Kelly KleinI stared in amazement as a movie played out on the television screen. I was a child and I had never seen anything like it. A girl went on an adventure with three unlikely companions.
Since that day, The Wizard of Oz has been my favourite movie. That’s odd, considering I’m not one for the fantasy genre. For the longest time, I couldn’t put my finger on why I was so drawn to the movie.
I’ve always been able to look deeper into movies, books, and songs, instead of enjoying them at face value.
Then one day it hit me. One day when I was an adult. Each character was looking for something. I’m sure you’ve all seen the movie, so you know, long story short, they get their desires. The Scarecrow gets his brain; the Tin Man gets his heart; the Cowardly Lion gets his courage; and Dorothy and Toto get to go home.
What none of these characters realize is that they had these things all along. Before they could discover these qualities within themselves, they had to have the experience in order to bring it out.
The Cowardly Lion is and always has been my favourite character. As we all know, he seeks courage. Despite being afraid, there are several times he displays the very courage he is hoping to find. I believe these are ten things we can learn from him.
- Dream. You won’t get anywhere unless you dream it first. He dreamed of walking unafraid through the forest. He was specific in his dream. He didn’t just say he wanted courage. He sang about what he would do, “If I were the king of the forest.” Write your dream down, act as if it is yours.
- Fear. We all have fear. The key is to push forward in spite of the fear.
- Comfort zone. We will not get over our fears and achieve our dream if we stay in our comfort zone. Do you want to live an exceptional life, or a comfortable one?
- Experience. Experience is the best teacher. Get out there. Do things. Learn. Have fun. Fall. Get back up.
- Strength. You don’t know how strong you are until you’re in a situation that tests you. Don’t run away with your tail between your legs. You’ll never know how much you can handle until you handle it.
- Friendship. Always ensure you have friends whom you can lean on in times of trouble. If you want to have a friend, be a better friend. Also make sure the company you keep are the kind of people that are moving on in their own lives; that can encourage you to be the best you can be.
- Everything will turn out in the end, just keep pushing through. Too many people give up just before the end. If it’s too hard, remember you could be close to your breakthrough. If you give up now, you would have to start over from square one.
- That which you seek you will never find without. You have everything you need inside of you. It just takes experience – good and bad – to bring it out of you.
- Worth. Everyone has worth. It may take a lot of work to see it in yourself, but you must know your worth.
- Friendship. Life is better with friends, and with their support you will get further ahead in life.
So, why did I pick the Cowardly Lion of all the characters in The Wizard of Oz to showcase? Because even though they all needed something, it is the lion that sought courage. If you can’t push through your fear, nothing else matters. You can have intelligence, put your heart into it, and even have a home, but until you have courage, you won’t get anywhere in life.
The lion didn’t get his courage from the wizard. He got it from the experiences. Experiences are the lessons taught to you, whether good or bad. It’s your ability to learn from them that makes the difference.
So what about you? Have you learned a valuable life lesson from The Wizard of Oz? If so, write it in the comments! I’d love to hear what you think. For more articles like this, join my list and receive regular newsletters with content just like this! May your life be passionate!
