We all have times in our lives when things are very difficult and disheartening. During those times, please, please don’t quit. I hope you find some encouragement in viewing this video. I’ve also added the whole poem below the video. Enjoy!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
“You’re not the same as you were before. You were much more muchier; you’ve lost your muchness.” –Mad Hatter
“My muchness?” – Alice
“In there (your heart/core), something is missing.” –Mad Hatter
I recently saw (twice) Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton; I can’t believe how much I loved it. It was such a powerful metaphor for life. In my opinion, the dialogue above was one of the most powerful moments of the movie. And, based on Alice’s continual reference from that point forward to possessing her “muchness,” it was powerful to her as well. Many of us have found ourselves involved in events and circumstances that caused us to lose our muchness. Survivors of any type of abuse, molestation, rape, harassment, stalking, disease, cancer, job loss, etc are very likely to experience this as a result of their negative experiences. I’m very grateful to know for a fact that we can regain our muchness, once we decide that we deserve to reclaim it!
As with most aspects of personal development, it begins with making a decision. I hope that today you decide that you deserve to reclaim your God-given right to restore your muchness. If you still have some of it, but it seems to be on life support, then decide to resuscitate your muchness. If you are one of the phenomenal women that has successfully reconnected with and revived your muchness, please look around and help another woman that is currently where you have been. I promise, you won’t need to look far to find one.
Just as Alice does in the movie, we all have a Jabberwocky (scary dragon) that only we can slay. And we all have access to the “sword” we need to slay that dragon. The question I ask of myself and encourage you to ask yourself is “Am I willing to have faith in God and myself, face my fears (despite how real/pressing/pee-in-your-pants-scary they may be) and take the action to retrieve the sword and slay the foe?” For me the answer is “Absolutely! Yes!” I will admit that there was a PROCESS for me to get to that YES. But, I did it, by God’s grace and I believe you can too. If you decide, to reclaim your muchness and be much muchier once again!
Whether you love her or love to hate her, Angelina Jolie is definitely a powerful force. She’s a devoted mom, a committed humanitarian, and a highly sought after and talented actress; how’s that for a triple threat. Despite the tabloid’s obsession with her and the twists & turns in her life, she remains steadfast in her determination to be herself, for better or for worse. I’d love to share with you the lessons I’ve learned from Angelina over the years.
“I think all women go through periods where we hate this about ourselves, we don’t like that. It’s great to get to a place where you dismiss anything you’re worried about. I find flaws attractive. I find scars attractive.”
- Angelina Jolie
What does it say about us when we live in a society where most women can find some aspect of themselves (physical or otherwise) that they dislike? Even many women who have been voted The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, like Angelina, battle insecurities and feelings of being undesirable. It’s definitely time for us to acknowledge that we were indeed miraculously and wonderfully made. I agree with Ms. Jolie that the so called flaws that we possess can be quite beautiful. I’m reminded of one of my favorite lyrics from an old song called Lady, from The Whispers. The lyric says “Your body’s designed by the wisdom of time. And, I couldn’t live without you, without losing my mind.” I love this line because I think it perfectly describes the unique beauty of women. I think of it when I see the alterations to my body after carrying my beloved daughter. Then, I say to myself “Girl you still look good! These changes are beautiful, they were designed by the wisdom of time!”
“If you ask people what they’ve always wanted to do, most people haven’t done it. That breaks my heart.”
- Angelina Jolie
This is a sad but true epidemic, even in the age of the “bucket list.” But, I am committed to do my part to help change it. That’s why I focus on helping women create the lifestyle they thought was out of reach. I know that so many women are tired of pretending to have it all together, when in actuality, they are not living the life they wanted, in the career they wanted or in the relationship they wanted. The lesson I take from Angelina here is that I have the right and the responsibility to pursue the life I want for myself and my family.
“I’m happy being myself, which I’ve never been before. I always hid in other people, or tried to find myself through the characters, or live out their lives, but I didn’t have those things in mine.”
- Angelina Jolie
Getting to the point of being genuinely happy being yourself is one of the most important goals of personal growth and development. For most of us, this is an ongoing journey that parallels our lives; just when we think we’ve arrived, BAM something happens that requires us to regroup and start over again. The goal is the dust yourself off and get to that place again and again until we are there more often than not.
My challenge to you is to take some private time alone and look at yourself in your natural state, that’s right in your birthday suit. See the beauty in your “flaws” and the sexiness that comes from having a body that’s designed by the wisdom of time. Then, think of 3 of the things you really want to do with your life, relationships, career, home or another area. Write them down, and create an outline to get them started. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just get started. Finally, ask yourself if you are in a place where you’re happy being you (the real you, not someone you pretend to be so that other people will like you). If we take a lesson from Angelina Jolie in these areas, we’ll be on our way to being powerful forces too!
You must take the first step to win any race. The first step will take some effort and maybe some pain. But after that, everything you have to do is real life movement. Once you’re moving you must keep moving.
Create a definite plan for carrying out your desires and begin at once, whether you’re ready or not, to put your plan into action.
If you can get up the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed. You can only fail if you fail to start.
Call Certified Career Coach & Life Coach Wende Sanders, MS, CC today at 336-407-3828. See how I can help you or your group reach your highest potential in your work and beyond.
Universal Possibilities LLC serves Winston Salem, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh, Wilmington & Charlotte Areas in North Carolina (NC)
“Creating the Lifestyle You Thought was Out-of-Reach”
Green Policy
Being environmentally conscious is very important to me in my personal life, so it was only natural to make “green practices” a part of my business as well. Universal Possibilities LLC employs paperless systems when possible, uses recycled paper when paperless isn’t possible, reduces energy consumption and recycles everything that can be recycled. I believe that businesses as well as individual citizens have a responsibility to make sure we leave a world that is safe, sustainable and beautiful for the generations that are to come. I’m very honored to run Universal Possibilities LLC as a green company.
