There’s no telling how far women can go if they will be bold enough define their own happiness, just like Moana.
What calls you? That is the question Moana asks us. And then it asks, are you brave enough to follow that call? Moana shows us the struggle of deciding if happiness is choosing to live up to societal expectations or to follow our own path. Happiness can be found in both, either where you are or in a wild adventure, but you have to choose that happiness. If you don’t like the path you’re on, you will never find happiness there.
Something I’ve learned moving home is that we are all offered multiple paths in life, and each can produce varying levels of happiness. Moana shows us that, too. No path is right or wrong, only different. We have the right to choose the happiness we want. If we want to follow tradition, amazing. Moana would have still made an amazing leader if she had stayed. But we can also choose adventure and risk if we feel it calling us. Every path can lead you to a happy life, but there is an ultimate happiness that comes from pursuing what calls and excites us and from knowing who we are. You can only get where you want to go if you are honest enough with yourself to choose the right path.
The most important thing we learn from Moana is that when we decide to trust our own judgments and voice, there is truly no telling how far we can go. But we also see that the journey won’t be easy. Maybe we crash our boats. Maybe a lava monster hurls unthinkable obstacles in our way as we paddle towards our dreams. Maybe we meet an amazing demi-god to help us on our way. Maybe in the midst of fighting for our dreams, we forget who we are. Someone or something steals our heart. All are okay. All can make us stronger and more prepared.
We see so clearly the power of owning and using our voice throughout Moana’s entire growth journey. We see her struggle to know her voice, learn to use it, lose it, and even recover it, proving herself the most capable and strongest leader when she finally is able to embrace the fullness of who she is. What a beautiful model for us to follow. I love that about Moana. Her struggle to take ownership of her voice is so relatable, but she empowers us to choose to listen to our own as we see her achieve ultimate happiness when she chooses to live into her true identity. Listen to the voice whispering inside you and allow yourself the chance to know real happiness because you know who you are.
Another beautiful thing about Moana is that there is no true idea of what anyone should be. Rather, it allows each character to define that for themselves, just as we should. The entire film inverts the traditional view of strength that we typically see in a Disney film by showing that true strength comes from owning our own. Moana is learning to sail into the harsh elements all on her own. She is destined to rule, but doesn’t want to do so in the “traditional” way of her island. Maui is a demi-god who sets his own rules. The islands are created by a goddess. All of these inverted roles come back to prove the central theme of the film: only you know who you are.
Accept that you have the right to define who you are. The definition itself does not matter as long as it bring you joy. It can change and be inspired by our journeys and the people we meet along the way. It can fall and rise like the tide, but it lives inside of us, and when we choose to own it and follow it, we will truly know who we are, even if…
Sometimes the world seems against you
The journey may leave a scar
But scars can heal and reveal just
Where you are
The people you love will change you
The things you have learned will guide you
And nothing on earth can silence
The quiet voice still inside you
And when that voice starts to whisper
you’ve come so far
listen
Do you know who you are?
So, do you know who you are? How far are you willing to go to find out? Follow Moana’s lead, and sail out into whatever path you need to find your truest happiness. There’s just no telling how far you’ll go once you do.
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