Culture | Personal Growth
There is No Secret Ingredient
Recently our family watched the adorable animated film, Kung Fu Panda again. What a precious movie this is!
I adore the overall message in this film. It really had me thinking deeply for several days. Yes, a cartoon! What’s wrong with that?
At the end of the movie, Po (the Kung Fu panda)’s father tells him that there is no secret ingredient in his famous selling noodle soup. In other words, people (like his restaurant customers) just have to believe that there is something special in there in order for it to be special.
Po’s Father: “The secret ingredient to my secret noodle soup is…. There is no secret ingredient.”
And this is just the key that Po the Panda needs to realize his true powers. His father’s concept is confirmed when Po opens the famous Dragon scroll (which is supposed to hold all the Kung Fu moves and special skills needed to rule the kingdom). But he sees nothing inside of it, except for his reflection.
I love that!
There is no secret ingredient. You just have to believe that there is one, in order to believe in yourself.
Isn’t that philosophy true about so much in life? You could apply that to so many things in the world around you.
It’s true that Olympic athletes may have been born with natural talent (and hopefully not gotten ahead from using performance enhancement drugs) and skills in the particular sport they do. Yet, somewhere along the way, they began to believe that they could be the best at their sport. Then they worked hard and climbed their way to the top. They may not have done it alone but they believed within that they could reach the Olympics.
It’s true that recipes have ingredients that could make or break a flavorful dish. But someone, somewhere first came up with the idea of what should go into a meal because they believed it would be good. The cook believed it was worth writing down and sharing with others. And now the rest of us can modify it to our specific needs and likes.
Designer labels may have cost the original seamstress less than twenty bucks to make. But someone, somewhere decided to place a $200 price tag on it because it is “worth” that much. And people buy into into, literally, because they believe it is special.
We do things because we believe we can. We want certain things because they hold some special place within our hearts. And if we want something bad enough, we find a way to make it a reality. There is always a resource out there that we can use in terms of support and education to reach our goals and our potential.
On the flip side, if we don’t make things happen, it is probably because we lack faith and determination (and perhaps we’re just lazy). I should know, I’ve been there before…. Sitting back making excuses on why things were so bad in my life, instead of taking action to resolve my frustrations.
Getting the most out of life takes work. Sure I realize that some people fall into the right opportunity at the right time. And sometimes the universe and mother nature throw a pandemic, hurricane and other disasters and challenges in your direction too. There are some fortunate and very unfortunate accidents that occur.
Still, despite all that, we have choices. We choose how to live each day and we choose the kind of person we want to be. Personally, I think that is really friggin’ great!
Now, think about the ingredients you want to put into your life. Take a look at your own reflection…. Are you living up to your full potential? I really believe that you have powers to further enrich your life and the lives of others as well. You just have to want it bad enough and perform the work it takes to get there. The stars and the sun’s alignment cannot compare to the decisive mind of a determined individual.
I hope you can find that something special within you. Just like Po the Panda.
Lastly, remember to cherish each day and not spend too much time dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. As Master Oogway tells us in the film:
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