When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Star Wars. My little brother and I staged lightsaber battles with empty wrapping paper tubes, and later upgraded to the flash-light-under-telescoping-traffic-cone models. Princess Leia was my golden standard for beauty, I could do [terrible] impressions of Yoda, and I dreamed of being a Jedi Knight. To this day, I still love Star Wars-- who doesn't?-- but I usually bury my total nerdiness beneath a facade of girlishness and J. Crew. But today, on Star Wars Day, it seems okay to let it all hang out.When I was a kid, my little brother had a poster on his wall that said All I Need To Know About Life I Learned From Star Wars. (We thought it was pretty hilarious, because it listed things like "The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1" and "Always let the Wookie win.") Sadly, I have not learned all I need to know about life from Star Wars, but there are several lessons on life, love and happiness embedded in the greatest series of all time. My list:
- Do or do not. There is no try. Yes, I had to go here-- how could a list about knowledge taken from Star Wars not include Yoda's most iconic bit of guidance? He spews fortune cookie advice regularly (or at least did... RIP), but this is unquestionably one of his greatest lines.What it comes down to is give it your all, or don't even bother. I'm doing my best to not disrespect Yoda and half-ass my way through life, but I'll admit, it's a hard line to walk for someone who is inherently lazy like me.
- Your dad isn't as evil as you thought he was when you were a kid. Love my dad. 'Nuff said.
- If your gut tells you “I have a bad feeling about this,” listen. If I only listened to my gut, I'd eat a lot more cake and exercise even less, so I do try to be analytical about decisions and weigh pros and cons. But for big emotional decisions, intuition gets the big veto-- always. When logic fails, that inner feelings somehow always prevails and gets me through, safe and sound to the other side.
- Don’t give up, even if all you know has been destroyed and the love of your life has been frozen solid. Princess Leia is proof that perseverance = good, giving up = bad. I think that's pretty straight forward.
- Keep your mind strong so no one will be able to bend your will. I've gone through phases where I'm a little too compliant, and let myself be manipulated by others. I really hate confrontation, but I'm slowly realizing that standing up for what I believe in is worth the confrontation, when the alternative is to back down and let someone discount my beliefs.
- Judge others by their size, do not. Another Yoda-ism. I've traditionally gone for Talls, but I'm learning to give guys under 6'3 a try-- and it's worth it!
- Being a princess can suck sometimes. Poor Leia. Kidnapped, home planet destroyed, boyfriend frozen? I used to dream of being a princess, but it seems like it's a hazardous occupation. And speaking of Leia...
- A woman who can kick ass is highly attractive. Sure, she had some help from two hotties, a couple of robots, a Wookiee and those adorable Ewoks, but she was definitely able to hold her own in some dangerous situations. And the men her life weren't intimidated -- they only wanted her more! It's nice to know that forcing femininity is not necessary to get a guy. I'll be my BAMF self and still land my prince!
- "There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny." Han Solo, you smarty pants! Harrison Ford's best quote ever. Han Solo doesn't leave his destiny up to The Force or God or his Boss, or blame it on something. He puts his life into his own hands, and in doing so understands that he is the sole person who can make himself happy. Someday I hope to be like Han Solo, but for now, I just try to remember to ask myself "WWHSD?"
- Make sure you know your family tree before kissing a boy on the mouth. Google, people.
Not bad life lessons from a sci-fi movie. May the Force be with you!
L
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