We all know the beginnings to the stories, "Once upon a time there was a fair maiden..."
These quotations are often followed by a princess who longs for her dream to come true, a little bit of struggle and then a fairy-tale ending complete with a smokin' hot prince and a kingdom. We are fed this kind of story over and over again as children. We are told time and time again that dreams come true if we believe hard enough. As a child, our dreams seem to attainable and so real. We see ourselves as astronauts, doctors, movie stars and professional athletes so easy. Our imaginations allow us to be anything we want to be because there is no reason for us not to believe in ourselves. We have confidence and do not even think to question our capabilities of making something happen. If Mickey Mouse can do it, then so can I.
As we get older of course, we convince ourselves that certain dreams are impossible. We begin to listen to the critic inside of our heads and not the dreamer. I honestly wish I knew when that stage began, when the hatred of the world started yelling at us and when we began to listen...
"You're not smart enough. You're not driven enough. You're not attractive enough. You're not skinny enough. You're not slutty enough. You're not pure enough. You're not fun enough. You're not liked enough."
I wish I knew when those voices become louder than the dreamer inside of us. In the words of Walt Disney, "Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional." There is no reason to stop dreaming, or to stop listening to the child in all of us. There are happy endings, but just as Walt teaches us, there are also hard beginnings. Belle didn't become Princess without taming a few beasts first. The only reality we should be aware of is that we are our own Fairy Godmothers.
There are happy endings if we are willing to try hard enough and have confidence. If you want to be successful, put those hours in with the books. stay until the early morning at the library, have endless email threads with your professors, write way too many pages of notes until you get it. If you want a happy family, communicate with them and say what's on your mind. Do not be afraid to feel, or say what's on your mind. If you want Prince Charming, know that you are more than deserving of him. Do not give your heart to all the losers. Be patient because he will be worth the wait.
And most importantly, if you want a better you, turn up the dreamer volume.
