My daughter is a big Disney fan. And let's be honest, I am too. I love their movies. They always have a great message.
So last weekend we snuggled up on the couch and watched their newest movie, Wish, which is a celebration of one hundred years of Disney. And once again, Disney delivered a great message.
*Spoiler Alert*
The movie is about our deepest wishes and desires, our dreams, and how they are unique and special to each one of us. In the story, people give their wishes to the king of the land because he, and only he (he's also a sorcerer), has the power to make these wishes and dreams come true.
One by one, people give their wishes to the king sorcerer to keep until HE chooses who gets their wish granted. And in the process something interesting happens to these people - they feel lost, lonely and sad because their wish is no longer a part of them.
We do this don't we? We give other people power over our dreams and wishes. I know I have (and still can at times).
We project our inner fears onto the world around us, comparing ourselves to others.
Is it a good idea? Should I do it? Am I good enough to do this? I’m not as good as they are.
Stuff like that.
We second guess our abilities and in the process we give our power away like the town people did in the movie. We let fear dictate our reality because our wish is safer tucked away as opposed to failing at it.
Take me for example. I've been in the stands with a children's book I wrote years ago that's sitting on my desktop, nice and neat, safely tucked away.
I sent out a couple of queries to agents and after I got a couple of "no's" I stopped pursuing it. I let other people take control of my wish.
That's me being in the stands watching other people on the court. That's me giving the power of my wish away to someone else. My precious dream put on the shelf.
Nobody needs to give you permission to chase your dreams. All you have to do is just go and do it.
Feel it. Let it be a part of you.
But you have to action. You're either on the court playing or you're in the stands watching other people take action.
So let me ask you - are you failing forward as you pursue your dreams or are you watching others in awe saying things like "How did they do that?"
If a wish or a dream is calling you, get out there and go after it. Face your fears and I promise you your life will look different on the other side.
I'm going to go find an illustrator for my children's book. What are you going to pursue?
Love,
Zak