Hakuna Matata

Hakuna Matata is a phrase in Swahili.  It literally translates to ‘no worries’ or ‘there are no troubles’.

Timon and Pumba are two characters in the Disney epic, The Lion King. They have adopted this phrase as their life philosophy and are not concerned with anything that’s happening around them as long as it doesn’t affect them. According to them, they have nothing to worry about, their life is perfect the way it is.

Interesting principle to live by, isn’t it. But how many of us can actually follow it? I know I can’t. I have always found it an uphill task to follow this thought process and benefit from it.

What about you?

Do you sit back, put your feet up and sing Hakuna Matata when life throws curveballs at you?

I do know a couple of people who follow similar ideologies. I’m sure there are other people out there doing the same. I have also come across people who don’t share these values. It is just a matter of perspective.

If we are living our lives with these tenets, we are essentially being content with what we have and distancing ourselves from the problems around us. It might come naturally to some people, some people might adopt it as they grow, and some people might not relate with it at all.

There are a lot of things that happen in life that are out of our control. And they are still going to happen, irrespective of our ideologies. Our values change our perspective towards life and how we deal with problems. This difference in perspective is what makes us ‘happy’, and goes a long way in helping us reach our goals.

Timon and Pumba eventually change their attitude in order to help their friend, Simba. You can either chose to stick with your values no matter what, or, be a little flexible and accommodating. It is your call, based on what makes you ‘happy’.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”- Wayne Dyer

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