Since it was rainy here in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July, we took the kids to a movie called Kung Fu Panda. It was a cute, animated flick. There were two ideas in the movie that got me thinking. (They always seem to plant some interesting ideas in kid's movies for the parents.)
The Kung Fu master in the movie was an old turtle. In several situations he said, "There are no accidents in the Universe." The other characters he said this to struggled with this idea -- fighting to show that this could not be possible-- that something was wrong that this big, chubby panda was chosen to receive the Dragon Scrolls.
This got me thinking about myself. While, in my mind, I completely agree with the turtle. I see my heart often struggle with the circumstances in my life. In retrospect, I can always see that the Universe was interweaving and unfolding my path in the most remarkable way. Yet sitting in the challenges and the dark nights in my life, I sit and question -- resisting what is going on, exhausting myself.
Wouldn't we be able to relax more about our lives if we believed that everything was in perfect order in the Universe. I am giving myself the assignment this week to understand this more clearly. How different would I feel if I was able to fully embrace this idea? How much energy might I conserve if I stopped resisting people and situations in my life? Would I go about my life differently?
The other idea that I loved in the movie was centered around the importance of self-belief. The seemingly clumsy Panda expected the Dragon Scroll they awarded him to give him a secret to tap into unlimited potential. When he opened the scroll, it was blank! How could this be? Did the words get erased over the 1,000 years the scroll was waiting to be opened. Or, was there a hidden message?
The Panda felt hopeless, like it was impossible for him to rise up to be the one to save the village. How could he, a lumpy, chunky, clumsy Panda be capable of heroic acts? As he was about to face the evil foe, he looked at the scroll and saw his own reflection. He realized that the key to it all was knowing that he was special, that he must believe in himself. As he did this, magical things happened. He tapped into deep strength, undying courage and rose to the occasion.
Isn't it interesting that so often you can have two people with equal abilities yet one attains greater success and notoriety than the other? What is the difference? What is the "it" factor that they talk about? The key to making magic in life is self-belief.
Many of us think we believe in ourselves. But we find that during life's challenges we start to question our capabilities. We doubt. We begin to limit our possibilities. What if we were able to maintain our self-belief more of the time? If we did, miraculous magic would be unleashed -- sparkling, shining and causing us to question why we didn't just believe in the first place.
I challenge us to take a look at the level of self-belief we are experiencing. Take the time to write down ways in which you continue to question your abilities. Are there negative thoughts and self-talk that you notice this week? If so, commit it to paper. As you see these self-imposed limits, you have the opportunity to transform them one thought at a time.
Inspired by Kung Fu Panda,
Patricia Omoqui
wow
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