Five best movies about self-discovery

It's International Day of Happiness! For the occasion, author Natalie Savvides shares her favorite movies on the subject. They each carry the main themes of her book Full Circle; self-discovery, a search for true love, inner peace, and ultimately happiness.

Bridget Jones’s Diary

We all find ourselves in the same predicaments as Bridget at some point or other and often don’t voice it. The humorous take helps us to digest our own situations more lightheartedly and realize we are not alone. Everyone wants a Mr. Darcy and we all love a happy ending.

“I like you very much, just as you are”

Don’t we all want to hear this?

Before sunrise

A beautiful story of love, destiny, soulmates and the development and discovery of relationships that we all aspire to. A beautiful in-depth dialogue as the two youngsters get to know each other with genuine chemistry. A love story that leads into an equally memorable sequel.

“After that breakup, I just wanna be a ghost, completely anonymous”.

Don’t we all feel like that!

One Day

A story of where friendship turns into love - a love that I relate to and feel most comfortable with - often people are scared to allow it to happen but when you do a beautiful bond is formed. It is a tumultuous relationship at times but illustrates where love prevails, it works.

“Whatever we have tomorrow, we had today”

Sometimes it takes us a while to see things.

Under the Tuscan sun

I love how this film encapsulates the beauty, life, and heart of Italy illustrating how one can live when following the heart. I admire how Frances changes her life, embraces new friendship and love, molding herself her own future happy ending.

“Never lose your childish innocence. It is the most important thing.”

So true!

Eat Pray Love

I believe we all reach moments in our lives where we just want to break the routine and monotony and explore all aspects of our life to "find ourselves" and define our happiness. This film takes us on Elizabeth’s journey to spiritual, physical and mental happiness, encouraging us to question our own existence and learn from her experiences.

“Somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace”.

We all need to know this!

About the author:

Natalie Savvides is a married Mum of two young children under five who lives in South-West London. She's the author of Full Circle, a memoir packed with unedited extracts from her diaries from the age of 13 through to when, through a chance meeting, she fell in love with her husband. It also contains memories and reflections on the different times of her life - from school playground politics to leaving home for university, finding her place in a different town, then in a different country, meeting new friends, discovering truths about people she thought were friends, battling an ongoing problem with her weight by eating erratically and drinking too much, the infamous dating game we are all too familiar with, launching onto the career ladder, burning the candle at both ends, and much more. Natalie Savvides, now in her early 40s, has been called "the real Bridget Jones" on many occasions, but the difference between her book – Full Circle – and the likes of Bridget Jones is that it’s 100% real!

In honor of International Day of Happiness, Natalie will be giving away copies of Full Circle to teenage girls, career girls, career women and moms on Kensington High Street. Her aim is to show these women that they're not alone in their problems, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and to give people another reason to feel happy today.