Kay:
Hey there, Questers, and welcome once again! It’s Wednesday, October 14th, and this is Episode 203. We have an awesome fan quote today from the one and only Sam Flores! And, this is from a comment he left on our Instagram post from August 26 – which was a post we did about critics – and he says, “To those being negative, I took notes from the Penguins of Madagascar. I just smile and wave.”
Shi:
“Smile and wave, boys.”
Kay:
“Smile and wave.”
Shi:
“Smile and wave.”
Shi:
A classic line from an awesome movie, Madagascar, which is one of the few non-Disney movies that I think really rivals the level of charm, wittiness, beauty, animation. And, of course, no one could forget the hits that keep on coming with the Penguins. They are comic relief, they are hilarious, and this is such a fun quote that we say ALL the time. So, really, we’re so glad, Sam, that you brought it forward. Thank you for being such a long-time listener and fan of ours. We love following you on your journey, and being in your corner, and cheering on all of your success. And, sharing this quote and this memory from the Penguins of Madagascar brought a smile to our face.
Kay:
The advice to just, “Smile and wave” is really layered, and we could take this in all kinds of different ways. But, for the sake of today’s podcast, we’re going to talk about it in the realm of what Sam Flores had said that to those being negative. So, maybe there are negative people around you, or circumstances that are presenting you with negativity or negative feelings in your life. But, it’s your option to just, “Smile and wave.” Now, there are a couple of points to this that might make things a little bit uncomfortable. Because, when negativity is all up in your grill, sometimes it’s hard to smile – let alone wave.
Shi:
Right?! So, there’s two parts to this advice. There’s “smile,” which means keep your good attitude, stay positive, and keep your dang teeth together. Don’t engage, don’t talk back, don’t defend your status, just SMILE. So, keep a positive attitude, and keep your mouth shut. I think that’s all that’s being said here – especially when it comes to critics because you want so badly to defend your honor. You want to give all the reasons, justifications, and background that they perhaps don’t understand. But this “smile” portion of this advice is really encouraging us that the best way forward is the way forward where we keep a positive attitude, we keep our composure, and we keep our mouth shut.
Kay:
And, if you want to hear about the spiraling effects of defending your honor over the course of centuries, join us in tomorrow’s podcast. We have some really interesting things to talk about then, but I love that you have said that we can sometimes have that natural feeling – when there’s that negativity that we’re confronted with – to open your mouth and get involved, right? You have something to say here. Someone’s coming at you, and you deserve to be heard. How many times have I said in my life that I deserve to have my voice heard in this situation? But, oftentimes, it’s best to just, “Smile and wave,” especially in the face of flippant negativity. Now, we’re not saying that if you see injustice to not stand up and do anything. We’re talking about negativity, which means negative vibes that are coming at you from people or circumstances that might not necessarily be congruent with your current path.
Shi:
Well, what I like about the second part of this advice, the “wave” part is that this is really the… if we want to get super deep, this is talking about that surrendering, about that letting go, and about NOT getting attached, right? Because, oftentimes, we get a critic, or a negative moment, or a negative vibe, and maybe we DO keep our mouth shut on the outside, but on the inside, we are fighting those rounds and holding onto it and grudging our hearts out and putting so much energy and mental capacity toward something, when – in truth – we should just be waving. We should just have it become part of our awareness, be in front of us for as long as it is, and then let it go. Wave it as it leaves, give it that greeting, and no more than that. And so, by smiling and waving, there’s really such sage advice coming from probably one of the funniest moments in Madagascar.
Kay:
I almost think about it being like the metaphor of almost, “Life is a parade,” right? And you’re a spectator on the side. And, could you imagine if a float went by that you didn’t necessarily like or that had some people you didn’t like, and you were like, “I am so offended about that particular float.”
Shi:
And then you followed the float and continued to be offended by it…
Kay:
Or, you allow the rest of your parade to get completely ruined because you’re so focused on the one float that you didn’t like, when, in fact, you could have just done what Sam Flores says, which is to those being negative, he’s taken notes from those Penguins of Madagascar and just smiles and waves!
Shi:
All right! So you know that this is all about a “Smile and wave” Quest today. So, your quest is to get weird with us for just a little bit of a second and – to your own self right now – we want you to, “Smile and wave” with us. And, we want you to imagine whatever problem, challenge, issue, or critic that you need to and, “Smile and wave, boys.”
Kay:
“Smile and wave.”
Shi:
We hope you’re smiling and waving with us right now.
Kay:
Because we certainly are!
Shi:
All right, you guys, great job! Now, get out there into the rest of your day because you’ve got a lot ahead of you! Are you ready?
Kay & Shi:
Let’s quest!
