The Power Within

So I'm sitting here at my computer, and my 3-year-old is watching a SpongeBob DVD (I love SpongeBob, btw!), and it's an episode where the Flying Dutchman (a ghost, of course!) is having an identity crisis. Seems he can't scare anyone any more, and it does a job on his confidence and self-esteem. This, of course, leads him to an extended stay at Casa SquarePants, where he and his ghostly buddies end up trashing the place. So SpongeBob suggests and answer to his problems...a self-empowering video called "The Power Within". I'm guessing it's supposed to be a representation of the hype-ish attention paid to self-help books, dvd's, cd's, etc. And this one is TRULY all hype...it just says "The power within, the power within, the power within" over and over for about 20 seconds...and The Dutchman is TRANSFORMED!! Tears flowing down his transparent cheeks, ready to hit it hard again...he's SAVED!! It really makes me laugh...partly because "self-help/personal growth" is actually my current vocation and a great passion of mine!! I can appreciate the jab of humor...but I'm smart enough to know that nothing truly transformational is a quick fix, nor are quick fixes truly transformational in the long haul. True change takes a LOT of work, for an extended period of time, usually for life. In my experience, most people don't want to put in that much effort.

I usually watch SpongeBob just for the entertainment value! Occasionally, though, I find something life-lesson-ish. That's just a bonus!

Have a great evening!