I was twelve when I saw my first Starwars movie. It was Return of the Jedi and I instantly fell in love with the movie and if I’m honest Luke Skywalker too.
Back then it was the action, the images of space and the cuddly Ewoks that made me a fan. Years later, another trilogy plus one with more to come, it’s the nuggets of wisdom that keep me a fan.
Love, loss, good vs evil and the power to overcome adversity, these are messages that are frequently interwoven into movie plots, from Disney to Japanese anime they all want us to take away something from their movies.
But Lucas wanted to share lessons that were a little ahead of their time in the seventies and eighties. I think we can say the movies are coming of age, we are ready for the messages and I for one hope they keep coming…..
Perhaps my favourite quote:
“Your focus determines your reality.” – Qui-Gon Jinn
Whether you believe that our thoughts are vibrations that have the power to effect the world around you or not, you cannot deny that what you focus on you get more of. Negative people tend to live a life of misery, is it self created? Who knows, but what we do know is that if you focus on the bad things in life, you life will not be a happy one. By focusing on the good in your life, by practising gratitude and counting your blessings you will live a more peaceful and fulfilled life.
Do. Or do not. There is no try. – Yoda
This is a great line which I use frequently when coaching clients. When people don’t want to commit, they say they will try. Try is half way to failure, it’s non committal. Decide in advance if you are going to do it not. Don’t do anything half heartedly, you are giving yourself a loophole to escape from your commitment and setting yourself up for disappointment. Things don’t happen magically, if you do not intend to put the effort in, do not do it. There is no try!
Fail you will if practice you won’t – Yoda
If you do decide to go for it, there is no shame in failure, but failure to practice is an inevitable fail. If you want to go for a goal you have to create the habit that will get you there. If you want to achieve big things you need to practice, you need to put in the hours in order to get the results. Winning takes practice.
“You can’t stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting – Shmi Skywalker”
Change is the only certainty in this life. Just when you were getting used to today along comes tomorrow. Tomorrow with its new challenges, new horizons and new beginnings. Change is not something to fear, it is something to embrace and sometimes something that you create. Success will not persist for those who stand still so prepare for change, ride the wave and sometimes be the foam at the front of that wave.
“If no mistake have you made, yet losing you are … a different game you should play – Yoda”
How often do you keep doing the same things and keep getting the same crappy results? I know I’ve been guilty for years. Bad eating habits, not enough exercise, holding onto habits because they are familiar and comfortable rather than changing to positive habits. If your life isn’t working for you, you can change it. If you are not happy with the status quo, change it. It really is as easy as that. If you are having a difficult time, if you have struggles in life, know that someone has had them before you and come out the other side.
“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose. – Yoda”
This is a difficult lesson but one so many sages try to teach us. Letting go is the key to finding your place in life. We are ignorant to why we are here, we logically create a rational persona for ourselves to make ourselves feel at home, at peace with who we are and the decisions we have made. But we will never know unless we let go. We have to let go of what we think we need to let come what we do need.
“This is a new day, a new beginning.” – Ahsoka Tano
A simple lesson we all need to learn. Each day holds new possibility, another opportunity to start fresh. Use it.
and
“Remember…the Force will be with you, always.”
Obi Wan Kenobi & Ciara Conlon
