Inspiration of the Day #25

“If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.”
– Gusteau (Ratatouille)

It is a great time for a motivational curveball. I have to admit, Ratatouille is not my favorite Disney PIXAR film. That being said, it is still a great movie. It is an entertaining and fun film and well worth the watch. I feel like just about anyone can relate to Remy. We all want to be or do something but are not all in a position where what we want is the easiest path.

Ratatouille follows a rat that wants to be a chef. Anyone who has ever eaten in a restaurant, or any public venue, can probably determine that this is not a likely or realistic scenario. Even for a cartoon, we can all get the impression that a rat in a restaurant is bad, but a rat handling your food…..not likely. It is the message that really hits home for me.

I feel it is fair to compare the situation to a lot of real-life scenarios we have seen throughout history. It is not common for a 35-year-old man to debut in Major League Baseball, yet Jim Morris accomplished this feat in 1999. It is unexpected for a dwarf to become a tv and movie star, yet Peter Dinklage put that notion to rest in 2003 with his first “breakthrough” role. Who would have thought that a foreign citizen with a funny accent would become governor of California?

I look at those instances, and several others like them, and I get a feel for what I believe the intention of Ratatouille was. It challenges expectations based on unfair presumptions and, in my opinion, conveys the right message to the right audience. While it is a cartoon and assumed to be meant for kids, there is no denying it is the kind of lesson I feel is relevant to everyone.

Just because you are told it isn’t normal or right, just because the general expectations work against you, just because it goes against the current, doesn’t mean you don’t belong. If it feels right to you, if you know it is your place, even if no one else does, it is well worth the effort to try. It is ok to have a dream that is outside social norms.