Disney Magical Mindset Podcast

Temple of Growth: Lessons From Indiana Jones Adventure

• Ruben R. Rios • Episode 61

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This week we’re taking inspiration from Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland and what it teaches us about growth, pressure, and finally moving forward.

Nobody boards that ride expecting comfort. It shakes. It jolts. It throws you into darkness. And somehow that’s the fun part.

So why do we love this kind of adventure inside the park, but resist it in our real lives?

In this episode, we break down three Magical Mindset shifts:

  • Stop waiting for permission.
  • The shaking means you’re growing.
  • When the boulder rolls, move.

If you’ve been doubting yourself, waiting for validation, or feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of your next level, this episode is for you.

Helping you reimagine what's possible and step into it! 

Indy’s Anniversary And Big Question

Ruben

Hey pals, welcome back to the Disney Magical Mindset Podcast. My name is Ruben, your Disney Magic Mentor. And this week marks the anniversary of Indiana Jones' adventure at Disneyland, opening back in 1995. Boy, that feels like such a long time ago. It actually was, right? It is. When it debuted, it wasn't just another ride, it expanded Adventureland by 33%. It was groundbreaking, a collaboration between George Lucas and Imagineering, state-of-the-art ride vehicles, massive scale, cinematic storytelling. Man, it was amazing. It is amazing. It's still one of the most popular attractions at Disneyland. But here's what gets me nobody boards that attraction expecting comfort. You know what I mean? Like, really. You strap in knowing it's gonna shake you up, you're gonna be thrown around, it's gonna drop you. There's fire and darkness, a giant boulder rolling straight at you, which is one of the coolest illusions ever. And you smile the whole time. Yeah, you scream a little bit, right? You get excited. Isn't that the point? So here's the question: why do we love adventure in the park, but sometimes resist it in our own lives? Today, I want to give you three powerful, magical mindset lessons, some shifts from the Indiana Jones that might completely reframe the season you're walking through right now. Because maybe the shaking isn't a sign you're off track. Maybe it's proof you're finally moving to the place that you've been dreaming of. So are you ready? Because here we go, about to go on an adventure with Indy. When you enter the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, uh you strapped in, in the Jeep, ready to go, and there's all this drama about choosing the right door. And then, of course, making sure you do not stare into the eyes of Mara. Yeah, you remember when you were like a kid, you you were scared. Like you just wanted to make sure you did not stare into the eyes. And I don't know if you recall that um there was a time when the three doors that were available to you, you can actually go into one of the three. Now, you pretty much just go through the middle. Uh, that's the only door that seems to be available uh to you and me is straight through the middle. But it is intended to make you feel like your destiny hinges on picking the right door. Is it uh door number one? What's behind door number two, or is it door number three? And the real adventure, here's the thing, doesn't begin at the door. I need you to catch this now. It begins when you get in the vehicle and move. Yeah, that's when the adventure, the excitement, right? The anxiety that you might be feeling in your stomach of building up as you're ready to go on this adventure with Indiana Jones. And I think that's where so many people stall out in life. I really do. It's not because they lack vision, not because they lack talent, but because they're waiting for validation. That's why we get stuck in life. That's why we never move and we just stay where we are, because I think people are waiting for uh more people to like them, for more approval, for more reassurance, for more applause. You know, we say we're being cautious or wise or patient, but sometimes we're just doubting ourselves. Let's be real. Let's just, let's just call it what it is. We're just doubting ourselves. And here's what you have to understand: doubt is normal. You're going to doubt yourself. I'm going to doubt myself. It's a normal part of life. But letting it stop you, that's a choice. So yeah, doubt is gonna be there, but you get to choose whether you're gonna allow it to stop you or move you, right? You already have the idea, you already feel the nudge, you already know what you want to build, you know inside, you know in your heart what it is that you desire. And and I want you to know today, you don't need everyone else to like you first. Okay? The need to be liked is usually the need to be validated. And we keep trying to get it from other people, uh, what we refuse to give to ourselves, and we keep waiting for that validation, waiting for that validation, and we're like, well, only when someone likes me, or only when I get validated for what I believe in, then I'm gonna get on the ride. Then I'm gonna strap in, put my seatbutt on, and go uh through those doors. And I'm trying to tell you, no, no, you have to be the one to like you, okay? You gotta start there. You have to believe in you. Because here's what I've learned about people. And some people, yes, they're gonna believe in you, and some people aren't, but you cannot simply wait for others to believe in you in order for you to start. You have to believe in yourself before anyone else does. Because you have this thing that is calling you, and it's hard to share it with others if you don't believe in yourself first. Am I right? You know what I'm saying? Because listen, if you don't, no amount of external