Life Lessons From Mulan: Don’t Let Life Get You Down

Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies (yes one of many) because of the message that it sends. Usually there is some girl longing for a prince and she finds herself in silly situations and blah blah blah but not Mulan. Mulan is a girl who doesn’t fit in the world around her. She is different and if you saw the movie she kind of gets herself in a little trouble. She ends up taking her dads armor, joining the army in her fathers place, and becomes….shall I say pretty bad ass. She did what she did out of love for her family and goes through so much…and through all the struggles (the whole army training…cue the “Be a Man” song) she was able to not only prove everyone wrong. She became stronger. Not only did she save everyone she saved herself.

So what does this have to do with real life? Did you not just read that awesome movie summer that was kind of spoilerish? 😛 I feel that this applies because it is something all of can relate to on some level. There will be times where life tries knocking you down on the ground but you need to stand back up. These experiences may be painful to deal with, but in the long run they will make you into the person that you are meant to be…and that person will be stronger than you were.

There have been times where I would get angry at how easy some people would have it and how frustrating it was to have to fight for everything I have. I was not privileged enough to have my parents pay for my college education…I enlisted in the military. My parents never bought me a car or bailed me out financially from situations…I worked since I was 14. And no I don’t mean baby sitting because I did that when I was 12. Every single thing in my life I fought for and my friends would just skate on my not having to deal with anything ever. And still at the age of 30 they still can’t manage to do anything without having someone hold their hands. There in lies my lesson. There in also lies the message found in Mulan. That there may be situations that you will be put through and they may be hard and make you doubt yourself, but do your best.

You just have to remember that things will get better. That you will make it through this tough time. And by the time it is all over you will be better because of it. Everything happens for a reason, yes even the bad. Trust me there has been some pretty bad stuff in my life and no one knows about them…but no one would even be able to tell. I smile rainbows and burp sunshine. I’ve walked through the fire but come out stronger. Do I wish that like could have been easier? Of course, but at the same time if it would have been then I would not be me.

When you feel like life is getting to be unbearable just take a deep breath and remember the words of Mulan’s father: “The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all”. You may be going through a tough time but it just means that you are about to bloom. You are amazing…

~Keep Moving Forward~

Life Lessons From The Incredibles… Don’t Look Back

Well, it appears that I am really into cartoons this month. It just goes to show you that you can find inspiration anywhere. I adore cartoons! In fact this past weekend I spent hours with Chris’ grandmother watching Lilo and Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon! Did I mention she is 93 and just loved it? But this week’s post isn’t a message from those…instead its a lesson from The Incredibles!

Edna said it the best “I never look back darling! It distracts me from the now.” I couldn’t agree more. It is so easy to get caught up in past regrets and let it ruin everything you are working towards. Fears about making the same mistakes can be crippling and this is really not fair to you. But focusing on “yesterday” won’t make today any better. No matter how many times you play back certain scenarios in your head the outcome will still be the same. Why do that to yourself? These thoughts might prevent you from embracing the now. The past and even the things that happened yesterday shouldn’t distract you from your today! 

Every single day that you wake up is another gift. You can turn it into whatever you want. You have the power to decide how it will go.  Nothing that happened in your past can prevent you from starting a newer and better tomorrow. You are amazing and don’t you dare forget that. If things start to go badly during the day don’t just give in. Take  a moment to pause, take a deep breath, and say “I am better and stronger than this”…and then keep going. Don’t let anything distract you from your goals and desires. Be the you that you want to be. Don’t worry about yesterday or what has happened in the past, just focus on the now. You will be a lot happier that way. And as always, just keep being amazing and…

~Keep Moving Forward~

No Matter What Happens…Just Breathe and Keep Smiling

If anyone ever tells you that you can’t learn anything from cartoons they are freaking liars! Apparently, the Lion King has inspired me this week and last week (see here) but it works. If the lessons apply then they apply, who cares where they are from. This week it is all about letting stress go in your life…Hakuna Matata…no worries. It is so easy to let your surroundings just weigh you down without even realizing it. Life tends to have moments where you feel like the walls are crashing in on you and there is no  way to escape. This worrying will have the tendency to bleed out into other aspects of your life, it is something you need to be weary of.

Recently, there have been a ton of changes happening at my job. People have been fired and there is a lot of restructuring going on (I work in a small place). Needless to say it feels like everyone is walking on egg shells. My surroundings have been so negative that it has “dulled my sparkle” so to speak. I like to joke that I burp sunshine and poot (yes poot) rainbows (even if im having a bad day I will just fake it) but lately I noticed that changed. I was walking down the hall one day and noticed that there was no smile on my face, and that I stopped humming songs to myself. This might not seem like a big deal to anyone, but it was a horrible revelation to me! I was letting the mood of  everyone else dictate my mood. It literally stopped me in my steps.

I took a deep breath, put on a smile, and said “screw this”… okay maybe my words were a little stronger but still you get the point. I made the decision to be happy and stop worrying over things that might happen. Every single day you wake up, something “bad” might happen, but at the same time something amazing might happen too. Why spend your day dreading the bad? You have the power and the ability to make the decision to be happy, no one else. Sure, you can let someone else dictate how you feel, but do you really want to give someone else that power over you?

When you feel yourself starting to spiral into a sad and depressed funk just remember the words of Timon and Pumbaa…Hakuna Matata. No worries. Because no matter what life throws your way you are going to make it. You will persevere and keep living! No matter how bad things get, just take a moment, take a deep breath, and smile. Life is too short to spend it worrying. And above all else just…

~Keep Moving Forward~