It is easy to think that Alice in Wonderland is a dreamland fairy tale for children. On the surface it appears to be just that. However, if you look closer, you will realise that Alice's world translates into much more than a children's fairytale.
The story has been studied and analysed by psychoanalysts since the early 1900's and although it is filled with chaos there is lots to learn from its underlying messages.
1. Manage your Personal Growth
The most important metaphor in the story is one of growth. We see Alice grow from tall to short and from big to small. Growing up is about changing body size, dealing with ups and downs, and feeling confident or insecure about oneself. When Alice eats, she grows when she drinks, she shrinks. She soon learns to use the resources in her world to control her personal growth.
We spend our lives 'growing up' in one way or another. What are you doing to manage your personal growth?
2. Be Specific about What You Want to Achieve
Alice learns about the importance of knowing what she wants. We can learn a great deal about the importance of goals from her conversation with the Cheshire Cat.
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to." said the Cat.
"I don't much care where" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.
Think about what you will achieve over the next 90 days! Write it down together with steps that you will take to achieve that. Imagine specifically what you will see and hear as you achieve your goal. Think about it until you can run a mental movie of what you want over and over again. In particular, think about how achieving your goal will make you feel, and build the intensity of that emotion in your mind.
3. Develop your Identity
The characters in wonderland continually ask Alice who she is. As a result, she questions her identity. When we have doubts about who we are and what we stand for, it affects our entire life. Consider the roles you have in your life, for example; a parent, a spouse, a son or a daughter, a colleague, a leader or a friend. Write out the qualities you believe you have in those roles. E.g. "I am a caring father" or "I am a creative business person". Remember that you will assume different behaviours in each role. As you learn more about yourself in each role, you will reinforce your self-belief and learn to develop your capabilities within each role.
4. Say What you Really Mean
Alice is continually told to say what she means. How often do you really say what you mean? When did you last have a really meaningful conversation? When you connect with people who share similar values, you will find that you share more meaningful thoughts, feelings and ideas.
5. Challenge your Creativity
In the latest movie, Alice's father, a successful entrepreneur, tells her that he thinks of 6 impossible things before breakfast every day. Imagine if you just thought of 1 impossible thing per day. You could find ways to solve problems or create something that was never invented before. Get your creative juices flowing by thinking of 1 impossible thing every day.
6. Follow the Advice you Give Yourself
"Alice generally gave herself good advice (though she very seldom followed it)."
Do you give yourself good advice and do you follow it? Or are we better at giving others advice and expecting them to follow it?
Whether you enjoy this fairytale for its entertainment value or search for the deeper meaning like I have, there is lots of value to be had.
We spend all of our lives “growing up” in one way or another. The underlying messages in Alice in Wonderland are about personal growth and development. Growing up is about learning who we are, what we stand for, what we want to do, be and have. It is about dealing with difficulty, hurt and pain as well as love, laughter and fun. It is about overcoming fears, embracing new challenges and nurturing relationships. It is about using our talents and learning to be the best we can be.
This may be a children's story at heart, but we can learn a great deal from a young girl who acquires the confidence and courage to break free from rules to become that person she aspires to be.
Perhaps you have read the story or been to see the movie. Was there something in particular from the story that resonated with you?
Change is taking place at an ever increasing rate. The business world is quickly responding to changing market trends and new customer habits. But what about personal change?
Do you embrace change readily and easily, or have you been slow to respond or somewhat hesitant? Perhaps you have been waiting for the right time, a better opportunity or a push in the right direction?
Change is part of growing and developing. When we reflect on the major changes and the personal upheavals in our life, we often recognise that the setbacks and challenges that we encountered were catalysts for personal growth.
When you begin to understand more about change and how you deal with it, you can begin to create powerful and lasting changes in your life. Change can be exciting and something to look forward to, but more often it is dreaded. Why? The fear of the unknown can leave us feeling paralyzed. As humans, more than anything we need to feel the sense of certainty in our lives, when in fact, the reality is, that change is the only thing we can be certain of.
Sometimes there is no compelling reason to change or lack clarity about what the future may hold. With such feelings of fear, lack of focus and little certainly it’s no wonder that the process of planning to change can often take longer than change itself. With a new awareness of why you might resist change, use the following steps to break down the barriers and guide you to change.
1. You must have a compelling reason to change
Having a clear and compelling reason to change will give you the determination you need to change. It will encourage you to creatively seek out solutions and new ideas to overcome the challenges you face along the way.
2. Have a clear vision of what you want to achieve
Having a clear vision of what you want to achieve will enable you to focus on the future and propel yourself forward. Clarify your vision and set clear goals that enable you to achieve that vision.
3. Overcome fear of change
It’s natural to feel anxious, uneasy and uncomfortable about something new. Use the process of visualisation to mentally rehearse a positive outcome and reduce the feelings of anxiousness. When you accept that fear is a necessary part of growth,you can begin to have more control of the changes in your life.
Never underestimate your ability to create meaning, clarify your vision or overcome your fears. Change is not to be dreaded; it’s something to look forward to.
Last year brought unexpected global changes. The media’s coverage of the economic climate has had its influence, leaving many feeling anxious, uneasy and uncertain. People are confused about how to adapt and prosper with changing circumstances.
But the truth is that there will always be something. People have got through tough times in the past; they did this by having the right mindset. We all have done things before that seemed impossible at the time. The mind is a powerful instrument. It can deliver literally anything that we want, but right now it is focusing on what we don’t want, closures, failures, and crashes.
We need to turn our attention to what we do want because, when you begin think differently about what lies ahead, you will begin to organise yourself and resources so that you accelerate your achievement this year and beyond.
The first thing we have to do is learn to deal with change. We are used to so much change today. Change is everywhere. But we are slow to respond. Why? Because one of our greatest fears come from not knowing what lies ahead. Nobody knows what’s going to happen! Every economist is paid to have a different opinion about the future, but it’s not what happens that matters; it’s how we respond to it that counts.
Adaptability is the ke. Be open minded, consider alternatives, refine and alter your ways so that you avoid limiting your options.
Remember Darwin’s great words. "It's not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change."
I’m an admirer of Richard Branson I listen to what he says; he runs over 300 companies,so I think he’s doing something right!
He says, that bigger companies will lay a lot of people off, and many of those people will become the entrepreneurs of the future, but it’s the smaller businesses that will get the economy up and running again - their cost base is less, and they will find more effective ways of employing people than they have done in the past. Many small companies will fill in the gaps that the larger ones have created, However, they must look for opportunities and there will be lots; they must be creative in both cutting costs and providing something new.
So it’s not the strongest businesses that will survive either, we see the big ones tumbling down; it’s the ones most adaptive to change that will capture the opportunities.