Yoda was in to Personal development: 6 Life Lessons from a Jedi Master
Posted by Ben Lumley on Dec 20, 2009 in Think Differently | 31 comments
photo credit: Andres Rueda
Note: The original version of this post was one I submitted on my previous blog The New Horizons Project back in 2008. I was chuffed to bits to find all of my old posts recently (as I thought that they had been lost forever) and thought that some of them were worthy of reposting here, after a little reworking that is.
I will be reposting some of them here over the coming months. I hope you like them.
One of the divides in the geek community is the Star Wars / Star Trek debate. It has divided friends and families for generations and will most likely result in an all out war in the future. To each side of the divide, their choice is obviously correct and no other opinion is even worth considering. Notice however that Star Wars was listed first as it is and always will be superior in every way, but that’s a discussion for another day.
It’s easy to find little pearls of wisdom in just about anything if you know what you’re looking for and the Star Wars saga is jam packed full of them. So what I’ve done is pick out 6 quotes straight from wisest little green man ever to grace the silver screen and tried to provide some real world thinking to it.
1) “Try not… Do or do not… there is no try.”
This is a very simple idea really when you think about it. Often when we say we will try something there is usually doubt and fear in our voices which ultimately leads us to fail because deep down we don’t think we can do it. By making a definite decision on something it’s easier to become more positive about the outcome. If you’re going to do something, great, go and do it. If you don’t want to do it that’s fine too; but don’t say you’ll try because that will just tell your subconscious not to bother. If you do something, do it with all of your heart and soul.
2) “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
How often have you given in to your fears? How often have you missed out on something because of your fears? How many times have you needed to do something but you were afraid so you didn’t do it? We often find that once we let our fears take hold, anger soon follows. You become angry at the thing or person you fear maybe because they intimidate you or you see yourself in them. Maybe you become angry due to your fear or because you feel that you have missed out on something. Hate follows soon after as you begin to resent the very things that have caused your fears in the first place. Maybe that’s you. Maybe that’s someone you know, but who ever you’re thinking about right now, once you begin to hate, you begin to suffer. Your hate begins to tear you apart and your former self is lost, if only temporarily. Don’t live your life in fear. Overcome your obstacles and move on.
3) “[Luke:] I can’t believe it.
[Yoda:] That is why you fail.”
Self belief plays a massive part in a person’s success and outlook on life. If you believe that you are capable of achieving your goals, you are more likely to succeed but if you don’t believe in yourself, you’ll fail every time. Sometimes obstacles we have to tackle in life seem insurmountable and we struggle to see how we’ll ever conquer them but with a little self belief we often overcome even the hardest of challenges easily.
4) “Ohhh. Great warrior? Wars not make one great.”
War is simply a sign that communication has broken down; it is never the solution to a problem. The fight, whether it’s at war, at work, at a bar or at school is not what’ll make a person great, it will just tire them out for a bit. Being the big person who beats their chest and casts aside seas of weaker mortals won’t achieve the greatness they think will come their way. Greatness comes from compassion, from thinking through your actions before you do them, admitting your mistakes and bettering the lives of others, certainly not from things gained in war.
5) “Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.”
Death and loss are a natural part of life. Everyone and everything in the world will die at some point. Eventually even the world as we know it will cease to exist but even with this thought in mind there’s a load to be happy about and even more to be grateful for. Attachments in life are natural but you should avoid strong attachments to things because they will generally lead to suffering when they don’t turn out to be what you expect. If you really want something how does it make you feel when you can’t have it? When you lose something that you really want, how bad do you feel? How does it feel when someone has something you want? Attachments lead to suffering. Be grateful that those who have passed on have had the chance of life and that they lived their lives to the full. Expect that at some point in time you will be gone just like them.
6) “This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh.”
This is one of my favourite Star Wars quotes to be honest. How many of us honestly live in the present? I know for a fact that I don’t. I strive to be in the moment but often find myself thinking about the past or ahead to the future. If you’re not careful you can be so consumed by the future and what’s ahead, hoping for something better, that you forget what is around you. Opportunities can be missed; friends and family can be lost all because you weren’t in the here and now. Goals are great but you need to remember to keep your mind and your focus in the present. Don’t think of next week’s meeting while you’re working on today’s problem. Don’t make decisions on tonight’s meal while you’re washing up the breakfast dishes. Remain in the here and now; that is where you’re focus should be.
I hope that these little gems of wisdom will help you to see the world a bit differently today and that maybe they’ll help you understand life better.
Do you have any quotes from films that make you live a little bit differently?
