Growing up, I was a huge fan of the 1990s Nick shows. You name it, I watched it. Doug, Rugrats, All That, Kenan and Kel, Rocko’s Modern Life, Clarissa Explains it all, Double Dare, etc. But one of my all-time favorite shows was the game show, Legends of the Hidden Temple. Looking back, this EPIC game show taught me several life lessons.
1. The Silver Monkey is Three Pieces!
I can remember watching the kids on the show and thinking they were all really, really dumb! The Silver Monkey was the puzzle they needed to put together to unlock all the doors in Olmec’s Temple to win the big prize. The Silver Monkey was three pieces: A head, a body, and feet. It wasn’t that hard, but yet most of the contestants couldn’t figure it out in the time constraints.
Life Lesson #1: In order to be successful, you need to get through the challenges placed in front of you. The Silver Monkey was the puzzle, or challenge, that stood in the way of many teams’ success. There will always be Silver Monkeys along the way. It’s those that can persevere and solve the puzzles that will be successful.
2. If you were partnered with the fat (and/or stupid) kid, you always lost.
Sure, pick on the fat kid. I’m not trying to be mean. But if you noticed, the team(s) with the overweight kid(s) usually didn’t even get past the first challenge. That first challenge was always to get across the moat. The moat was like the mile run in gym class. No matter how hard the fat kids tried, they always ended up finishing last.
Life Lesson #2: It’s important to be healthy and stay active. I’m not just talking about physical fitness. It’s also important to be mentally tough.The winning teams on the show usually were composed of both athletic and smart individuals. These kids were able to get through both the physical challenges (like the moat) as well as the trivia questions (a.k.a. the steps of knowledge).
3. Let’s face it, it’s all about the big prize!
I tried for years to get on that show with no luck. The main reason I wanted to be on that show was for those prizes. The host Kirk Cameron did a great job of promoting those prizes and making every kid in America jealous of the “lucky contestants.” Those prizes were usually really cool at the time and included moon shoes (Remember those?), cds, walkmans, and of course the coveted grand prize for those who unlocked Olmec’s Temple. That was always a big vacation.
Life Lesson #3: If you put in lots of hard work with maybe a little luck along the way, you too can win the big prize. Successful career men and women don’t magically become successful. They have to put in a lot of time and effort to get that way.
