While one never really outgrows anything Disney (I hope), there is a part of me that finds it difficult to relate to Fairy Godmothers and talking animals. In spite of this, I watch the princess movies any chance I get. As I get older, I find some very relevant business lessons that we should all take to heart. This is what I learned from the last time I watched Cinderella.
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“I want to tell you a secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer. Have courage and be kind. For where there is kindness, there is goodness and where there is goodness, there is magic.”
Regardless of what life had to throw at Cinderella she refused to despair. To be fair, Cinderella had a lot of things to complain about. Her mother died. Her father remarried – to a horrible woman at that – and then he died. Then her step mother and step sisters turned her into a house servant and took everything away from her. I’m pretty sure that would cause me moments of despair. It’s not that she never felt despair. It is that she felt it, acknowledged it, but refused to wallow in it.
Not only did she refuse to wallow in despair, but she faced it with courage and kindness. It takes courage to be kind. It takes courage to understand that those who are causing you pain are usually facing pain themselves and this is their means of coping. It takes courage to understand that things in business don’t always work out the way you want them to as fast as you want them to. Having the courage to approach your business with kindness does create magic.
“Just because it is done doesn’t mean it should be done.”
Just because things have always been done a certain way, does not mean there isn’t a better way to do them or that they should be done at all. Being brave enough to ask questions and challenge the status quo can lead to great changes in attitude, culture, community and your business.
“To be seen as we truly are is the biggest risk we will ever take. Will we be enough as we really are?”
Allowing others to see us as we truly are is a real and scary risk. Are we smart enough, are we pretty enough, are we social enough, are we a good enough business owner? These are all questions we ask when evaluating the risk/reward of being seen as we are. The truth is, we will never be enough for everyone, but we will always be enough for the right ones. By putting our real selves out there we will attract the right ones to us and keep from cluttering our lives with the wrong ones… always making the risk worth it. Besides, trying to be something other than our true selves is just plain exhausting.
“Cinderella believed in dreams, all right, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn’t come along, she went over to the palace and got him.” – Walt Disney
It’s not enough to merely dream. You must believe enough in your dreams that you are willing to take action and make them happen. The most successful people I know haven’t let circumstances or outside influences stand in their way of greatness. Nor have they waited around for someone to make it happen for them. Rather they use their resourcefulness, perseverance, and belief in themselves to move them forward to achieve what they desire.
“Never look back. If Cinderella went to pick up her shoe, she would have never become a princess.”
Fixating on the past keeps us from making progress and allowing new opportunities to open up for us. There is a quote that I found on thecelebritypix.com that I like, even though I’m unsure who said it, that states, “you’ll never see all of the awesome things ahead of you, if you keep looking at all the bad things behind you.” I’m convinced it’s good to look back long enough to reflect and learn, but staying there only keeps you from moving forward and claiming what is yours.
And finally…
“Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life.”
This quote is not actually in the movie (I don’t think) but I see it everywhere and love it – BECAUSE IT IS TRUE!
I know that Cinderella is just a fairy tale. But I hope all that watch, learn as I did, that even when you have a Fairy Godmother, you have responsibility for living life true to who you are, for challenging the status quo, for being kind and courageous, and for making things happen…in your life and in your business. Bippity, Boppity, Boo!
STACY OLDFIELD
After nearly 25 years in Corporate America, Stacy launched Minerva Management Partners as a way to combine those years of business experience with her life coaching certification and love for coaching women. Minerva Management Partners is a business coaching practice designed to support women entrepreneurs committed to launching and growing their business. Also, as a Results Coach with Robbins Research International, Stacy helps business women to focus their ideas and efforts and holds them accountable for achieving their goals. Whether it’s helping women discover creative solutions to their business challenges, coaching them to be clear and decisive, or helping them see and take action on new opportunities, Stacy guides them to achieve the business and career results they are seeking. Stacy is also the creator of the Minerva 3-Day Networking Challenge and the Network Like a Boss Lady On-Demand training program. Stacy has been invited to speak to many audiences within South Carolina including the Center for Women, Women Entrepreneurs of Charleston, the Women of the Workforce program of the Naval Information Warfare Center (SPAWAR), Charleston Women in Business, Association of Fundraising Professionals, SCANPO, graduate classes at both The Citadel and the College of Charleston (CofC), and Leadership CofC. She currently serves as a mentor through the Women of Excellence Program at Xavier University and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Beautiful Gate Center and on the advisory board of the SC Women’s Business Center.
