01/30/2025
“How can kung fu stop something that stops kung fu?”
In Kung Fu Panda 2, Po asks this question in shock, as he learns of the new deadly cannons that have slain kung fu masters.
Po’s journey to overcome these cannons has a great lesson for us.
It defines his character, leads him to accept himself, and makes him almost “burnout-proof.”
Let’s dive in.
First, let’s reframe the question so its more relevant to us:
“How can peace stop the toxic stress that destroys peace?”
Think about your day-to-day experience…
Whenever someone unloads their stress on you, what’s your response?
Do you:
—Fight back, or
—Stuff it down?
Neither response is truly peaceful. Both will hurt you… making you weaker and unable to do your best. Both will eventually make you sick.
If you’re thinking, “Is there a third option?”
Yes, there is.
Like Po learned how to redirect cannonballs by developing inner peace, you can redirect a stressful situation towards something constructive and purposeful.
To get there, you’ll need 3 key shifts:
1. Know, “It’s not about me.”
The negativity being dumped on you doesn’t define you; it tells the other person’s story.
But your inner response does define you. That’s what you need to work on.
During his training, Po struggled to redirect the water drop, because he was eager to prove himself. But once he accepted himself, he realized inner peace and unlocked his new ability.
2. Get more resilient.
Being resilient is not the same as being tough. It’s often the opposite. Like Po learned, he didn’t have to face the cannonballs head-on.
As the saying goes, you can’t fight fire with fire.
Or in the words of Lao Zi, “The soft and gentle overcome the hard.”
3. Self-heal often to let go of your triggers.
How did Po finally learn to redirect water drops…and cannonballs?
He healed his trauma.
Up to that point, he had been focused on “me, me, me.” His childhood trauma had led to identity crisis, impostor syndrome, and more.
The more trauma we carry, the more guarded and insecure we are. In this state, we’re easily triggered.
Po’s turning point was when he saw the remains of the village where he was born, and the traumatic memories rushed to the surface.
At that moment, he could have kept running from the pain… or he could have let it crush him…
But instead, he dealt with it… and finally let it go.*
Having found inner peace, he realized the way to redirect the water drop… and the cannonballs.
When you address these three aspects, you can radically change your response the next time someone throws their stress at you.
Like Po redirected the cannonballs, you can redirect the conversation… from dwelling on the problems to finding the solution.
Ultimately, that’s what the other person is seeking. But their trauma is keeping them stuck in problem mode. So when you stand firmly in solution mode, you’re helping everyone involved.
This is how you become a peaceful high performer. It starts within.
To your inner peace,
Hardeep & Yanan
*P.S. Need help letting go of past pain that keeps getting triggered? DM us...let's talk.
