If you haven’t had the wonderful opportunity to see the Princess and the Frog yet and you have a small 4 year old you can pinch for an hour and a half , I would advise you to take a look. It is full of the usual Disney Princess Magic but with extra special values. I just had to share the feelings and thoughts I took away from the film and how these values relate to network marketing and having a great mindset for success.
Set in New Orleans in 1912 – two young girls Tiana and Charlotte La Bouff are read the story of the Frog Prince by Tiana’a mother Eudora. The young Charlotte finds the story charming and romantic whilst Tiana vows never to kiss a frog.
Tiana and her father love to make Gumbo for the whole community, with Tiana’s father dreaming of owning his own restaurant. Sadly, Tiana’s father dies before is able to fullfil his ambition – but ever the modern day business women and entrepreneur, Tiana who has internalised her fathers values, works two jobs to make her fathers dream come true.
One evening Tiana wishes upon a star, only to be told by her father:
“You can’t just wish upon a star, you have to work hard to make your dreams happen”
Never underestimate the power of dreams ~ but at the same time ,don’t underestimate the effort you will have to invest to achieve your goals. We have all been guilty of saying what we want in life but not giving much thought to how we’re actually going to do it.
Anyone familiar with the lyrics ‘Happy Talk’ from the show South Pacific will know all to well the words:
Happy talk, keep talkin’ happy talk,
Talk about things you’d like to do.
You got to have a dream,
If you don’t have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true?
How true is this? Our dreams can’t come true if we don’t have a dream in the first place. But having a dream or lots of dreams without a plan of action is a recipe for disaster. Think about why so many new year resolutions fail and why banks and investors are more likely to support the start-ups with a detailed business plan over the one with over realistic goals and expectations.
We are more likely to achieve the goals we set for ourselves when we :
1) REALLY believe in the dream,
2.) Have our goals written down in a plan,
3.) WORK HARD to make them happen.
Take a second to REALLY think about your dreams, what would your perfect life look like? Write your dreams down, what do you want to achieve, how are you going to achieve them? I truly believe that you should do this every day write your goals down and make a plan. A plan doesn’t have to be perfect. Plans should be thought of as fluid and adaptable when our circumstances change.
Now before I go today, I just wanted to add another element of the film into the mix. Another big theme of the film was the concept that we all need to ‘DIG DEEPER’ inside ourselves. Most of us have dreams that we want to fulfil but a lot of the time we fail to recognise how wonderful and powerful we truly are. We fail to realise that it’s not what we have on the outside but what is happening on the inside.
Like I said before, Tiana, vowed to NEVER kiss a frog, but in an act of desperation she kissed the frog in the hope he would turn into a prince who would solve her financial troubles and help her buy the restaurant she and her father had always dreamed of – but instead she turned into a frog. OOPS
As Tiana learnt to live and love as a frog, when she became at peace with who she was and comfortable in her (sticky frog) skin she became comfortable with who she was inside.
In life, when it comes to fulfilling our dreams and making choices. We have to start by looking within. Do you want to be successful?…Yes, well look within!
There is a Princess Tiana inside all of us, or maybe a Prince Naveen if you’re not too partial to the long flowing dresses!
Dig deep and may all your dreams come true!
Beth Hewitt
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February 16th, 2010 at 3:10 am
Beth what a great analogy! I love that we learn life lessons in the strangest places! Dream, Work Hard, Set Goals – essential for success! Thanks for bringing that out!
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Beth Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Hey Jan,
I know! Isn’t it great where we can get out inspiration and content for our blogs. It is the school holidays in the UK this week and we went to the cinema yesterday.
As soon as I saw the film unfold I just knew I had to write about it.
I am glad you liked it.
Beth
.-= Beth´s last blog ..The Princess and the Frog =-.
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February 16th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Hi Beth, Great Message today. I love how you integrated the movie with network marketing mindset and TAKING ACTION ON YOUR DREAMS. Thanks for the candid reminder =) You are truly fulfilling your dreams and I am excited to journey on with you to see you blossom to your heights. Let me know if I can help you in any way with your goals, dreams, and Big VISION in LIFE.
Thank you Beth
.-= Therese Miu´s last blog ..The Blissful ART of Being Single—Loving Yourself =-.
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Beth Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Hi Therese,
Its a pleasure to be on the journey with you too, I am sure we will learn and grow together.
Beth
.-= Beth´s last blog ..The Princess and the Frog =-.
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February 16th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Beth,
What a great analogy! I love when I see or hear or read something and get a huge life lesson out of it. I have been guilty of having big dreams but with no plan to make them happen. I am finally digging deeper and get that plan put together!
Live a Juicy Life!
Susan
.-= Susan Davis´s last blog ..What Planet are YOU on? =-.
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Beth Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Live a juicy life! I love that Susan, I am glad that you liked the visual message. I tend to remember the messages more when they come alive especially in such a wonderful way like Disney is so good at.
Beth
.-= Beth´s last blog ..The Princess and the Frog =-.
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February 16th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Beth – Don’t you love that inspiration comes when you least expect it sometimes? It’s great too, that there is entertainment for our kids that has some positive, uplifting messages! I’m similarly moved by the Olympics and think it’s a great study in exactly what you describe….so, there are messages everywhere – if you are willing to see them…
.-= Amy Posner´s last blog ..Ask Better Questions =-.
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February 17th, 2010 at 12:47 am
Isn’t it amazing the life lessons we can learn from our children (and the movies they watch!)
Thank you for this Beth ~ dream big and dig deep. If we do both of those things, we will get there! I love the simplicity and power of the messages in children stories.
So thrilled to be on the journey with you, my siste
.-= Beth Allen´s last blog ..Time Saving Tips to Streamline Your Social Media Strategy =-.
