Rafiki: Look down there.
Simba: That’s not my father. That’s just my reflection.
Rafiki: No, look harder.
[touches the water, as it ripples Simba’s reflection changes to that of his father]
Rafiki: You see? He lives in you.
Mufasa’s ghost: Simba.
Adult Simba: Father?
Mufasa’s ghost: Simba, you have forgotten me.
Adult Simba: No. How could I?
Mufasa’s ghost: You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.
That dialogue is from one of my favorite movies The Lion King. In that scene, Simba is wrestling with who he is and who he is. (Yes you read that right.) Who he is and who he is.
He’s Simba. A scared lion who is filled with doubt, guilt, shame, fear, and unbelief. A lion who has run away from his past mistakes and poor choices. Yet, that very same Lion is the sole heir to Pride Rock and is the rightful king. In fact, everything the sun touches is his kingdom.
How can he be both? How can he be both a king and a nomad? Full of fear yet full of strength? Which one is the real Simba? The reflection or the lion looking in the water.
A major lesson was taught in that scene. What was the lesson? There’s a difference between fact and truth. The facts were Simba abandoned his family, played a role in his father’s death, and was living a life unfitting of the King of Pride Rock. A life ripe with pain, agony, and anguish from his past.
And the truth? Well, the truth was simple. He was the rightful King of Pride Rock and had all the rights, power, privileges and authority that come with such a title. He was strong, fearless, courageous, full of valor.
You’re probably asking “What in the world does this have to do with weight loss?” I’m glad you asked! It has EVERYTHING to do with it. At one point I was the fact filled Simba. I wrestled with the same things he did – doubt, guilt, shame, fear, and unbelief. Basically, my past. Past attempts at weight loss, past bad decisions nutritionally, etc.. However, this last time, I “looked harder” in the water and saw my truth.
My truth was I was powerful beyond measure. I was a conqueror. An overcomer. Once I realized that truth, I was ready to return to my weight loss journey just as Simba returned to Pride Rock to take back his kingdom. In my case, my kingdom was my health. And I did so with confidence knowing what I was and who I was.
So whenever you feel the facts dominating your thoughts, might I suggest you remember Rafiki and Simba at the river on that clear, dark night in the jungle. If you don’t see your truth immediately (And you very well might not), it’s okay. Look again. Look harder and the reflection of truth concerning who you are will become clear.
Remember facts can change (and will change). The truth however, remains constant.
I remember one of my favorite analogies because of them. The ripples of success. What is that? Well if you take a rock and drop it in a stream or lake. There are ripples that spread out from the point of impact. The place where the water meets the rock represents the impact you have on someone’s life. The ripples? They represent the spreading of your impact to others indirectly. That’s what’s happening with my blog. I’m impacting others and one of the ripples has reached a special group of friends. To those friends, I say thank you. Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for encouraging me. Thank you for letting me know the blog is helping. Do me a favor please. When you all go to the pond, take a second to drop a rock in the water and watch the ripples. Look at them to see how far they travel from the place of impact. Resolve to be the rock and let your impact have far-reaching ripples of success.
Brand New Antuan 