"You've always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself," said Glinda the Good Witch.
One of my all-time favourite books, "The Wizard of Oz", was brought to life in a new light during a recent conversation with my eldest son. He shared how the Yellow Brick Road was a metaphor for the challenging journey he had embarked on in recent years. Reflecting on our conversation, I realised that while his Yellow Brick Road presented formidable challenges, he always wore his Ruby Slippers. He always possessed all the resources he needed within himself. It struck me that sometimes we need to embark on our own ‘hero’s journey’ to discover that ‘there’s no place like home’.
In this article I’d like to explore a key concept of the Coaching practice - 'wholeness', the realisation that we are complete and whole as we are, endowed with abundant resources and abilities. All we need to do is recognise them and learn when and how to ‘click our heels’. Like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz", we are all on a journey to realise the power of our own 'Ruby Slippers'.
Inner resources encompass a variety of personal strengths, skills, resilience, wisdom and emotional intelligence inherent within us. These resources are what we depend upon to navigate life's challenges and achieve our aspirations. Research from the University of Minnesota has demonstrated that individuals who recognise and engage with their inner resources attain higher levels of satisfaction and success, both personally and professionally.
Unfortunately many of us succumb to cultural, societal norms and external pressures. We strive to live up to family expectations, constantly compare ourselves on social media, and replay our failures in our minds. Sound familiar?
We often seek external validation and solutions, overlooking our own strengths and abilities. We forget that we inherently understand what is best for us and how to achieve it.
Dorothy's journey in "The Wizard of Oz" is an intriguing metaphor for the individual journey of self-discovery. From the moment she steps onto the Yellow Brick Road until her realization about the Ruby Slippers, Dorothy's story is the perfect metaphorical mirror our own powerful pathways to self-awareness and ultimately a successful life.
Her journey illustrates the essential truth that we possess what we need - it just requires recognition and self belief.
Glinda drops the mic on the self realisation concept with "You had the power all along, my dear,"
Uncovering Your Ruby Slippers
Discovering our 'Ruby Slippers' involves more than a quick online shopping spree or a visit to your local Good Witch. Our search for the Ruby Slippers requires introspection and acknowledgment of personal strengths and abilities.
Tools to help us uncover our slippers include:
- Strengths Assessments and Inventories: like the VIA Character Strengths Survey, Clifton Strengths (formerly StrengthsFinder), or the High5 test.
- Journaling
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Feedback from peers or mentors
- Or, you can start with my free resource: ‘Finding your Ruby Slippers’, featuring 10 journal prompts to help you uncover your strengths and abilities.
Note – Ruby Slippers are not 'one size fits all'. They are unique to each individual. Allow yourself ample time to fully appreciate your strengths and weaknesses. This is not a fast and fabulous five-minute tik-tok quiz; this requires deep reflection, sorting through external expectations and learned behaviours. This work can take months to truly discern our innate strengths and abilities, and those we have adopted or taught ourselves.
When I embarked on this process for myself a few years ago, I must confess to a hint of arrogance, believing I knew my strengths well. But I had committed to 'doing the work' so I confronted the soul searching (see: ‘Ruby Slippers’ resource), initially writing what seemed like the ‘correct’ answer. However, these questions lingered in my mind, the answers I had written just weren’t ‘right’. This niggling in my brain prompted a re-evaluation a week later. To my surprise, the answers changed. It turned out I am naturally nurturing, possessing a gentle, compassionate side. This revelation was startling. In my career, I had felt the need to be tough, often neglecting others' needs. Yet, incorporating more compassion and nurturing into my work and personal life led to greater job success and reduced stress. It was as if I was being more authentic – who would have thought?
A friendly warning: this process can be uncomfortable. We need to let go of our assumptions and expectations and take a long, honest look at who we really are. Embrace it. Start living authentically.
Overcoming the Wicked Witches
But what happens when the inner Wicked Witches start dancing around the cauldron?
What happens when we are faced with unusual or difficult situations?
What can we do on the days our inner monologue is filled with all the negatives, on the days it feels like everyone is cackling “I’ll get you my pretties”.
Our hero Dorothy is shows us the way again.
She didn’t have external aids or conventional solutions, nor did she rely on others to rescue her. Dorothy relied on her wit and resolve, her inner resources, to navigate the unknown. Her quick thinking in various situations, like outsmarting the Wicked Witch or rallying her companions, demonstrates her use of inner wisdom and emotional intelligence.
Dorothy's journey is a beautiful illustration of how acknowledging and harnessing our inner resources can lead to ingenious solutions and overcoming obstacles. We can vanquish the Wicked Witches in our lives by tapping into our inner strength and wisdom. We already have all the resources we need; we just need to recognise them and learn the best way to ‘click our heels’.
If you need a bit of science to back up your fictional character, consider the University of Minnesota’s findings that individuals who recognise and engage with their internal strengths tend to experience heightened satisfaction and success. The Harvard Business Review also found that resilience, a vital inner resource, is a significant predictor of professional success.
How have you overcome past challenges using your inner strengths? Reflecting on this can bolster your resilience.
There’s No Place Like Home
Dorothy eventually realised that 'there’s no place like home'.
This was a core value, but it took her the entire book to figure it out. We can skip a few chapters and align with our core values today.
If you've already done your ‘values’ work, well done! You'll understand the benefits of how our top values guide every decision and action we take. If you haven’t yet defined your top values, I encourage you to do so after reading this article. Revisit and confirm your top 3 – 5 values over a few weeks. Write them down in a visible place and start incorporating them into your decision-making. Living in alignment with our values makes us more content and effective. This is not only my personal experience, but also the experience of my clients.
I’m sure that if we checked in on Dorothy five years later, pretty sure she would agree with us. What are your core values, and how do they influence your life and work?
Walking Your Yellow Brick Road
Landing in Munchkin Land was just the beginning of Dorothy and her companions’ journey. Once they stepped onto the Yellow Brick Road, they committed to a life-changing journey.
We face a similar choice – do we take that first step onto the golden path?
Are we ready to accept our Ruby Slippers from Glinda?
Are we prepared to delve deep into our inner resources, overcome the Wicked Witches of our world, sort out what’s truly important to us, and harness the power of our Ruby Slippers?
Applying your newly discovered inner resources in real-life scenarios is a journey of continuous effort and self-awareness. Some days, it involves leveraging our resilience in a challenging work project or using our emotional intelligence in personal relationships. Our strengths and attributes are versatile and powerful – if we take the time to recognise and engage our ‘Ruby Slippers’, we can navigate all the twists and turns of our own Yellow Brick Roads.
You aren’t broken; you are complete with all the resources you need to live a meaningful and successful life. But the question is – are you prepared to click your Ruby Slippers and live the life you truly desire?
Trust in your own 'Ruby Slippers' and the extraordinary capabilities they represent. Your journey of self-discovery is a path to unlocking your full potential, both personally and professionally.