Even though I’m an adult, I love everything about Disney. Disneyland is like a second home to me, and I go there at least once a month. And to show my dedication and my love of all things Disney I recently got a Disney themed tattoo! I can also admit that I have no shame when it comes to Disney movies. I will watch a new Disney film by myself, in a theater full of children, just because I don’t want to miss the next best thing that Disney has to offer. I frequently find myself re-watching my favorite Disney films from when I was a child, and when I’m having a bad day I like to listen to the soundtracks from these movies and sing them at the top of my lungs until I feel better.

I don’t just like these movies because of their amazing soundtracks (although it does help). I like the movies because of the timeless lessons that they impart to those who watch them. The stories of love, friendship, struggle, and perseverance are messages that everyone can relate to, including me. And because I’m a 90’s baby, some of my favorite Disney movies came out in the 90’s. I will re-watch The Lion King, Mulan, Aladdin, and Tarzan just because they remind me of when I was a kid. However, one of my favorite of these 90’s Disney movies just so happens to be Hercules.

*Spoilers Ahead*

In this movie, Hercules, the son of the Greek god Zeus, is turned into a human by the god of the underworld, Hades. Because Hercules is no longer a god, he has to live on earth among the humans. Even though Hercules is a human, he still has god-like strength and because of this, he grows up feeling like he can’t ever quite fit in. When his earthly parents show him the medallion he had around his neck when they found him (Zeus’ medallion), Hercules goes on a quest to find out where he’s from. On his journey, he sings the song “Go the Distance.” In this song he sings about how the journey may be hard, but it will be worth it if in the end he finds out where he is supposed to belong. To make a long story short, Hercules finds out that he’s Zeus’ son and that he can return to Olympus where the rest of the gods and goddesses live if he becomes a true hero. During the rest of the movie, Hercules trains and fights so that he can become a true hero. In the beginning no one likes him, but after he starts saving the Greek people from the monsters that are invading their home they begin to like him. Hercules even ends up falling in love along the way to becoming a true hero. In the end, he does become a true hero, not because he saved a bunch of people from monsters, but because he was willing to sacrifice himself to save someone. Because of this, he becomes a god once again, but even though he has the chance to live with the other gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus, Hercules chooses to stay on earth because his heart tells him that earth is where he belongs.

*Spoilers Over*

You may not be the child of a Greek god trying to find out where you belong, but chances are that there is something out there that you are just as passionate and determined about. If you want something as badly as Hercules did then you also need to be willing to put in the effort to get whatever it is that you need. The road to getting what you want from life probably won’t be easy, but once you finally make it to the end, all of the difficulties that you went through will be worth it.

Sometimes I go through periods in my life where I start to feel restless. I don’t feel satisfied with where I am with life at that moment in time and I feel like I need a change. If you ever find yourself feeling like this then it’s important that you go out and find a way to change that feeling. Positive thinker, finding out where you’re meant to be isn’t easy, but if you dig down deep within yourself then you can discover just how you’re going to get that thing that you need to make your life more complete.

Remember, “Never give up on something you really want. It’s difficult to wait but it’s more difficult to regret.”