When you wish upon a star

Happy New Year! I’ve been easing back into a routine this week having had two weeks away from work and (mostly!) social media. It’s been a wet and windy few days but today the sun is shining and I’m looking forward to more time outside over the weekend. And it's a lighthearted post from me today to get things started in 2024...

With school and nursery not quite back to the usual schedule yet, I had some extra time with each of my children and on Tuesday had the opportunity to take my daughter to see the new film ‘Wish’. It was a special and nostalgic moment for me, having not been to the cinema together yet to see a ‘proper’ film (or in fact, been to the cinema at all in years) and now having this magical experience of Disney that I so fondly remember from childhood.

If you haven’t seen the film, then let me give you a quick introduction to its premise… *spoilers ahead*

The Kingdom of Rosas is an island where its ruler has the power to grant your heart’s greatest desire. Sounds wonderful. There is a catch, however. As it turns out, when you hand over your wish to the king, you’ll forget all about it and the king then decides whose wish is granted and when. The reality is that most of your wishes will never be granted and you’ll spend your life wishing for something that will never come true.

(Now, the film does have a more formulaic “evil villain” ending, but let’s disregard that part of the story…!)

It’s hard not to be moved by the insights in this fairytale.

We all have those dreams that were born deep within us from an early age. Declaring that we have this dream, in a sense, means handing over responsibility to doing the work needed to achieve it.

Some dreams we’ve forgotten completely. Many others remain as echoes of a vague idea.

And it’s easy to blame the evil villain - in the form of time, money, and obligations - as a convenient excuse for not trying to pursue that dream.

I spoke to a friend the other day who was feeling weighed down by his growing business and lamented not having the time to pursue his passions. This morning, he texted me to tell me that he has now bought an electric piano and a golf glove!

I had a client who spoke longingly about her ten-year goal of owning a horse and running a business related to horses. Within months, she had worked out that she could afford it now, bought a horse, and set up her equestrian business consultancy.

Someone once told me, “We can’t all be dreamers, Anna.” But it’s not just about the lofty dreams that you might call naive and idealistic. In the film, the grandfather sees his wish and realises how simple it is - and how it doesn’t matter if he achieves it or not, only that he has tried.

A dream that you keep in your heart gives you a sense of purpose, a bigger meaning to work towards. Making progress brings you satisfaction and fulfilment.

Handing over the power to fulfil that dream to someone (or something) else takes away your agency and prevents you from ever having those experiences. (The people whose dreams are crushed in the film feel grief and pain.)

So what are your dreams? What is your wish? And, most importantly, what action can you take today to get unstuck and see real movement towards that dream?

I can’t wait to hear more about them ?

_____

Anna Lundberg is an executive coach and trainer who works with high-achieving individuals and high-performance organisations looking to balance the demands of productivity and wellbeing in the modern workplace.

Are you an executive looking for support for yourself or for your team?

Get in touch to book a call here >>