approval will ever feel like enough. And if some people don't get you, if some people don't support you, it's okay. They don't have to, right? Everyone has their own opinions, and they are entitled to those opinions, whether they want to believe in you or not. I'm not gonna wait for their belief in me to start. If that's the case for some of us, right? I might be waiting forever. And I don't have time for that because this adventure is too good. Like this, this uh adventure, Indiana Jones, the adventure, it's just too good for me to to not get on the attraction, right? It's just too exciting to to wait and to keep hoping and wishing and wondering for that validation that that I'm waiting for. That for some it it may never come. So here's what I need you to hear today. I want you to believe this about yourself, okay? Again, you don't need from them what you should already know about yourself. I want you to to hear me as your friend, okay? Someone who cares about you. You are capable, you are called, you are more than ready than you think. You have it in you to do what you want in this life. Stop waiting for permission. It's time to get in the vehicle and start moving. And listen, the excitement starts when you move, when you jump in the vehicle, because you know what's coming. The greatest adventure of your life. And if you never get in the vehicle, you're gonna live with the what if and miss out on all that's coming your way because you didn't move. But it's time to move. We're gonna move. I'm jumping in the vehicle, I'm jumping in the jeep. Let's go. Are you ready? Come on, let's do this. Here we go, through those doors to the greatest adventure of our lives. Now let's talk about the ride vehicle. You know, the jeep that you get in. And what's so cool is you already know, especially if you've been on this attraction over and over and over again, it doesn't glide. You know what it does? It jerks, it shakes, it feels chaotic. But guess what? It's supposed to. It's engineered that way on purpose. The imagineers were intentional in creating this kind of ride vehicle. The instability is on purpose, right? It's intentional. And I want you to just take a moment to think about your life. Ever feel like when you have a new responsibility, it's just overwhelming? Or you're trying to get to the next level, and that next level just feels uncomfortable. You know, healing your mind, your soul. It it feels messy sometimes. And especially when you're trying to get through through that breakthrough, through that wall, you know, that that that challenging part of your life, or or stepping out publicly, it feels risky, doesn't it? And we assume, we always kind of assume that something's wrong. But what if discomfort isn't dysfunction? Mm-hmm. Yeah, hear me. What if it's development? You don't ride Indiana Jones hoping for smooth pavement. Nobody gets on the attraction and and hopes that it's just gonna be a smooth ride, right? Because you already know that that's just not the case. You you get on it. And this is the amazing thing. You get on the attraction, if you've been on this attraction, you get on Indiana Jones Adventure because it feels alive, like it does something to you. You get excited, and that's exactly what happens with growth. Uh growth stretches your capacity. And here's the truth that you need to hear today, my friends. You cannot ask for adventure and demand comfort. Yeah, they don't exist, they don't, excuse me, coexist. If your world feels like it's shaking, maybe you're not falling apart, maybe you're leveling up. And and that's the mindset shift today. If if it feels a little shaky in life, perhaps it's because right now you're at this pivotal moment, this breakthrough, and you're beginning to level up, right? Don't interpret motion as failure, interpret it as expansion. Because when you get on the attraction, you know you're gonna expect bumps, you're gonna expect those turns, it's gonna get chaotic, right? But you cannot simply see it as something that is trying to stop you from having fun. You gotta embrace it and be like, yo, yeah, this is part of the fun. We're leveling up right here. It's almost like you expect it, right? You expect the discomfort, you expect the um sense of being overwhelmed, you expect the messiness, but it's just part of the process. Just like the ride. You're gonna get on the attraction and you know what's coming. And you cannot allow your mind to believe that just because it's uncomfortable, it means that something's wrong. Because it's development, it's game-changing time. This is this, this is this moment right here that is about to lead you to your biggest breakthrough, but you gotta stay on the ride, you gotta keep going, you got to embrace those bumps, those tosses, those turns, because it's leading you somewhere. Listen, the bumps aren't meant to break you, they're meant to lead you to your breakthrough. And as long as you remember that and you continue to stay on the adventure, you will finally get to where you want to go. Let's go, friends. Now, Indy has saved the best for last, and so have we. Because there's this moment, you know, at the very end of the ride, as you're ready to come home now, and you've made it safely out of the temple of the forbidden eye, and your adventure has inspired you and encouraged you, and you're like, yo, we got this. This has been one of the coolest adventures. And see, that's the power, right? Now you have a story to tell because of what you've experienced. Oh, yes. But there's this moment at the end, that giant rolling boulder that looks like it's coming straight at you, and now you know you think you've made it out safe, and all of a sudden you got this boulder that's coming to you, and and it looks like the end every time, doesn't it? It's it's such an amazing uh illusion that the imagineers do there. It is