I was talking to my niece the other day about the Wizard of Oz. It's been one of my favorite movies since I was a kid. I love the music, the dancing, the costumes, and have always had a love for the Scarecrow and Toto. (If you haven't seen "The Wizard of Oz", stop reading and immediately go watch. I'll wait...)
Anyways (welcome back), I’m writing about "The Wizard of Oz" in this blog because the movie has more value than being a great children's story. It has lessons adults need to pay attention to as well. One of these lessons is about narratives. Basically, all the heroes have stories that they believe about themselves. The Tin Man has no heart, the Scarecrow doesn't have a brain, the Lion lacks courage, and Dorothy can’t go home. They seek out the Great Wizard of Oz to help.
But through the course of the film, we come to see that our heroes have had what they thought they lacked the whole time. They just didn’t know it because they had an old story (and often times, a delightfully memorable song) that reinforced some old, incorrect beliefs.
We're all like those beloved characters. We all have stories that limit us. In some way or another, we are too much or not enough, or flawed or limited in some way. Sometimes we just accept that that's how it is. Sometimes we look for gurus or quick fixes which usually turn out to be like The Wizard (basically the disappointing equivalent of a scared, lost, man child from Kansas). But, if we are brave and believe, we can see the truth that has been there the whole time.
So, what's your story? What things do you tell yourself that keep you stuck or sad or ashamed?
No matter the story, what you can start to do (and one of things therapy can help with) is to question your story. The Wizard of Oz gives us permission to believe that its possible you've been good enough all along.