Disney Movies are the best! They’re light-hearted, all-age appropriate, and they teach us some of the truest life lessons even from a young age. Not necessarily to wish for a fairy God-mother and a pumpkin carriage to take us to the ball…

Cinderella teaches us that hard work pays off, Mulan teaches us about honor and sacrifice, Elsa and Ana teach us that love can conquer great things, Ariel teaches us to appreciate what we have rather than wish for what we don’t, Beauty and the Beast teaches us to look within someone rather than judge by their exterior and the list goes on. While the movies themselves can lift our spirits, we can also take many things from the fun songs throughout the films. I know that may seem silly, they’re just songs – but have you ever really listened to the lyrics in more than a sing-along type of way?

These are just a few things that can change your whole outlook on life – that’s right – from Disney songs!

1. “Let it go.”

It sounds so simple, but sometimes it seems so hard to do. Whether its anger or sadness, fear or regret, sometimes in order to be free, we really just need to let it go.

2. “It’s the circle of life, and it moves us all. Through despair and hope, through faith and love, ‘till we find our place on the path unwinding.”

The Circle of Life is one of the most famous and well-known Disney songs. This life sometimes feels so heavy, so hard – but it moves us all. Everyone feels that way from time to time. It is so very important that we know we each have a place on this earth – a role that only we can fulfill. Isn’t that pretty amazing? We are all searching for our place and our path, and this song tells us exactly how to. It’s simple really; with hope, through faith and love.

3. “When will my reflection show who I am inside?”

This is so important, and it’s something we all struggle with. Especially as teenagers, you want to fit in with the norm. You want to look a certain way, you want to feel beautiful. We have to know that comparing ourselves to others will never do our hearts any good. But guys, our reflection of who we are has nothing to do with what our hair, makeup or clothes look like. Our reflection always shows who we are inside. Everyone can be beautiful on the inside if they choose to be. “My positive actions will speak louder than all of my words…” Sound familiar? (:

4. “You want thing-a-mabobs? I’ve got twenty! But who cares? No big deal, I want more.”

Ariel sacrificed her own voice and her life with her family to have what she wanted. This is something relatable for everyone, too – we have all at some point wanted something beyond what we have. If you have a cell phone but really want the newest iPhone, you only think about how you don’t have the newest phone, not how you already have one. This doesn’t just go for material items. At times we all want more than we have. Even the richest people strive to have more. Like Ariel, sometimes we don’t see everything we would be giving up to have what we “want.” We often have so much. It’s a beautiful thing to step back and be thankful for what we already have.

5. “Winter’s a good time to stay in and cuddle, but put me in summer and I’ll be a – happy snowman!”

We all know how sad it was when Olaf didn’t realize he would melt in the summertime. Sometimes we’re so caught up in what we want or what we think will make us happy and we just aren’t seeing the whole picture. Perspective is a huge thing.

6. “A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartache, whatever you wish for you keep.

Don’t let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know tomorrow the dream that you wish will come true.”
Dreams are a beautiful thing. And it’s so true – whatever you wish for you keep. No one can take your dreams from you. Although sometimes when we feel that we have a long way to go, we must think about how far we’ve come, how hard we’ve already been working. Don’t ever quit on your dreams – we never realize how close we are to something when we’re focused on how far we still have to go.

7. “A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view – when I’m way up here, it’s crystal clear, now I’m in a whole new world…”

Again, perspective – we can’t necessarily take a trip on a magic carpet ride, but we can always take a big step back and take a different look at the picture. Joy can often be sought when we find a new perspective.

8. “When you find out who you are, you’ll find out what you need.”

Isn’t that beautiful? It’s so true, really. When you find out what it is that’s important to you, when you see where your mind wonders, where your goals are, you see where your heart truly is. You know what’s even more beautiful? If you don’t like what you find, you have the power to change it. Always.

9. “It means no worries for the rest of your days. It’s our problem free philosophy, Hakuna Matata.”

Like reading most of these, it’s hard not to sing the song when you read the lyrics. It’s even harder to feel no worries and problem free, but it sure is a nice concept to reach for. We would be a lot less stressed if we could Hakuna Matata – not care free – but trying not to worry so much about things we can’t necessarily control.

10. “You think the only people who are people are the people who look and think like you. But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew.”

Colors of the Wind is one of the truest and most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. Really. Have you ever listened to that whole song? Guys – this is huge. Being empathetic is not the same as being sympathetic. Anyone can feel bad for someone. It takes a special person to truly put themselves in the shoes of someone else’s situation, to walk their footsteps. And when we find ourselves trying, it’s just like the song says.. we’ll learn things we never even knew we could know.

11. “How high does a sycamore grow? If you cut it down, then you’ll never know. And you’ll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon, for whether we are white or copper skinned.”

Again with this song, the lessons underlie in every lyric. Our earth, our people – just love them. Treat them well! No matter what the outside world is persuading, no matter the differences of a person’s opinion or lifestyle, no matter the color of their skin; be kind to them!

12. “I feel a truer life begin. It’s so good and real, it must come from within.”

No one can change your life for you. The lesson in this is exactly in the words. You can have a true, good and real life, but it must come from within you. You control you. Never forget that.

13. “Tale as old as time, tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong.”

One of the hardest things in the world is to admit that we were wrong in doing or saying something. Pride is not an easy thing to let go of. Isn’t this so true, though? When we have an open mind and admit that we didn’t necessarily make the best decision, when we can say we’re sorry, that decision can drastically change an entire situation. We still benefit from being wrong, because we learn from it.

14. “You’ve got a friend in me.”

As you grow up you will learn that one of the best feelings in the world is confiding in someone you truly trust and who listens to you; a friend. You’ll also find that one of the most important things you can be to someone else is exactly the same thing. You don’t have to hang out with someone every day to be a good friend to them. Just be open, lend a listening ear, and be kind to them. Allow their hearts to know that they have a friend in you. We often don’t realize how much this can change someone’s life.

15. “When you find out you can live without it, and go along not thinkin’ about it, I’ll tell you something true – the bare necessities of life will come to you.”

This ties in everything: perspective, desire, life lessons..
There are few things that are a true necessity of life; water, food, oxygen, and sleep. We could stay alive with just these four things. The richest people in the world are not rich. They are simply people who have the ability to make the most out of everything they have. Sometimes we feel like without our cell phones or social media sites, we simply cannot make it. Well that’s just not true. There are few things we have that we couldn’t live without, we just may not want to. It’s important to get off of Facebook every now and then and spend time with our families. It’s important to put our cell phones down to see everything we can see in life.
Life is the most phenomenal thing we have, so shouldn’t we live it? Let the bare necessities of life come to you, soak them in, and enjoy the little things. You’ll find that the “little things” really never end up being so little.

 

Written by: Ginny Reavis Thiele