The Hunger Games and Your Mockingjay

My family and I watched the third Hunger Games movie, The Mockingjay during the Thanksgiving holiday.*  I promise to avoid “spoiler alerts” for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie(s).*  Katniss was introduced to the mockingjay in a number of ways.*  First, she was at the market and saw a lapel pin that caught her eye.*  The shop keeper gave it to Katniss because of her demeanor and reputation.

Katniss gave this pin to her younger sister, Prim, to keep her safe before the hunger game name drawing.*  During the drawing, Prim’s name was drawn first and Katniss volunteered to take her place.*  Before Katniss departed for the Hunger Games, Prim returned the mockingjay pin to Katniss for her own protection and safety.

During the hunger game itself, a younger person introduced Katniss to the sounds of the Mockingjay as a symbol stating “I am safe” when they embarked on a dangerous mission.*  In the movie, the Hunger Games were not a choice but a mandate by the government and the hunger was to 1) help feed your family and 2) stay alive.*  Katniss’s mockingjay symbol became the symbol of freedom and uniting the district residents.

Let’s look at similarities between the movie and your symbol.*  Katniss saw this pin and it “caught her eye”.*  She gave this away as a gift and it returned to her. She learned more from others about the mockingjay.*  Eventually, unbeknownst to her, it became a symbol to many others.* 

What is important to you that is bigger than what you are doing today?*  When you rise to prepare for work, what do you really think about?*  Are you “hungry” to get to work and construct successes?*  Are you “hungry” for something else than what you are doing?*  What is the lapel pin that others recognize in you?

If you are content with your life and your work ” kudos to you!*  Keep up the great life!*  If you are not content, what do you think about that you long to achieve or be?

Please remember, there is no magic wand to provide you with “easy money” and “easy life”.*  That is not the hunger I am questioning you about.*  It can become money and life style; but for many that is not enough to satisfy the “hunger”.* *  The hunger I am suggesting is answered by asking yourself some questions.*  They are:

 

1)* * * *  What do I want to create today? * Personal Accountability written by John G. Miller, suggests that the question of, “What can I do right now to make a positive difference?” * This question comes to my mind many times a day.*  We have a choice in what we create every day, every moment.*  We may not have control over what’s happening to us.*  We do have control in how we respond.*  For the rest of December, ask yourself these questions when you get up in the morning; when you are in a meeting and the topic is getting off the agenda; when your child throws a tantrum in the Toys R Us store; when you want to throw a tantrum when something doesn’t go as planned.

1. What do I want to create today?
2. What can I do right now to make a positive difference?

 

2)* * * *  If you hunger for something different, something more, create a symbol for yourself, also known as a “dream board”.* *  The purpose of this dream board is to “catch your eye” daily.*  What we think about we become.*  Instead of thinking about what is not right, think about how to make them right.*  Instead of thinking that there is nothing you can do, begin thinking about the life you need/want by having the dream board “catch your eye”.

1. Gather materials that are important to you from magazines, catalogs or websites.*  Include materials that strongly interest you.*  Select images that could be or support your goals and ambitions; items that motivate you as you look at them.*  It could be tangible items, it could be family pictures, it could be a dream house, vacation, a career, annual income; anything you choose it to be.
2. Cut out the images and place on a piece of cardboard or a magnetic board or even a blank piece of paper so you can inexpensively attach your pictures.
3. Place the images on the board in a random order ” doesn’t have to be fancy or artistic.*  This is your “hunger games” board.*  This is what “catches your eye” of interest and desire.
4. Place your dream board in a place that you can view it at least twice a day.*  Enjoy the images, enjoy the outcomes and imagine yourself leading the life that is in your dream board.
5. Remember, what we think about, we become.*  Focus on those things that compel you to make life better for yourself and for others.*  This is what “catches your eye” and your heart.

 

Remember, focus on those areas you can make a difference right now. * Focus on your words, tone of voice and body language to make a contribution.*  Focus on actions you can take right now ” even if you are still hungry for more and/or different.*  As you go through 2015, focus on what you need and want in your life.*  * For more information and assistance, please contact Learning Alliances Company.

(c) Can Stock Photo