake “it” for years. Trust me, eventually it catches up to you. Eventually, you’ll find yourself in a situation where someone in the room, who’s smarter than you, calls you out. When that happens, you are indeed screwed.

9. Never Trade Your Reputation: If you lose everything else, you’ll be left with only your reputation. That reputation can help you get back on top quickly. A fantastic reputation will help you gain respect, earn opportunity, and maintain trust amongst those above you and those surrounding you.

8. Be Mindful of Gifts: Sometimes the lure of money can blind us. Cash, cars, bonuses, nice offices, assistants, etc. feel good, but it isn’t worth it if you sell your reputation to get those gifts.

7. Make Time to Train Your “Soldiers”: A well trained team can overcome even the most amazing odds. If we don’t make time to train and mentor those around us, above us, and below us we’ll eventually lose. Mentorship is very important and something we shouldn’t neglect.

6. The Little Things Matter: Every thing matters. The little things are often overlooked and when you have 1,000 little things that aren’t taken care of you can end up with several LARGE problems.

5. Solve Problems: Don’t look for excuses, don’t complain, don’t whine; look for solutions.  It’s easy to point out problems, but it’s a hell of a lot harder to figure out how to solve them.

4. Stay Hungry: Don’t rest on your laurels, don’t become complacent, don’t ever think you’ve finally made it. Someone is always hungrier. The minute you lose that hunger…you lose that edge; it’s really tough to get it back.

3. Make Time For Your Family: Jobs will come and go, but you’re family will always be there (for good or bad). All the spoils in the world mean nothing if you have no one to share them with. So make time to show your family how much they mean to you.

2. Get a Wingman: Everybody needs one. It’s too hard to go at it alone. Don’t look for someone who is 100% like you; it’s a recipe for failure because you’ll never get any alternative perspectives. Without an alternative perspective you might as well be talking to the mirror.

1. Keep Business and Personal Life Separate: In other words, it’s not personal, it’s just business. Don’t let your personal emotions enter the picture. Make your decisions based on the business needs, not personal. This of course means not hiring your friends, just because they’re your friends.