Happy Star Wars Day everyone, and May the Fourth Be With You in your business endeavors. Star Wars, and especially the Force, has many themes about energy and mindset that have proved useful lessons, especially for entrepreneurship. And since JR particularly enjoys the concept of space travel, we thought to share a creative take on some Star Wars themes.
The Force
The most evident theme in Star Wars is the concept of the Force. Below is the definition of the Force found on the Star Wars website:
“The Force is a mysterious energy field created by life that binds the galaxy together. Harnessing the power of the Force gives the Jedi, the Sith, and others sensitive to this spiritual energy extraordinary abilities, such as levitating objects, tricking minds, and seeing things before they happen. While the Force can grant users powerful abilities, it also directs their actions. And it has a will of its own, which both scholars and mystics have spent millennia seeking to understand.”
Consider the energies in your life: wouldn’t you say that the energy you invest in your meal has a connection to the energy you invest in your friendships? By first visualizing that all of your energies are interconnected, you are able to be more confident that you have control over your life and your future. It’s a matter of mindset.
This agency over one’s own life path is comparable to the sensitivity described of the Jedis. Although we can’t levitate objects or trick minds, how we exercise affects our mental clarity to be positive; our positivity can influence how people think.
The Force is essentially the epitome of manifestation. The Force is manifestation, manifested. Are your eyes going cross-eyed yet? This is a powerful mental and emotional tool!
Center yourself on your true goals. Believe in them, and believe in yourself. Then: get stuff done!
Mentorship
A second large aspect of being a Jedi (or a Sith, for that matter) is the practice of mentorship and training. With Luke, it began with his Uncle Owen. Uncle Owen was a mentor of safety, but not of success. Recall Fat Joe’s quote from MAWC2022 on friends and family not always keeping your best interests in mind:
“It never fails! I’m tellin’ you — everything I’ve ever been successful at in my life, my best friend, so-called my family, have tried to talk me out of my success. It’s just a fact.”
Sometimes the people around you believe they are doing the best for you, but often hold you back from achieving your full potential. However, if you are like Luke Skywalker, you will find your Obi-Wan’s and Yoda’s in our field leaders and executive teams.
It is absolutely acceptable to remove yourself from unhelpful mentorships and transition into constructive ones. That is not to say those mentors cannot be in your life at all, but rather: you can reorient yourself to think outside of their guidance. Instead, choose to follow leaders who inspire you, motivate you, and teach you to create progress in your life. That is precisely the role that Obi-Wan had in Luke’s life!
Light and Dark
Instead of discussing lightness and darkness as good versus bad, we’d like to rephrase the narrative to be about progress versus stagnation. Although in Star Wars, the Dark Side of the Force involves anger and greed, it also pertains to the inability to let go and a fear of change. Whereas in the story, these negative mental and emotional behaviors lead to violence or suffering, we think in real life, they lead most of all to stagnation.
Stagnation is, in fact, a suffering. It is a suffering of such a kind that the person experiencing it often doesn’t even consider it so, because they have grown accustomed to perpetual suffering. Perhaps you can relate to this at points in your life: a person who has given themselves to the Dark Side of the Force, or stagnation, experiences some of the following:
- Has difficulty getting out of bed in the morning and beginning their day
- Does not enjoy their routine, their day-to-day experiences
- Feels like there is something “missing”
- Continues to repeat the same routine despite their dissatisfaction
- Expresses dissatisfaction but does not take any steps to change their lifestyle
- Often blames others or external factors for life events not going their way
- Maintains the same group of friends but regularly expresses wanting to branch out
- Dismisses new ideas (especially life-changing ones) as unfeasible
If there’s anyone who articulated this experience best, it’s Loren Ridinger.
If you’ve experienced even just one of these, you know what it’s like to “give in to the Dark Side.” When you decided to become an UnFranchise Owner, you chose the Light Side. So, keep choosing progress and your success over self-sabotage, every time!
Star Wars Day
Utilize Star Wars Day as a symbol for your agency. You have a choice in life, to use the Force for the Light Side, or the Dark Side. Which will you choose?
