Lessons for life from those ruby red shoes…

For the last few weeks whenever I had a few minutes to relax in the evening and found myself scrolling through the tv channels, The Wizard of Oz was on somewhere.

You remember the players –

Dorothy – lost and confused; the Scarecrow – convinced he didn’t have a brain; the Tinman – who so badly wanted a heart to share with others; the Cowardly Lion – embarrassed because he had no courage; the Wicked Witch of the West – who hated everyone and lived for revenge; and finally Glinda, the Good Witch – who helped Dorothy find her way.

I think this movie has stood the test of time because we see ourselves and the people in our lives in its characters.

It hits a chord deep within us reminding us of when we have felt lost and confused; felt we weren’t as smart as others; wanted to be truly loved and have someone to genuinely love us; wished we had more courage in certain circumstances; and we’ve all known someone acting “witchy” or maybe we were the one acting “witchy”.
I think I’ll plead the 5th on that one.

How fortunate we were when we found a Glinda in our lives. Someone to help guide us to see the truth. And do you know what that truth is? I’ll tell you.

At the end of the movie, everyone has gotten their wish. The Scarecrow has a brain.
The Tinman receives his heart.
The Lion is full of courage.
While Dorothy is happy for her friends, she is still lost, confused, and just wants to go home.
What about her wish?

That’s when the beautiful Good Witch Glinda leans in and tells Dorothy,

“You’ve always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself.”

I have to mention here that through the entire movie, Dorothy had been wearing these incredible ruby red shoes that she “may” or “may not” have gotten from the dead Wicked Witch of the West, but let’s not get bogged down in minor details of “acquisition”.

They were killer shoes. Ask anyone who knows me about my shoe obsession and you’ll know that Dorothy’s a girl after mine own heart.

Shoes, especially red shoes, get me every time.

But the point is Glinda was exactly right.

Dorothy always had the power to find her way home. So she clicked her heels together three times and said,
“There’s no place like home,
there’s no place like home,
there’s no place like home.”

And suddenly, she found herself surrounded by all the love she thought she had lost.

Have you ever felt lost? You’re not alone. You have all of the brains, heart, and courage, you could possibly need to find your way home – to find your way to real authentic you.

It’s a journey not unlike the one Dorothy took with its twists and turns, bad weather and fair, joys and sorrows, but if you commit to taking the first step, locking arms with a trustworthy traveling companion, then you will be well on your way before you know it.

It’s the reason I’m a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach – to help you find your way and learn the truth that is the core of fearless authentic you. So when that voice in your head, that inner critic, that says you’re not smart enough,
or brave enough, or they don’t like you, and the dozen other lies she spouts as you allow her to skip around inside your head, know this. Not True. You are smart. You have an amazing heart. And you, my friend, are braver than you think.

So now you know the secret.
You’ve had the power inside of you all along. You just have to learn it for yourself. Take the journey of calming your inner critic, finding authentic you, and how to define success your way. Remember, the best home you’ll ever know is to confidently live with authenticity inside your own skin.

MaryAnn Gramig, CEO at AuthenticA Coaching & Consulting

@maryann_gramig