3 Life Lessons I’ve Learned from Toy Story 4

Ah, my favorite childhood film. Toy Story is the best. Its concept is not only for children, but for people of all ages. I watched this movie when I was a kid, a few days ago I watched it when I’m 26 years old, and I still enjoyed it!

Toy Story 4 was a great film(come to think of it, 1–3 was also great, everything about this series is great). Not only was I entertained by the movies, but each movie seems to have a few life lessons that you can apply to your life.

In Toy Story 4, these are the lessons I’ve learned(along with the movie quotes):

1. “Be who you are right now.” -Bo Peep

Bo Peep said this to Duke Caboom when Duke was losing confidence in himself. He was comparing himself to other more successful Duke Caboom toys. Bo Peep said this to raise his confidence in helping them get Forky back.

While this was meant to be a pep talk, you can learn something here. How many of you compare yourself everyday to other people, especially people who you think are “better” than you? I say don’t compare yourself! You have to realize that everyone is different from you. Everyone is unique in their own way. Just like Duke Caboom in the movie who’s more prone to crashing than other toys.

2. “Being there for a child is the most noble thing a toy can do.” — Woody

In the movie, Woody did his best to be there for his owner, Bonnie. Even if he was not picked usually as the favorite toy, he still did his best to serve and help her.

Of course, parents everywhere can relate to this. Being there for your children is a very noble task, no matter how hard it is. Even if you’re not a parent, you can be there for someone and help them make their lives happier. You can be there for your friend, classmate, co-worker, business partner, teammate, acquaintance, etc.

3. “If you sit on a shelf for the rest of your life, you”ll never find out.” -Woody

Woody said this to Gabby Gabby after she just got rejected by a girl who she wholeheartedly believe that will take her. It shattered her and left her broken inside. When Woody was about to return to Bonnie, he noticed Gabby Gabby and thought that he can help her too(this is why Woody is my favorite character). Eventually, Woody and the others found a girl who was glad to take Gabby Gabby home.

How about you? How many times were you afraid to do something you wanted to do? How many times did you let a simple rejection break your confidence? If you never actually try to do what you want or to achieve your goal, then you’ll never get what you want. You also can’t let rejection or failure stand in the way of your goals or dreams. Chase your dreams, work towards your goals, and always remember to never give up!

I love Toy Story, I love how it teaches you life lessons that are important. I’m sad that this might be the last movie of the franchise since…well you know what happened if you watched the movie. I say farewell to the Toy Story gang. To Infinity…and beyond!

When You Feel Like You're Lost

Do you ever feel like you're lost in life? Do you feel like you don't know what you're going to do or what will happen in the coming days? Do you feel afraid of something that will happen that's going to change your life, probably for the worst? Do you feel like you don't know what the hell you're going to do? 

I've been there, you've been there, everybody has been there. Even if you feel like you're alone in this, you're definitely not. 

Stop Comparing

In this thing called life, there are countless ways to experience it. There is no one size fits all way to do something or be something. What may be good for that other person may not be good for you. How you do your job might not be the same as how she does her job. Everybody is different and there is nobody exactly like another person. Stop comparing yourself to that Facebook picture of your friend or Instagram post of your celebrity idol because they have different lives than yours.

Stop Planning for Everything

Don't get me wrong, it's good that you have a plan, but sometimes things don't always go according to your plan. You need to learn how to adjust because the world will never adjust to you. If Plan A doesn't work, then have Plan B or C or D or any letter in the alphabet. Sometimes the best plan is to not have a plan and let it flow.

Stop Searching for the Perfect Path

Remember that there's no such thing as a perfect path in life. People get detoured and derailed in their goals. What they wanted to do a few years ago might be different from what they are doing right now. People often change their dreams and goals. There might be a far better opportunity in a job that you never thought you would be doing, or in a country that you never thought you would live in. It might not be the perfect path, but it will be the exact path that you need to take.

Always remember that sometimes you need to get lost to find yourself again.

Why I Will Never Stop Going to the Gym

Everybody knows what a gym is. It's a place filled with weights and machines that will supposedly get you a better body and health. Different kinds of people go there, from the young and old, to the fit and the not so fit. 

I've been going to the gym since I was 14 years old about 12 years ago. I've done hundreds of sets and reps, I've sweat a lot, I've lifted a ton of weights, and I don't regret it. The only regret I made is not following up seriously in my diet or nutrition.

I've also learned a lot of lessons in the gym, lessons that I learned only by going to the gym for more than a decade:

1) I've learned the value of Consistency

Consistency is everything in the gym. You can't go hard at the gym for only once a week, or once a month. You have to do it a few times a week, anywhere between 2-5 times a week. You don't even have to go hard every time, as long as you actually go. They say that a quick workout is better than no workout.

2) I've learned the value of Discipline

Sometimes I don't want to go to the gym, sometimes I don't want to follow my diet and eat sweets, but if I want to get my dream body, then I have to do these even if there are times that I don't want to. Discipline is one of the important keys to success that the gym and in everything in life. It's doing the hard things that will make you more successful and battle-ready even if you don't want to or don't feel like doing it.

3) I've learned the value of Patience

At my first gym session, I thought that I would these so-called "gainz" during my first week, and I didn't. It took me about a month and a half to actually see some results or changes in my body. I also see body transformations on Youtube that are amazing. They look like fitness models, but it took at least a year to get that dream body. They say that patience is a virtue and it's definitely true in fitness or the gym. You won't get successful overnight, it will take time, usually a lot of time before you see results. In the end, though, it will be all worth it.

4) I've learned the value of Confidence

As I see results, my confidence went up. I started noticing other men respect me and ask how did I get my arms or chest. I also notice women checking me out and asking if I work out. Confidence or the belief in yourself is an important life skill. One of the biggest reasons why people aren't successful is that they're not confident in themselves or their abilities. You don't have to have your dream body first to get confident if you workout and are in good shape, then your confidence will definitely go up. This is one of the easiest ways to get more confidence is to work out and exercise a lot. As I got more confident in the gym, I noticed that I got confident in other areas of my life like my career, social life, hobbies, sports, dating, etc.

Going to the gym not only gets you a better body but teaches you these lessons that I discovered myself. I recommend to everybody to go to the gym or at least find some type of exercise that they enjoy. As I said, even if I get old, I will still go to the gym and apply these lessons that I've learned there.