When in Doubt, Be a Leslie Knope

#BellLetsTalk

There are days when my heart weighs as heavy as Jabba the Hutt and today is that day. Anchored by the sheer weight of disappointment and self-doubt, my movement starts to become lethargic and my body feels vulnerable to all kinds of forces, with little hope to evade or face them. Above all, I feel like a charlatan following an illusory path for success, like the gangster and swindler that Jabba the Hutt is as he worms through the unforgiving conditions of the galaxy far far away. And indeed the world seems so empty, as I stand in the middle of its vacuum while latching onto my aspirations that have given me both hope and hopelessness. I feel sadness. I want to explode in anger. I wish for a higher power so that I can curse at it. “Why me?!”, I would yell at the top of my lungs. “What else was I suppose to do?”, I question myself repeatedly, knowing perfectly well that doing so will only intensify my regret.

But as time goes by and when the negativity becomes unbearable, I start to ask a different question, one that not everybody may ask themselves: “What would Leslie Knope do in this situation?”. I put myself in the shoes of a humble employee at the Parks and Recreation department of a small county that a cockroach could care less about, but with aspirations to bring about positive change at a federal level and with inspirations to walk alongside female leaders like Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. If Leslie really existed in real life, I’d like to ask her, “Why so positive?”, because I wish I had her level of optimism, one that is never shaken by setbacks. No, her optimism is what I need now. In the show Parks and Recreation, Leslie seemed to have little to no hope of achieving her goals. After all, what can a mid-level bureaucratic cogwheel do from a minor department, no less? But Leslie kept working hard. She never forgot her passion for government work. Despite the scoffs from the public and colleagues, Leslie maintained an unparalleled positivity that eventually presented her with the opportunity to lead the National Park Service. Along the way, I watched her become fulfilled with life at her county with the many meaningful relationships she has built to make her happy.

Hopelessness is a perception. Today, I had expectations of myself that did not fall through. Any ambition can be achieved, but not if I succumb so easily to the failures in between. Leslie had her own path to success that she defined herself, untethered by peer pressure or skepticism. And I have my own path. I know what I want to accomplish, even if it must take another year, 5 more years, 10 more years… To endure the marathon of struggles, however, we need to be like Leslie Knope, a person whose confidence, cheerfulness, and compassion never misses a beat because they stick to their ambitions with unwavering dedication. By failing, we do not disappoint anyone. Maybe we disappoint ourselves time to time, but not everything is within our control. Leslie only controlled the things she can control: her attitude and beliefs. Yet as she kept going, the opportunities started to present themselves. So I too will wait. I will work harder. I will be open about my weaknesses so that they can be fixed. To be a Leslie Knope does not mean to be a perfect human. Leslie was far from that. It simply means to stay passionate about yourself. And if I can’t be a Leslie Knope immediately today, then I will find one to be with. To be a Leslie Knope also means to surround yourself with benevolent people, because they felt inspired to be so from you. I am lucky to always have such people by my side. As they light the fire within my heart of dull ember, I will rise from the ashes and I will chant, “It CAN be done. And it WILL be done!”