BE UNIQUE
5 Inspiring Life Lessons In Mary Poppins Returns
Just like the original Mary Poppins, the sequel delivers insights interwoven in the imaginative songs.
Life lessons often come in the most unique of ways, as long as we pay attention to what’s going on around us. From billboards to children’s books, wisdom can be found anywhere. In this case, life lessons came from Mary Poppins Returns.
- A cover is nice but it’s not the book.
We’ve all heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and Mary Poppins reignites the truth in this timeless adage. A beautiful body and designer clothing may mask despicable thoughts. On the other hand, a genius may hide behind an unshaven beard and a simple t-shirt.
The late Steve Jobs wore a similar black turtleneck every day, and a businessman who laughed at him for not wearing an expensive tailored suit would never be able to appreciate his internal brilliance.
We shouldn’t judge each other not only by our external appearance but also by meaningless labels. Just because I am an introvert doesn’t mean I am arrogant or standoffish, and just because someone is an extrovert doesn’t mean he is an attention seeker.
2. Imagination is the spice of life.
Imagination is at the colorful core of Mary Poppins Returns. Animals speak, a bath turns into a deep-sea adventure, and illustrations jump to life.
With the power of our mind, we can escape from a dreary desk in a windowless room to a unique fantasy world. As Albert Einstein once said, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Remember your elementary school teachers telling you to stop staring off into space and pay attention to class? Surprisingly, daydreaming enhances creative thinking, long-term planning, and self-awareness, providing yet more ways imagination positively impacts us. As children, we spend hours playing make-believe games, and as we grow older, we must continue stimulating our minds and imagination.
3. Never give up hope.
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
Just like the characters in the movie seem to be weightless and float up, up, up on balloons, our moods will instantly go up, up, up through the power of hope. With hope in your heart, you’ll float through life, soaring over the speed bumps along the way.
Even at rock bottom, when the situation seemingly can’t get worse, the irony is that there is still something to stay positive about. After all, there’s nowhere to go but up!
4. Be your own luminary when it gets dark.
Just like the leeries in Mary Poppins Returns spread literal light through the community, it’s up to us to spread positivity to those around us.
While it’s important to have a loving support system around you, you yourself must be at the forefront of that system. As we grow older, we realize that our parents won’t always be next to our sides to reassure us. Thus, we have to be our own cheerleaders.
Like the fireflies who light up the night with their incandescence, in times of trouble, we must be prepared to shine our internal light.
5. Change your perspective during difficult times.
While Topsy often literally turns her world upside down in the movie, we simply need to change our mindset when things don’t go as desired.
Recently, I was disappointed that a writing competition I’d been looking forward to all year had been canceled. However, I soon realized that this meant I had another valuable year to spend perfecting my craft before next year’s competition.
If the competition had come and gone as usual, I would have stopped actively honing my writing skills until a few months before next year’s contest. Instead, the cancellation spurred me to enter new writing competitions and increase my writing on Medium.
Next time an upsetting event occurs, challenge yourself to view the situation from a positive perspective.
The Takeaway:
- Don’t make rash judgments about others
- Imagination is the spice of life
- Always hold onto hope
- Be your own flashlight when it gets dark
- Approach difficult situations from a different perspective
At first glance, Mary Poppins Returns seems to be a frivolous movie designed for children. However, powerful metaphors for life are sprinkled throughout the show, teaching us that the world is abloom with wisdom in the most unpredictable places.