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Beth Allen Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 12:48 am
not sure what happened at the end there ….
my sister!
.-= Beth Allen´s last blog ..Time Saving Tips to Streamline Your Social Media Strategy =-.
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Beth Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Isn’t it great, spending time with your kids and sharing great messages. You gotta love life.
Beth
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February 18th, 2010 at 2:49 am
I have not watched the movie but this has to be the cutest way to deliver this message. Frog Skin or not, one has to be happy with oneself in order to achieve what you really want to achieve, or at least to do it in a happy and healthy way.
Thanks for sharing I love the analogies.
.-= Jose H. Caraballo´s last blog ..The Biggest Problem Credit Counseling Agencies (Part 1) =-.
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Beth Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Hi Jose,
It is really cute isn’t it, I love that there are some great subtle messages out there for our kids to hear, good to know the whole world isnt bad.
Beth
.-= Beth´s last blog ..The Princess and the Frog =-.
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February 23rd, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Hi Beth! What a great post! Everyone has dreams, but it’s the people who realize what they have to give up to reach those dreams who are successful! For example, if you want to lose weight and decide one part of that is going to be waking up an hour each morning to exercise. Well, then you are going to have to give up that toasty warm and comfortable bed every morning!
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bethhewitt80 Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Hi Judy,
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I absolutely agree we have to sacrifice certain stuff to get to our dreams and sometimes we have to take on more as well lol.
I am hoping it will pay off for me in the long run.
Beth
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February 23rd, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Nice work Beth. My 2 and 5-year old sons were just as glued to the screen as I was. It works on many different levels. It’s nice to be able to find inspiration for myself and my kids in the same places. Thank-you for sharing this.
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bethhewitt80 Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Hi Brad,
You’re welcome, I am glad the kids enjoyed it too! We can learn so much from kids and I always feel like I am ‘home’ when I am in the cinema, a time to think on a different level for a couple of hours.
Beth
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February 25th, 2010 at 3:03 am
Beth,
I was captivated by your use of children’s stories to remind us adults that we too can always learn from each other. Never give up on the dream!
Thanks for this enjoyable post,
Val
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March 16th, 2010 at 2:19 am
Beth,
Love, love, love this analogy. We DO have to learn to become comfortable in our frog skin and become comfortable with ourselves before we can successfully reach outside ourselves to dream, to achieve, to live.
Thanks again.
.-= Debbie Stevens´s last undefined ..Response cached until Tue 16 @ 22:34 GMT (Refreshes in 20.27 Hours) =-.
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May 25th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Hey Beth!
I’m a big fan of Disney movies for this very reason. thee is always a character that needs to call on strength he/she didn’t know they had… and once they find that strength, they have a seriously happy ending. Look at what happened to our “diamond in the rough”, Alladin…
Jesse
.-= Jesse Walker´s last blog ..Goal Hunter – Shooting Your Way to Internet Marketing Mastery =-.
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May 26th, 2010 at 6:15 am
Great analogy and keeping yourself grounded. We can all have huge dreams but we need to remember that in order for them to come true we have to put forth the effort and work.
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August 10th, 2011 at 2:31 am
Thanks Beth. It’s so true to follow your dreams and never give up. I feel that there are many constraints and stressors in life that often pull you away or distract you from your dreams so it’s so important to remain focused.
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August 14th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
What a wonderful message! No small children around my household but this message definitely holds true for kids-at-heart, regardless of age. Thanks for the inspiration!
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August 16th, 2011 at 12:44 am
Disney magic is for the young at heart. How blessed are we to have wonderful stories to watch and bright writers to shed more light on them. Thanks, Beth.
RICK
Rick Lelchuk´s last [type] ..How Sweeeeeeet It Is
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August 17th, 2011 at 4:50 am
Thanks for the inspiration Beth. We don’t have to sell ourselves short, because we are important, brilliant and we can live by the “We can have it all rule”.. So dream big and dig deep.
Jeff
Jeffrey Sooey´s last [type] ..Career Coaching Is a Lot like Being a Button Hook Coach
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August 18th, 2011 at 12:23 am
Beth –
This post contains two of my favorite things–princesses and dreams! There was so much good stuff in this post, I’m practically drooling. Thanks for reminding us that there are great lessons to be learned in unexpected places. And that we have to 1) have a dream and 2) be prepared to work hard to make that dream come true. And you don’t have to have a small child to visit a Disney movie. Go anyway and laugh out loud!
Have a powerful week, Allegra
Allegra Sinclair´s last [type] ..Finding the Courage to Change Careers at Any Age
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bethhewitt80 Reply:
September 5th, 2011 at 6:35 pm
I agree Allegra…Disney films, in fact a lot of children’s films have a lot of good morales to live by
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August 18th, 2011 at 8:01 am
Hi Beth,
Wonderful analogy… I love the Princess And The Frog… “the only thing that’s important is what’s under the skin”!! And, yes, we do need to dig deep down inside to discover the part of us that we’ve held captive, and let it free to actualize our goals and dreams.
Without action our hopes remain simply that, hopes. Having a plan, along with written goals is a great way to initiate action and then drive daily toward fulfilling them. A good way to achieve success; and, we all want to be successful in the various aspects of our lives! It just plain feels good!
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December 12th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Beth, I loved the Princess & the Frog, probably my favourite of all recent Disney releases.. I don’t think my four year old (boy) was really following it though
Thanks for reminding me of the tale, I shall keep Princess Tiana in mind on days like these when I can’t see the wood for the trees!
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December 13th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
Thank You Beth
This was such an awesome post, And a real eye opener. Never really watch a children program in that mind set before. But I’m sure I will from now on
Great Post
Sharon
Sharon Johnson´s last [type] ..Starting Over On Internet Marketing
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