When I was a kid, the first movie I saw in theaters was Shrek. Maybe that's why I love it so much still: it was a big milestone in my life. Regardless, it's a movie that makes me laugh every time I watch it. And mixed in with the crude humor we never got as a kid and the fart jokes are lessons we can apply to our life today. I know, you're probably chuckling at that silly idea, but here are five lessons you can learn from the movie "Shrek."
1. You can do whatever you want to, despite stereotypes.
Shrek is an ogre, as most of us know. If you've ever watched the movie, you know that he's considered a monster. But he gets to prove everyone wrong. SHREK becomes the hero. He rescues the princess, defeats the dragon (well kind of), and saves the day. Shrek demonstrates that no matter what the world says about you, you can make a difference, whether or not it fits in the status quo.
2. Sometimes life doesn't happen the way you planned it.
Fiona had her life planned out. She sat in the tower and waited for her knight in shining armor to rescue her from the tower. She planned it and rehearsed it in her head time and time again. But suddenly, she realizes her rescuer is an ogre. She panics and says, "this is all wrong." But that twist in her plan ends up being the best character in her story.
Sometimes this is my life, and yours too. I have my life planned out, and something happens that shatters every plan I ever set in place. But that wreckage can turn into the sweetest scene in our life story, and can lead to the excitement we couldn't even dream up.
3. Find someone to be yourself around.
I always admired Shrek and Fiona's relationship. They're so silly and fun together, and you can see how quickly the fall in love because they can be themselves around each other. Although Fiona dreamed of her ideal man and rescuer, she finds someone who she can truly be herself around.
And when Shrek discovers (spoiler alert ahead) Fiona turns into an ogre at night, he loves her the way she is, just the same as when she was human.
4. Don't isolate yourself.
Shrek spent his whole life alone in his swamp. He had no one. Suddenly a whole crew of people came into his life, and after being alone for so long, he's surrounded on all sides by new characters: Donkey, Pinocchio, the whole gang.
Despite how standoff-ish he might seem in the beginning, these characters make him better.
5. It's what's on the inside that counts.
This is such a great lesson in this movie. The world looked at Shrek, Donkey, and the other fairy tale creatures and bases their status on the outside. But these characters had so much more deep down.
For example, at the end, Fiona may have turned into an ogre forever, but it was the inside that counted. She was till a princess and she was still herself.
Bonus: Always end the day with singing "I'm A Believer."
