Sorry, but how could I not start this post off with that?
For those of you who must have lived under a rock during childhood, Hakuna Matata is the motto of Timon and Pumba from the Disney animated movie, The Lion King. As the song suggests, Hakuna Matata means "no worries".
Surprisingly, I have never been the biggest fan of The Lion King. However, it was still playing on my VCR more than a lot of other Disney movies due to it being one of my brother's favorite movies growing up. So naturally, I've still learned every line by heart.
Hakuna Matata, to me, is like one of those over used sayings like YOLO. It just became a saying that people use to seem cool or show that they understand a universally fantastic children's movie. Nonetheless, I do believe that living your life with no worries, however hippie-esk it may sound, isn't a bad idea.
I won't touch on it long, but I have had my fair share of anxiety and panic attacks. The simple phrase "no worries" helped me along the path of controlling my anxiety. Essentially, the root of my anxiety was people and their perception of me. Once I began to apply this no worries philosophy to my life, I started to see an improvement in myself to the point where I haven't had a panic attack in weeks.
On Thanksgiving of 2009, I spent the day at Disney World. My family was on a cruise at the time and our excursion for the day was the theme park. The day was about as magical as you could get. At the end, I was allowed to get two souvenirs. The first one I picked was a necklace with my name and mickey's head in gems on it. The second however, was a wishing bracelet.
If you aren't familiar with wishing bracelets, they are bracelets you tie around your wrist in a tight knot. Then you make a wish on the knot. Over time, the knot will loosen and the bracelet will fall off. Once the bracelet falls off, you leave the bracelet where it landed (unless it's in your house, then you can pick it up and put it somewhere) and your wish is supposed to come true.
My wishing bracelet was bright green and said " "Hakuna Matata" ... it means no worries " over and over on the ribbon. I don't remember what my wish was back then, but I did believe in it's power. I was also lucky enough to have mine fall off in my bed, so I got to keep the bracelet.
I found the bracelet the other day in one of my drawers, and I felt so happy. Not only did it remind me of my vacation that year, but it reminded me of hope. Even back then, I was a hopeful person and believed anything could be solved with time. That little phrase, in some sense, helped me get better and gave me hope.
"No worries" no matter how cheesy it sounds, really is a good motto. You don't have to give in to being unhappy. You always have a choice to change and make your life something you are proud of and happy about. Whether you believe it in a Hakuna Matata sense, a hippie sense, or another sense, "no worries" is a pretty good rule that we should all apply to our lives sooner or later. Nothing special, but still meaningful.
