‘Once you realize you have potential, it’s up to you to invest in yourself’
I find that a lot of the shows I watch revolve around characters trying to pursue their dreams. Sometimes it’s characters lying on a patch of grass, watching the sunset as they imagine a future filled with their ambition. Or sometimes its characters on a star-lit night stroll, opening up to someone they’re walking with about what they really want to do with their life. The show, Shugo Chara, however, spins the dream angle in a very different way. The anime emphasizes how every person has a dream waiting to be desired within themselves. Shugo Chara teaches us a lot about having dreams and that they aren’t only for children but for adults as well.
Cultivating your potential
Every episode of Shugo Chara begins with a narration of how every person is born with an egg in their soul. This egg carries the individual’s potential self within it. When a child becomes old enough to recognize their dream, the egg then hatches and a character, representing who the child wants to become, emerges. It’s then up to the individual to pursue their dream and cultivate their potential selves.
The moral of the story is that every person is capable of having a dream and being able to pursue it. The key is to invest in yourself. For example, If you want to become an artist, you might have to invest hours of time into art.
Additionally, effort isn’t just limited to honing a skill. If you want to become a doctor, that requires a rigorous amount of studying and schooling. However, once you realize you have potential it’s up to you to invest in yourself.
You may waver
Just like in the show, there have been characters whose eggs have been annihilated either by eternal forces or because they have resorted to negativity. As a result, their eggs became corrupted and in return, they have transformed into X-eggs.
However, through talking out the situation and a good ‘ol powered up magical beam, these eggs can revert from X-eggs to their original form.
A student may study for hours on end for an exam and reach a point where they are so fed up that they turn to something more entertaining and less stressful. That isn’t to say that their goal is unachievable, but for the moment, it seems like it is because of all the added stress. When negativity comes our way we need to find healthy ways to divert or resolve it.
One way to deal with stress is to talk out the situation with someone who will actively listen. There may not be a solution immediately but sometimes venting can give you some time to rehash things in your mind. It’s natural to waver when we work towards something without immediate results. Think of it this way, in the long run, you are a few more steps closer to your goal and you’re learning fundamental character building like patience and persistence along the way.
It’s not the end
The show points out that there are plenty of adults who don’t have their eggs within them and as a result, they live their lives without aspirations. However, it also points out that adults can restore their lost egg and therefore regain their dream. One of the earlier antagonists in the show, an adult named Nikaidou, had destroyed his egg when his dream about pursuing robotics under the guidance of his teacher was dashed. However, when he addressed the root of his unhappiness his egg manifested itself again, alluding that he may one day revisit his former dream.
Just because you don’t have an immediate goal doesn’t mean you don’t have a reason to keep moving on with your life. Even if you don’t have something to pursue as of right now, you can have other commitments like family and friends. Yes, you may no longer see yourself as a legendary soccer player, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find a new dream in life. Even if it’s as simple as living a happy life with your loved ones, I believe it’s worth pursuing. And maybe one day your old dream will pull you back in and you’ll be chasing it once again.