fantastic, right? If you've experienced it, you've seen it, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But notice when it appears. This is powerful. Don't miss this. Not at the beginning. The boulder doesn't come at the beginning. Notice how it comes at the end. It shows up after the snakes, after the fire, after the darkness, after the bumps, after the bruises, after like all that you've been through on this chaotic adventure. It's the final push. And I want you to know that's how life works too. You survive so much, and then something even bigger shows up. I want to encourage you. Some of you have gone through so much, but you got to continue to hang in there because I want you to know that something bigger is coming, and this is what happens. You've been through the pressure, you've been through the opposition, you've experienced the pain, you've gone to the resistance, right? You've you've you've resisted, man, and your instinct is to freeze. I know it because I've been there. It's what happens. That's what we want to do in those moments. But I want you to know just like Indiana didn't freeze, you don't either, right? He runs and he runs forward. And here's what I love about that image: the boulder isn't there to destroy you, although it feels like it. But look what you've come through. Look at what you've been through already. You've already gone so far. So you can't just come this far and give up now, even though it feels like, oh, here comes the other boulder. What am I gonna do now? No, the boulder isn't there to destroy you, it's there to force movement. Isn't that right? Yeah, we have an option here. We could stay there and get smashed by the boulder, even though we know that's not gonna happen because we're on this cool ride. It's there to force movement. This is what I love about pressure. Pressure reveals direction, right? It kind of forces you. You gotta do something. You can either stay there and hurt yourself, or you can go. And yes, risk hurting yourself, but I would rather move than stay back in a place and miss out on what's coming ahead of me because I froze. No, we gotta move. Sometimes what feels like it's chasing you is actually pushing you into your next level. That's what the boulder does. It's big, it's huge. It's coming towards you and me, and then we feel that moment, that exhilarating moment on the ride with Indy when it we we go back a little bit in reverse, and then we plunge down, right? Away from the big boulder, the big rock coming our way. Don't freeze when the pressure rises. That is your reminder to move. It's your reminder to move, my friends. Messy movement is still movement. Just move. And movement breaks free uh fear, because this is what happens. You've seen it, you've experienced it before. Some of you might have been afraid to go on Indiana Jones or some of these uh rides at Disneyland or Walt Disney World, and then you get on it, right? You you go through the ride, and then you get this momentum, you get this courage. You're like, okay, I can do this. And that's what I don't want you to miss the powerful life lesson from Indiana Jones adventure. Look at what you've gone through to get to the end. You've done it. You've been through all the hardships, the chaos in the ride. You've gone through the snakes, through the fire, through the bridge that looks like it's gonna collapse. You've been through it. And look at what happened. You made it. You made it to the to the other side. And that movement, right? That you just kept moving. That boulder was coming that right, but you kept moving, and that movement is what breaks fear. So you gotta keep going because guess what? That's what empowers you to get to that next level. That's what empowers you to believe that you can get through the next bump, through the next hardship, through the next pressure when it rises. Like you can do this. If you got through this ride, you can get to the next one. Ooh, you all got me excited today. Okay, let's let's bring this down. And as we wrap up here today, for over 30 years, people have willingly, listen to this now, people have willingly stepped into that attraction, Indiana Jones Adventure, and have embraced controlled chaos. Why? We have to ask why. Well, I'll tell you why. Because adventure makes you feel alive. So maybe the instability in your life isn't punishment. Maybe it's invitation. It's your invitation, right? It's like, hey, here you go. Are you ready for the adventure? Stop waiting for permission. Expect the shaking. Run when the pressure hits, okay? And by that I mean when the boulder comes, you have two options. You either stay and get hit, or you you keep moving and you keep going. You weren't meant to just play it safe. We're not meant to play it safe. If that were the case, we would never get on these rides. But there's something about them, the way they make us feel. Growth is part of your story. Believe it, embrace it. That's what stretches you and keeps pushing you forward. And it's the growth that feels like adventure. Okay? Man, I appreciate you all so very much. If if this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who feels stuck or maybe someone who's waiting for approval or overwhelmed by the shaking in their life. And remember, the magic doesn't stay inside the gates of Disneyland. It follows you home. I believe this with all my heart, which is why I do what I do. I want you to know that the magic in Disneyland or Walt Disney World isn't just something that is meant to stay there. You get to take it home. So, until next time, keep dreaming, keep believing, keep moving forward, and when the boulder rolls your way, run toward your destiny. Alright? Because you were built for the adventure. And I am so excited to share this adventure with you. Thank you. Remember always, you are the magic because the magic is in you.