Surprising life wisdoms that are presented in a really fun way and with cheerful illustrations. That is what you can expect from the book ‘Big Panda and Tiny Dragon’. Definitely a book to fall in love with and certainly not your standard self-help book! I was already a big fan of the book ‘The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse’, which has conquered a permanent place on my bedside table. But nowadays the book has to share that place with another gem: ‘Big Panda and Tiny Dragon’. Also a beautiful collection full of quotes and stories to think about! I bundle my most beautiful lessons from the book in this article.
About ‘Big Panda and Tiny Dragon’
If, like me, you have had the book ‘ The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse ‘ on your shelf for years, then you have probably already been tipped off about ‘Big Panda and Tiny Dragon’. The books are similar in approach; only the story, the life lessons and the drawings are of course completely different.
If you read the entire book of ‘Big Panda and Tiny Dragon’ , you will be absorbed in a story about the journey of Big Panda and Tiny Dragon. But the pages are also a beautiful story in themselves. Every two sentences contain a life lesson. But in a light-hearted way without it feeling like one piece of wisdom is being sprinkled after another . These are beautiful quotes that make you think for a moment without it being too obvious, precisely because they are bundled in a picture book.
Bart and I both regularly pick up the book and open it to a random page. I don’t know how, but I almost always end up with a page in front of me that contains exactly the beautiful wisdom that I can use at that moment. It is also a book that you don’t read in one go and then put away, but that you can pull out of the closet again and again for a piece of encouragement on paper.
This is how the author himself describes the book in the blurb:
Two beloved friends, Big Panda and Tiny Dragon, travel together through the seasons of the year. On their way they often get lost, and although they do not know where they are, they discover many beautiful sights that they would never have found if they had followed the right path.
Together they explore the thoughts and emotions, hardships and happiness that connect us all. In nature they learn how to live in the moment, how to make peace with uncertainty, and how to find the strength to overcome life’s obstacles together.
Author and artist James Norbury illustrated the adventures of Big Panda & Tiny Dragon, inspired by Buddhist philosophy and spirituality, to share the ideas that helped him through his toughest times, and he hopes they can help you too.
6 beautiful quotes from ‘Big Panda and Tiny Dragon’
I know the book ‘Big Panda and Tiny Dragon’ from front to back. When I’m happy, the book makes me extra happy. When I’m feeling down or when my courage sinks, the book is my “Come on, come on!” push in the back. After many reading sessions, these are the 6 quotes from the book that I find the most beautiful (and that you might find useful too).
1. “There are days when just getting up is a victory.”
Doesn’t sound very positive, I know. But I think this is a nice quote to always remember on bad days. Sometimes you can feel like a failure on a bad day. What have I actually achieved? Why didn’t I take 20 steps towards that one goal? I really want to achieve that?! Why does everything seem to be going well for everyone and I can’t make any progress? Well, that’s how my brain sometimes works naturally when I’m feeling a bit down. At such moments I find this a nice quote to imprint on myself.
It’s okay to feel stupid. There’s nothing wrong with giving in to that feeling of shit once in a while. And you don’t always have to be chasing your goals and taking big steps to quickly check off your giant to-do list from start to finish. Even if it seems like your entire Instagram following has it better than you. Realize that on bad days, sometimes it’s good enough to just get up, do your hair, and take a shower. Period. No need to feel guilty! And besides: even those “perfect” Instagrammers have days like this.
Rest, take your time and remember that tomorrow is another day that will hopefully bring more positivity.
2. “If you are too busy to look at the flowers, you should do it.”
In the book I also came across this quote, which pretty much sums up what I sometimes encounter:
‘I am too busy to look at the flowers now,’ said Tiny Dragon.
‘Then you should do it,’ said Big Panda.
‘And tomorrow they may not be there anymore.’
Nowadays, “Good, really busy!” is a completely accepted answer to the question “How are you?”. It is therefore not surprising that busyness sometimes almost seems the norm and that many people regularly complain about full agendas, busy weeks and a chronic lack of time. And I have to admit: I too have weeks in which I get annoyed by too many social things or by household chores that I don’t feel like doing ( it’s a shame that cats can’t take them off your hands… ). At such moments, I am sometimes so busy that I forget to enjoy everything that is there.
At those moments I try to imprint this quote on myself to take a moment to reflect on my beautiful work, my dear boyfriend, my nice house, my nice cat, the cool people around me, my well-stocked fridge… I realize all too well, because of the loss of several people around me, that it is not self-evident that the people around you are always there. An extra good reason to enjoy that more! Even at the moments when you feel too busy to be there at your best. Maybe especially then.
Doing something you can enjoy and relax by is always a relief. And with an empty head and a better mood everything goes better and faster. Even writing the hellish annual report with a pressing deadline or the big kitchen clean.
So: make time for the things and people that make you happy. Block out moments for them in your calendar, push yourself to go out and learn to say ‘no’ to things that are less important or try to see that there is always something to move.
