5 Life Lessons to Learn from Disney
You always read those articles about all of the reasons why Disney movies might not be as great as all parents think they are. These articles give reasons like the fact that Snow White was only around 13 and was living in a house with 7 men, or that Pocahontas was way younger than the man she ended up with. The thing about these reasons is that they have been completely overthought. People need to realize that not everything has to be seen in a serious light. Children don’t notice strange things like that, so neither should adults. No one really needs to put that much worry into some iconic children’s movies. All they need to do is sit back, enjoy the ride, and realize that Disney provides some seriously great life lessons (as cliche as that sounds).
1. Growing up isn’t all that bad (Peter Pan)
Sure, flying is fun (wink) and so is not having responsibilities, but in the end growing up is not necessarily the worst thing in the world. You get your own of everything: house, job, family. It’s a lot of adjusting to having so many responsibilities, but as much as we all would love to think it can be avoided, growing up is inevitable.
2. Let it go (Frozen)
So what if your best friend in high school suddenly starts ignoring you and hanging out with other people. Be better than her and move on without getting involve in the drama. Who cares if the boss at your new big girl job is a complete ass and criticizes everything you do. Continue to tune it out and do what you know you do best. Don’t sweat the small stuff. If it’s not going to change your life completely, then it doesn’t matter enough to dwell on. Looking back on things like that years later, you’ll laugh and agree.
3. Getting your hair cut short isn’t always the end of the world (Tangled)
Short hair can save your life sometimes… not really, but in the summer it can get pretty damn hot with long hair always hanging over the back of your sweaty neck. Cutting it can be just the thing you need, and sometimes girls need a slight change in style. Plus, I know people always say this, but it does grow back!
4. Just keep swimming! (Finding Nemo)
This widely-known line is a huge motivation for children and adults all over the world. It’s simple yet so true. During the hard times it’s easy to forget what the purpose for your life may be, but remembering the most classic and motivating line from Disney will always work.
5. Spending time with your family is one of the most important parts of life (Mary Poppins)
It may be easy to get caught up with everything else going on in life: school, work, sports, hobbies, but making time for family is always important. Especially as a teenager, it’s easy to spend most evenings somewhere other than home, but at some point in the future, you’ll find yourself wishing you could change your mind and go back to all of those quiet nights at home with your parents. In the end, they’re the ones who care the most, and even if your siblings fight with you all the time they care too.
Now I know there are probably hundreds more life lessons from Disney out there, but these are some of my absolute favorite movies and lessons. They’ve all helped me through many different aspects of my life, so I hope my readers feel the same type of inspiration I do from reading this. If anyone has any of their favorites that they want to share, please comment below!
