---
layout: post
title: "Letting Go Of Your Past"
category: [ lessons learned ]
---

Growing up, there was one movie that I had watched almost daily, over and over again: [Pokémon: The First Movie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon:_The_First_Movie).

Back in those days, my parents used to own a coffeeshop, and that was where I spent most of my time after school. Unfortunately, there was no cable TV in the coffeeshop, and all I had was one VCR tape to watch (you can guess which movie it was).

Years later, I would watch that movie again, and I would realize how deep some of the lessons in the movie were, many of which went over my seven-year-old self’s head.

In the movie, the antagonist resents his origin and his past, seeking revenge and retaliation on the world. He spends the majority of the movie plotting to get his revenge on the world, and on those who made him who he was.

In the end, he realizes that the circumstances of his birth are irrelevant, and that what he does with his life is more important:

> “I see now that the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.” — Mewtwo

This is a valuable lesson.

Add "Letting Go Of Your Past" blog post
Add "Letting Go Of Your Past" blog post
