Lovelier Thoughts, My Dear!

Does anyone remember the scene in Peter Pan where Peter teaches the children how to fly?  All it took was a dash of Tinkerbell’s fairy dust and some “lovely thoughts.”  As each child let go of skepticism and embraced the the best thing they could possibly imagine, they slowly rose into flight.

That may have been one of my earliest messages about the power of positive believing.  I admit I had a bit of a let-down though, when I stood on top of the TV, thinking positively brilliant and lovely thoughts… but lift-off never occurred.  I always blamed that failure-to-launch on lack of proper fairy dust.

So, while believing I could fly never did get me airborne, it nevertheless got me to try.  I believed I could do it, so I gave it a go.  No fear of failure kept me from blasting Mary Martin on the record player, pushing a chair up to the mammoth black-and-white TV console, climbing aboard, flapping my arms and singing “I’m Flying” at the top of my lungs. 

Looking back, I don’t remember being disappointed in the outcome.  I didn’t really have an investment in the outcome; I was more interested in the experience.  What I do remember was being lost in the moment… of imagining I was soaring along with Peter and Wendy and feeling as joyous and free as trusting young children can.

Many of us lose that against-all-odds ability to believe in ourselves.  That’s the belief that fuels our passions and forges dreams.  It is so often replaced by fear of failure, a demon that erodes self-confidence and convinces us we shouldn’t even try.   Every missed opportunity to “give it a go” takes us farther away from being the person we dream about being.

Where are you along that continuum?   Are you pursuing your dreams today?  Is your belief in yourself strong and thriving? Or has fear of failure crept in and prevented you from daring to try something new and exciting?

Here’s a Positive Change strategy:  Take a moment to recapture your own early memories of I-can-do-anything belief.  Is there a defining experience you can re-live or share with someone else?  Dig deep and really go for it!  Get back in touch with childhood enchantment and optimism and see if you can re-ignite your belief in yourself and become inspired to take a step closer to achieving your dreams today.

Yours in Positive Change,