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The Wisdom of Harry Potter

Posted on 03. Jan, 2012 by Jay Timms in Blog, Personal Growth

Well, I admit it.  I am truly and unequivocally a nerd.  I am gleaning wisdom and inspiration from Harry Potter.

I have tried really hard this past week to come up with something that will be inspiring as a start to this new year.  As many of you know, I am not a big fan of New Years resolutions because I think it is lazy and irresponsible to wait for January 1^st of every year to “resolve” to be better.  So, I have thought about speaking to you about goals.  I have thought about speaking to you about dreams.  I have even thought about speaking to you about loving yourself more.  And then I had to watch Harry Potter.

Here are 5 things that I have learned from Harry Potter that I think may just be something I am going to try to live by.

1) Never stop looking to your friends for help.  My son and I were wondering…how successful would Harry Potter be if he didn’t have Ron and Hermione around to help him through Voldemort’s relentless efforts to destroy “the Boy Who Lived”?  Probably he would have been dead before the end of the first book and J.K. Rowling  would never have become a household name.  Remember, you may be smart and talented, but when you surround yourself with people who are smarter than you, you double or triple your chances of being successful.  And trust me, no matter how great you are, there is always someone else around you who is better.  Get over it and allow them to shine.

2) Never discount anyone, regardless of size, family, or personal hygiene.  Take a look at the people Harry ended up with.  He spent time with a know it all, a whiney red-headed kid who came from a very poor family, a half giant that flunked out of school in the 2^nd year who never seemed to be clean and carried around a pink umbrella, a girl who believed that Wrakspurts were as real as Harry’s pet Hedwig, a kid who understood that Gillyweed may work to help him breathe underwater, but couldn’t guarantee how long because he wasn’t sure of the effects of fresh water, and a house-elf that was happy to wear a pair of socks that had been given to him years before along with a tea-cozy for a hat.  What a bunch of misfits.  But, he learned something from every one of them and each of them made him better.  As Walt Disney once said, “If a janitor has a good idea, I would use it”.

3) Never forget your heritage.  Throughout the journey, Harry constantly thought about his parents and what they had done for him.  He looked to them for strength, inspiration, and support.  He knew who he was because of where he came from.  Learn about where you come from and what makes you who you are.

4) When in doubt, go with what you know.  “Expelliarmus”.  It was his stand-by spell.  He knew that it worked because he had done it before.  There was no need to get fancy and create something new.  He did what he knew had worked in the past.  Keep it simple stupid.

5) Love always wins in the end.  It was love that saved him from Voldemort as a baby.  It was love that helped him to fight Voldemort in the graveyard when Diggory was killed.  It was love that helped Harry defeat Voldemort in the end.  And it was love that made Harry smile, every time.  I have said it time and time again.  It is all about the relationships.  Love more.  Take the time to love deeply, passionately, and without regret.  Yes, it can hurt, but life without love is not worth living.

Have an amazing 2012.

For a free consultation with Jay Timms, call 604-816-9405 or 1-888-901-9454

Tags: change, Communication, empowerment, goals, Harry Potter, help, Hermione, Personal Growth, relationship, Teens, Voldemort