“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift which is why it's called the present” were the words of the wise tortoise in a movie Kungfu Panda which I watched recently. The words really stuck with me and as did some of other little parts in the movie which is a story about a greedy, over sized Panda who suddenly and accidentally has a great responsibility thrust upon him – to defend the village against an evil Tiger. Well it's your regular good Vs evil story line and meant for kids, but adults too have a lot they can learn from the movie.
I think the line I opened my article with itself says a lot. Most of us like to dwell on the past and carry regrets with us as we go along in life. There are times we look back on the years, months, weeks and days gone by and think of what could have been and lament over them. Frankly speaking living with regrets is just a waste of time. When we are faced with a certain situations, and decision have to be made, we do it at that time. Years or months later, we may look back and think "I should have done things differently," but if there is one thing you cannot change, it's the past. Most of us are wiser after the event but dwelling on it needlessly will not help. Life is really too short to be living with regrets. It's good if we can have a life with few wrong decisions to look back on but unless you are the type to not take any chances in life, there will be times your decisions are bound to be wrong. Instead of dwelling on them, it's better to put them down to experience and think harder and more carefully next time you make a big decision.
In the same manner there is also no use imagining what the future holds for us. The future will only be shaped by the decision we make today and now.
I know there are many people who visit astrologers to find out what the future has in store for them. I have done it myself but with little seriousness attached to it and more for the fun of it. It's not something I like to dismiss as wholly untrue but allowing the stars to decide every step you take in life is a futile exercise. Actually it is also the easy way out when you are confronted with problems. Putting it all down to your fate that has been written in the stars and sitting back and waiting for things to get better will not help you if you want your life to improve. It's better to take charge of your life and make changes in the present time so that your future can be better than the past.
In the movie, the Panda's father is a noodle soup maker who enjoys a brisk business selling his stuff which is popular because of the special secret ingredient it contains. The Panda is told he will be entrusted with the secret ingredient one day and when that day dawns, the Panda is in for a surprise. "There is no secret ingredient," he is told. The message here is clear. As long as we believe there is a special secret ingredient, things will always feel special. Because all the customers believed there was a secret ingredient, the noodle soup tastes better than what they tasted anywhere else. Similarly we also have to believe there is a very special secret ingredient in each and every one of us. It's a matter of believing in yourself and being just you, without pretensions and imitations that will help bring out the secret ingredient in each one of us.
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