My husband, well, he's into Korean dramas while I'm acting killjoy. Although I do like to watch a show with him, my interest just doesn't hold up well. It's short-lived. Isn't that ironic?
Anyway, have you ever wondered what makes you invest in the main character's story? Why do we follow their journey? Why do we like them to succeed?
Let's say, the Cinderella story. Allow me to retell a quick summary of her memoir.
The poor girl was mistreated by her evil stepmother and stepsisters. They make her do everything at home while the imposters live the high life, that's supposedly for Cinderella's. This made us sympathize with her while despising the bad actors.
Of course, we want her to overcome her situation and put the stepfamily back to their place.
Then one day, news from the palace came. They were holding a search for Mrs. Prince Charming. Every young lady in the land is invited. But the stepfamily, well, they don't want Cinderella to be at the ball lest they the two stepsisters lose their chances of becoming royal.
To cut the long story short, Cinderella won the prince's heart. And they lived happily-ever-after.
Ahem, sorry to burst your bubble but in real life marriage, there is no such thing as happily-ever-after but there sure is happiness.
What draws us to Cinderella's story? Her dream. We want her to go to that ball, squashed the stepsisters' fantasies and marry the prince.
[photo source]
The secret sauce in every good story is the main character's goals, dreams or ambitions. We are desperate for them to achieve it. We want them to succeed despite the hardships. To persists and stop at nothing until they've attained them.
And because we took the bait, we cry with them. Laugh with them. Fall in love. Forgive them of their mistakes. Call them dumb. Other times, we fear for their lives. While bashing the villain or wishing for their early demise.
Here's the thing. Your goals, dreams, ambitions, purpose give meaning to life. It gets you up every day and keeps you moving forward. It makes you strive to reach for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Yes, it may be hard. Conflict, opposition, struggles are there to build character. You won't be able to fight the next phase battles if you remain the same. They are there to stretch you, so you won't cow down immediately to the onslaught of pressures in the next levels.
You see, circumstances are part of life. Think of them as stepping stones to propel you forward.
Right now, while half of the world, if not all, is on lockdown, this is a high time to work on that dream you've been having for a long time. That could be mean starting your own blog, learn how to invest in stocks, plan on how to start a business, write your own book or start a coaching business. You know what they are.
Every story needs a hero. And every hero has a dream they want to achieve. You are the hero of your story. And no one is as invested in your dreams as you are.
