When he has a bad day or isn’t feeling like himself, Daniel Palencia quickly goes to his phone, pulls up his camera roll and starts watching videos.

The Cubs’ flamethrower will watch clips of himself from the minors or majors when he was at his best, sure. But there’s one video above all else that can put him in the right headspace. It has nothing to do with him or even baseball for that matter.

It’s one even he was a bit embarrassed to admit he has.

“I have a small video from Kung Fu Panda that is motivational,” Palencia shyly said in Spanish with a smile. “So, I watch that sometimes and it helps me.”

[MORE: Could Vidal Bruján be a difference-maker for Cubs?]

Why an animated kid’s movie? Well, it’s the uplifting message that the film provides.

For those unfamiliar with the plot, the main character Po is a panda who aspires to be a Dragon Warrior and is thrust into that unlikely position. While being doubted, Po overcomes obstacles and ends up being an unlikely hero, defeating the snow leopard, Tai Lung.

“The whole world doubted him,” Palencia said. “Nobody expected him to be that warrior. He was willing to improve and train every day. That’s something that helped me.”

In a way, it’s like what Palencia went through personally in 2024.

After making his debut in 2023, Palencia entered the next year feeling he could take the next step in his career. That was far from what happened. Palencia suffered injuries and struggled on the field. He finished the year with a 6.14 ERA in 10 appearances at the major-league level and a 4.85 ERA in 33 games with Iowa.

But what broke him the most was the funneling back and forth between Iowa. As a young player with minor-league options, the nature of the business means you could be sent down even if you’re going well.

[READ: Top prospects featured on Cubs roster for MLB Spring Breakout Games]

“Honestly, it affected me a lot mentally because I had never gone through the going up and down from the majors,” Palencia said. “I didn’t understand the options a lot.”

That’s what happened after landing on the IL in May with a shoulder strain. He went on a rehab assignment to Iowa and things began to click on his third rehab outing. He struck out 3 in 1.2 innings and over his next 3 outings, he pitched 3 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit with 5 strikeouts.

After the last rehab outing, instead of being activated and recalled to the majors, he was optioned and would be staying in Iowa.

“The velocity was as high as ever, so I thought ‘It’s the perfect moment to return to the major leagues,’ and they optioned me,” Palencia said. “I took it the wrong way. I was disappointed because I wanted to be in the big leagues.”

Palencia never felt like himself the rest of the year.

“If I’m being honest, I didn’t enjoy the times I was in the big leagues for the pressure that I put on myself,” he admitted.

This offseason, instead of pouting, Palencia vowed to improve on and off the field. He emphasized one word all winter “consistency”. Consistency with his pitches when he was pitching for Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League and consistency in his mental approach when he met with a sports psychologist.

The latter proved so beneficial.

His sports psychologist hit him with a dose of reality that gave him faith in himself, something he lacked for large chunks of 2024.

“There was a time my psychologist told me ‘You throw 100 mph. Do you think it’s easy to hit 100 mph?  Why do you doubt yourself?’” Palencia recalled.

It was a moment of realization.

“It’s something that I knew, but I hadn’t thought about the reality of how good I am,” Palencia said. “It felt good to hear that.”

That, he believes, will help him this season. There very well may be times when he’s pitching well, but the Cubs’ roster construction may dictate he has to stay in the minors or be optioned to Iowa.

Instead of playing the “woe-is-me” card he did last year, he learned the value in flipping his thinking and that’s the approach he hopes to take all season — whether that’s in the major league bullpen or not.

“I’m living the dream that all kids who play baseball have,” Palencia said. “So, I think that’s my mentality — enjoy every day whether it’s at Triple-A or in the big leagues. That’s my mentality — enjoy the game each day. Many would want to be here. I’m part of the 1% that have reached the majors.”