Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Be Determined...Not Deterred

"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle." - Steve Jobs

I was recently watching the classic movie, The Wiz, a rendition of The Wizard of Oz produced by Motown starring Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, Ted Ross as the Lion and Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man. I love this movie for various reasons, one of them being that no matter how many years goes by it never fails to bring back such fond childhood memories for me. The other reason, as equally important as the first, is the profound message this movie has that is both ageless.

In this classic story we find four very different people coming together from four very different walks of life. Yet, they are brought together by a longing and desire to fill a deep inner sense of emptiness. An inner void they each felt was a part of them that "they perceived" they lacked and needed fulfilled in order to feel whole and complete in life. A brain or rather to know ones own mind, to find ones heart, to realize and unleash ones courage, and to discover a deep sense of self and find that place in life where one feels "at home" are the many virtues, like many of us, the four main characters listed above in this movie all searched to find.

For example, Dorothy was very shy, full of fear, unsure of herself, insecure about her place in the world and very afraid to step outside of her comfort zone. So her journey to see the Wizard in Emerald City to help her find her way back home was symbolic of her searching to find her true self. She was really searching to find her true purpose in life and her sense of self...her inner strengths, which she did discover along the way as she followed the yellow brick road, which by the way, was symbolic of following your heart, your inner guide, your intuition.

The Scarecrow represented those of us surrounded by people who try to keep us from reaching our full potential by filling our heads with negative, critical thinking and comments. People who are always telling you what you cannot do rather than encouraging you to do those things you can do. People who are quick to shoot down your dreams by pointing out your limitations rather than celebrating your strengths. People who would rather see us remain followers than become strong leaders. People who hold us back from knowing our own mind by enabling us from using our own mind.

We all know people like this and they are the crows in our lives just like they were
symbolically portrayed in the movie as the only thing keeping the Scarecrow stuck on that pole and unaware of how truly intelligent he really was...that is until Dorothy came to help free him and helped him realize those crows with their negative, critical comments were the only thing holding him back from realizing his dreams and reaching his full potential. How many of you have some crows in your life you need to get away from in order to be free to follow your own mind, think for yourself, realize your dreams and reach your own full potential?

Then there was the Tin Man and he represented those of us who have lived life carelessly and made many poor choices along the way, especially when choosing a partner in our romantic relationships. As a result of living his life in a rather "heartless" way and having three failed marriages, he came to believe he simply lacked the ability to feel emotions for others in a caring way and therefore needed a heart. But he too just like the others was proven wrong. As they traveled along the yellow brick road together he proved several times to be a most caring and compassion person and friend.

Like the Tin Man, perhaps many of you have made several poor choices in life and relationships as well that have left you feeling heartless and unworthy of love. But as the Tin Man also discovered by the end of the movie with the help of Dorothy pointing it out to him, he was not heartless or unworthy of love at all. He just needed to be around other people who were better at helping to pull out the compassion in him. Perhaps all you need to let your love light shine is to choose better partners who bring out the best in you too.

Finally, they came to meet the Lion who was in search of courage. The irony to his part of the story was that as cowardly as he felt about himself, he always stepped up and displayed more courage than any of them every time they found themselves facing a threatening or dangerous situation. The lion was always the one to go to great lengths to protect his friends without hesitation, even if it put himself in harms way.

However, in the end he discovered he was not in need of courage at all. He was only in need of being put in situations that allowed him the opportunity to overcome his fear and make a courageous act, which is the true meaning of courage anyway. People who are courageous are not people who lack fear. They are people who feel the fear and do what is necessary anyway despite their feelings of fear. They are people who take control of their emotions and overcome their fear rather than allow their fear to overcome them. This is what the lions character represented in the movie.

Finally as they reach both the end of their journey as well as the final act of of movie, the good which Glinda appeared before them. She brought the moral of the story full circle by explaining to all of them that everything they were in search of and traveled long distances to see the wizard in hope of him being able to magically give them, was always already within them all along. This truth was especially proven true for Dorothy in search of finding her way back home.

I think it's pretty safe to say that Dorothy represents many of us in the movie. Like Dorothy, most of us have, at some point in life, felt lost, unsure of our place in life and desperately wanting to find our way to that symbolic place in life called "home". In fact, I will go even further to say that many of us still feel that way now. Their are many of us well into adulthood just like Dorothy who have yet to find that place where we feel like we fit in perfectly, where we feel confident, whole and complete.

Yet, just like the good witch Glinda (played by the late great Lena Horne) so beautifully conveyed to Dorothy through her classic song in the movie, perhaps all you need to find your way to that place within that is your "Home" is a little faith and to learn how to
"Believe in Yourself" as she also advised Dorothy.

With that said, I leave you with that classic song from this 1978 timeless movie with a message that is equally timeless. As you listen to the words I hope you will walk away feeling ever encouraged and inspired to follow you own yellow brick road to find your full potential and the fulfillment of your dreams. And no matter what obstacles, negative, critical people, fears, doubts, challenges or adversities that may appear before you to overcome along the way...never give up.
Be determined...Not Deterred! And above all....always..."Believe in Yourself" and one day you'll look up and discover that like Dorothy, you too will have found your way....Home.

To get the full message both conveyed as the point of this Inspirational Love Note article from me to you today and the moral of story in the movie, please a take a few minutes to click both video links below and listen to the prelude to the song and the full song in its original entirety both by Ms. Lena Horne. You'll be glad you did...






As always in closing I welcome your comments and feedback. So keep sending me you Inspirational Love Notes and I'll keep sending you mine.

Until next time...I behold the Spirit of Christ in you...and surround you Love & Light!


A One Love Production
By Anna M. Hendricks
copyright 2011

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