Star Wars = Life

by Dinur

Star Wars = Life

The revelation came to me as I sat in the theatre, watching the renewed version of “Empires Strikes Back.” It was my favorite scene, where Luke Skywalker, under the watchful eye of Yoda, tries to will his spaceship out of the swamp and can’t do it, then gets frustrated and tries to walk away.

Yoda’s response is:

“Always with you it cannot be done! Hear you nothing that I say? Try not! Or do not! There is no try! Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size do you? And well you should not! For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life greets it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we. Not this crude matter! You must feel the force around you.”

Then Yoda, to prove his point, telepathically pulls the ship out of the water.

Luke says, “I don’t believe it!”

Yoda: “That is why you fail.”

That’s when I got it – the meaning of life. The Force is inside each of us. It is what we do individually. Some call it God, but whatever it is – we each hold the key. While the free world, as Jedi knights, may be at war to combat the evil Empire, we can make a difference in changing the world with our own attitudes and actions.

Like Luke, when things get tough, we tend to make excuses for ourselves. It’s very easy to do. The message Yoda sends is that we determine our own success and we do it through perseverance.

When you chose your career, did all of a sudden, people start to throw money at you? Were you an overnight success? Chances are it took time to build a clientele. Sometimes you had to do that while working another job. Even after several years, it’s still a struggle. You wonder if it’s worth it.

Professional sports provides many inspirational stories, one of which transpired during the 2001-02 National Hockey League season. Montreal center Saku Koivu announced early September that he was diagnosed with cancer. It was at the time of the Team Canada evaluation camp, where Mario Lemieux, who had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease several years prior, held a press conference, along with one of Koivu’s closest friends Mark Recci, in support of the Montreal player’s challenging days ahead. Lemieux said that a positive attitude had everything to do with his own recovery and that he believed the mind could cure disease. After long and extensive treatment, Koivu beat the odds and returned to the Habs lineup for their last three games, playing a leading role in all 12 playoff games. He’s been playing ever since.

Koivu could have given up. His determination to get back into the NHL is what drove him to recovery.

Attitude is everything. A positive belief in yourself can help determine your outcome. Everyone has problems, personal challenges and issues that interfere with their end goal. Nobody is immune. How you deal with adversity is what determines the outcome. At least that’s the message from Mario Lemieux.

Quarterback Joe Montana had the ability to dissect the opposition with precision passing to lead his team to victory in the final minutes of a game after his team had fallen behind. He could see where the receiver was open and pinpoint the ball to where the defender couldn’t reach it.

Broadcaster and former National Football League coach John Madden described Montana, “He had so much confidence, he knew he was going to do it. His teammates knew he was going to do it. He had so much confidence, the fans knew he was going to do it. You know when it’s the ultimate confidence when the opposition knows he was going to do it.”

Minnesota Vikings running back sensation Adrian Peterson sees the end zone every time he touches the ball.

In taking a lesson from professional athletes and Yoda in “Empires Strikes Back,” visualizing success and a positive attitude seems to work.

Star Wars aside, Saku Koivu is living proof that perseverance can beat any odds to achieve success.

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Debbie Elicksen’s has authored eight books, including the bestselling Self-Publishing 101 (Self-Counsel Press). She has edited, ghosted, and project managed over 90 books. As a book publishing expert, Elicksen works hand in hand with authors and companies that produce books, to which many use to market their businesses. She is also a sports writer, has covered the National Hockey League for over 15 years. She can be reached at www.freelancepublishing.net.