In my spare time, I enjoy an unhealthy dose of screentime with my favourite movies and TV shows. I am part of the generation that does not just watch movies for the action or drama. I distil life hacks and lessons from my favourite shows and decided to tag it #MovieMarvels.
Anyone who lives with a kid or two will know that there comes a time when your own shows take a backseat and you find yourself rewatching one or two programmes (against your will) over and over and over….again. Incidentally, that programme, for us, is the Illumination-made animation, “Sing” featuring voice talents from stars like Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Tarun Egerton, Tori Kelly, etc. It is the story of an optimistic koala, Buster Moon, who lost everything trying to build a show business.
There is something contagious about how Buster Moon throws himself at everything. Even when he was hit by multiple disappointments, empty pockets, and bank threats (from Judith the banker), he always seemed to have more enthusiasm to spare.
In her book, The Mary Kay Way, American entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash stated that “A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than a great idea that inspires no one.”
Life Lesson: Enthusiasm is fuel. It doesn’t erase challenges, but it transforms how we approach them.
The word “enthusiasm” originates from the Greek words “en” meaning “in”, and “theós” meaning “god”. This was translated to mean “inspired or possessed by [a] god”; or as Mary Kay put it in her book, “God within”.
I watched how the koala got beaten in almost every scene of the movie, yet he always seemed to muster excitement in his replies and conversations. There was also this scene where his loyal assistant, Miss Crawley had made a mistake by adding extra zeros to the prize money. What did Moon do? He pivoted. Gave the contestants a rallying cry of “get a good night’s sleep and dream big dreams”.
Here is what I noticed:
Enthusiasm helps us rally others, even when resources are scarce.
It gives us strength in moments of doubt.
It lets us show up, even when everything around us suggests we shouldn’t.
And here is the real marvel: When we embrace that “God within” spark of enthusiasm, even our stumbles become moments of possibility.
If you have seen the movie, what lesson did you learn from it? I would like to know in the comments.