3. “We wouldn’t have found this if we hadn’t taken so many wrong turns”
This quote sums up exactly how I try to approach things when I don’t know what to do :
“What a beautiful garden,” said Little Dragon.
Big Panda nodded.
“And we wouldn’t have found it if we hadn’t taken the wrong path so often.”
There is nothing wrong with making the wrong choices, falling hard and then continuing on with a limp and some serious scrapes. Of course that is terribly annoying and sometimes painful. It is always better if you do the right thing straight away and notice that you are on the right track. But the nice thing about taking the wrong turn is that you know afterwards that this was apparently not the right road to take. So you can skip that turn next time and you are much closer to the road you should be on.
Sometimes you don’t know right away how to get to your goal or what is best for you at this moment. Then discovering what you don’t want is already a wonderful first step, which also helps you further.
What I also often say to myself:
Taking the wrong step is always better than standing there like a stick and doing nothing out of fear. Then you will never get there at all. In any case, every time you make a mistake or fall, you become a little wiser, which brings you closer to your goal.
4. “Every decision on your journey brings you closer to or further away from where you want to go.”
This quote from Big Panda and Tiny Dragon can be interpreted the same as the previous statement: every step you take can bring you closer to your dream destination. But I interpret it a little differently:
Realize that every decision you make can be important. A small choice you make now can be a first important step in something you want to grow in. Just as a small step that pleases or goes against your feelings can (also in the long term) get in the way of your happiness.
This is something I – still a bit of a pleaser – often tell myself when I am faced with a difficult mini-choice.
A recent one was when I received an invitation for the BYE (Black Youth Entrepreneurs) meeting on Wednesday evening. I just had a very busy week ahead of me (including an annoying dentist appointment, a tough coaching session and a long day in Houston). So if there was one thing I didn’t feel like doing, it was the BYE meeting on one of my few free evenings. Now you can also give a proxy at our BYE. Then you vote, but you don’t have to be present. That would give me a free evening and time to recover from the other appointments. But yes, could I do that? Shouldn’t I follow my great sense of responsibility and just go?
At that moment I realized – partly thanks to this quote – that this one choice is about more than just where I invest those 2 hours of my time:
- I can now decide to go. Not because I have to (a proxy is also sufficient!) or because I want to, but purely because I cannot resist the pleasing voice inside me. With that I choose to be tired at the end of the week and my pleasing voice gains ground.
- Or I can decide not to go. That way I choose myself, which gives me self-confidence, and I can be fully focused on other things. I can recharge on Wednesday evening, feel better and I have the feeling that I am in control of my own agenda.
It seems very normal to just say “yes” to something that doesn’t fit or that you don’t want (and that you don’t need at all!). But realize that many of those small choices together will take you further away from your goal ( self-confidence , more time for yourself, less pleasing , taking up a fun hobby, etc.). Conversely, that one small choice to do what makes you happy today can also bring you much more than just two hours off: more self-confidence, a sense of control over your life, relief, a better mood…
5. “Don’t you know how to get out of the pit? Then I’ll come and sit with you.”
That you don’t have to do everything alone is one of the most important things I learned in my twenties. You are not alone when you are having a hard time. You don’t always have to kung fu fight with the thoughts in your head. And you don’t have to crawl out of the pit on your own or go looking for rays of light if that is too tough right now. There are people who can help you. If you just let them know that you could use that helping hand, that listening ear or just an arm around your shoulder.
There is this beautiful quote about this in the book Big Panda and Tiny Dragon:
“I don’t know how to get out of this pit,” said Tiny Dragon.
Big Panda smiled. “Then I’ll come and sit with you.”
When I am struggling with something and I am a little bit hopeless wondering how I can get out of that situation or emotion, this one thing helps me: indicating that I could use someone’s help. Sometimes that is in the form of a listening ear when I am struggling with something. Sometimes a coach who helps me find the answers to difficult questions. And sometimes just someone who can take over some tasks that I thought were absolutely on my plate.
Getting out of the pit may seem difficult. But know: “the only way is up” and you don’t have to do it alone.
6. “Listening to someone is one of the most beautiful things you can do for them.”
I find it very intense to see people sad. I would love to solve their past situations, relieve worries, blow sadness into the wind and remove the entire cause… But yes, that is not that easy. Moreover, sadness is sometimes part of it and not every situation can be solved or soothed. But that does not mean that you as a friend, family member or acquaintance are useless to that person. You can still mean a lot, just maybe in a different way than you think.
Know that you don’t always have to do more than offer a listening ear. Often you can’t solve bad situations for the other person and sometimes sadness is too big to put it into perspective. Or maybe someone’s life is too dark to see a light. Try not to get frustrated about the fact that you “can’t do anything”. Sometimes just listening to that person and simply being there is the most beautiful and important thing you can do for that person.