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6Aliens is a blog about inspiration, motivation and success. Ben Lumley is a Motivational Speaker and Trainer who works for no limits education inspiring young people to succeed in life.
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That is why you will fail!
Not believing you can do something will cause you to fail in a heart beat.
always believe never give up
Completely.
Self Belief is everything. It's the main reason that people fail or don't even start a challenge because they don't believe in themselves and their abilities.
I do believe that quote nr 6 is my favourite. Living in the present is something not easily achieved. In my case, I spend too much time planning, thinking about how something should be, planning some more, researching, without giving as much effort as to the present. Creating it NOW, writing it TODAY. Then when I finally get around to doing, my standards and expectations are set to hgh, my patience levels too low and I end up in a frustrated frenzy.
Wise words from Mr Yoda indeed
Cheryl-Anne
I'm just the same. Always thinking what if or maybe and never actually just being present.
Which probably ties in with quote nr 2: Do or Do not, try is nothing. Michael Fletcher actually posted a very good entry inspired by that quote on http://www.monetizeblog.info
http://monetizeblog.info/2009/08/try-is-nothing...
Oh cool thanks – I'll check it out
@cheryl Thanks for the plug.
Great collection of Yoda wisdom. Yoda I think is the perfect vehicle for wisdom in Star Wars, I mean he's green kinda hairy and speaks funny. The insigts he mutters as profound as they are would have seemed kinda corny and/or preachy coming from pretty much any other mouth. Generally speaking I think there is a lot we can learn from the pursuit of mastering the force.
Mike you're right. Some of the wisdom given out by the lil green fella are so profound that it completely blows your mind. There's also some great wisdom throughout the whole saga.
Another great movie franchise for pearls of wisdom is the Matrix Trilogy. In fact I think a follow up post is required.
Thanks for stopping by – I hoped you liked the site
oooh i'm definitely looking forward to the matrix post
Quote 6 is my favorite as well, though I really think that many quotes were really brilliant when they were written into the film. Many of Yoda's words are echoed in some form or another by psychologists, SEO experts, personal motivators…etc. Fear is a big one, being afraid to try new things is a huge handicap one should overcome.
Hey Dragon Blogger
Thanks for dropping by. I'm glad you liked the post. You're right – fear of the unknown is a massive handicap to people achieve bigger and better things.
There's so much wisdom in the hole saga that narrowing it down to only 6 quotes was hard. Maybe I should do a Jedi wisdom post in the future? What do you think?
Great inspiration!! Thank you!
Glad you like it Arjun
Absolutely awesome post, I love it. Yoda is a wonder, full of wisdom. I especially like #1 – my partner has actually reminded me of that one many times – I am eliminating “try” from my vocabulary.
Hi Linda,
I know what you mean – I'm constantly trying to remove try from my everyday language but I notice that when I stop trying and actually start doing I nearly always succeed.
I've got 2 posts coming soon that you might like if you like this one – Wisdom of Kung Fu Panda and Motivation in the Matrix
Tis said the story comes directly from info in Joseph Campbell's Hero With A Thousand Faces. Or maybe it is the other way around
Another that follows the knowing heart is The Wizard of OZ.
Oh wow Trish I love the Wizard of Oz!
I've not heard of the Hero of a Thousand Faces. I'll google that later. Thanks
Yoda is a personal development rock star!
Love this, I did.
Yeah pretty cool he is mm?
Have you ever considered adding more videos to your blog posts to keep the readers more entertained? I mean I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good but since I’m more of a visual learner,I found that to be more helpful well let me know how it turns out!
I have done a few videos before. It is something I’m definitely looking into.
Useful information, many thanks to the author. It is puzzling to me now, but in general, the usefulness and importance is overwhelming. Very much thanks again and good luck!
Thanks
The blog was absolutely fantastic! Lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need!
Thanks Danyell!
Awesome! (thinks to self…hmmm teach me! Teach me he will!)
This is seriously one of the BEST posts I have read on staying focused and positive. There is something about a life lesson written and spoken in a Yoda-esque way that makes it that much more memorable and therefore powerful.
Thanks Ben.
Ok that’s 1alien, where are the other 5?
Haha the other 5 are hiding.
I’m really pleased you like this Alex, it’s one of my favourite and most popular posts on the site.
Great to have you here
OMG – I love this! My kids (age 5,7,8) are totally into Star Wars via Lego (and the Lego PS3 games) and it cracks me up when they talk about “the force” and other elements from Star Wars and apply it to their daily (kid) lives! Thank you for sharing this article, just great!
Corey
Hi Corey. I used to have all the lego and actions figure too – happy days!
I was very pleased to find this site.I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
Very good post. Will you please write much more about this subject.