Cinderella is More Than a Story

Poor Cinderella. All locked up, treated like a slave by her mean step-mother. She dares to keep her positive attitude while cleaning and befriending the animals. When the prince sends the invitation to the ball, she doesn't automatically believe she should stay cooped up and hidden. To stay behind with her "unworthy" and "unlovable" self would mean that everything that her step-mother and step-sisters said and believed about her was actually true. So, Cinderella does everything possible, to get to where she knows she is invited and to arrive where she ultimately belongs. It is a beautiful story of a woman who has a such a core belief in her value and worth that she disregards her circumstances. In the end, her dreams come true.

How many of us can say that we ignore our circumstances, what others say about us, or even what we might have been told from a loved one in order to rise up to live out what we know to be our strengths? My 10 year old niece recently auditioned for the role of Cinderella. She has always been a dramatic girl, and has a definite talent for the stage. Courageously, she stepped into her version of Cinderella...and got the part. She stood up in an audition and boldly believed she could be the lead character in a play. No negative thoughts to hold her back. No limiting beliefs about how she might fail, or screw up, or not be good enough, or that someone else was better than her. She believed in the magic of who she inherently is.

How are you stepping into your part? Do you face each day with dread for the duties you have agreed to that don't really matter to you? Who are you trying to please in your life? I challenge you to release your strengths and start living out of your inherent gifts, talents, and beauty. You are needed. Your life is special.

Try this meditation...
1) Picture yourself as Cinderella. Where are you in her story? Are you...

• sulking in the tower?
• frantically trying to clean and be friendly to help make yourself feel more adequate?
• finding the joy in life as you embrace your essence?

2) What are you doing with your invitation to the ball? Are you...

• becoming bitter and angry as you compare your life to those around you who seem to have it "together"?
• squelching your heart to keep the peace around you and maintain the status quo?
• stepping out in faith and living with confidence that you are loved, needed, and worthy?

3) How are you responding to your lost slipper, or the inevitable reality that life is hard even when your dreams and desires are strong? Are you...

• Striving harder and expecting more out of yourself and others
• Giving up and letting go of hope
• Finding new ways daily to expect only good regardless of your current circumstance

You may think Cinderella was unrealistic to believe in her dreams of a better life. But, the alternative is to believe that life will never change. Which will you embrace in the new decade to come? You already have the lead role in your story, how will your story unfold in 2010?

"A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
the dream that you wish will come true"
-Cinderella