What Ruby Shoes and Glass Slippers Have to Do With Your Success

Cropped screenshot of Judy Garland from the trailer for the film The Wizard of Oz. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shoes do matter. Ask any woman. Dorothy and Cinderella knew it was all about the shoes and it's the same with anyone who wants to achieve a dream, wants to get a passion started, wants to be a princess or simply wants to go back to Auntie Em's.

Cinderella didn't recognize her beauty and while she had her daydreams, she remained reluctantly subservient to her nasty step-sisters. Her luck changed when her fairy godmother arrived on the scene, presented her with her famous glass slippers and gave her a chance to see  a sliver of the good life on the other side of her bucket and mop. She didn't go looking for her glass slipper when it was lost, but resigned herself to just wishing that wonderful life would blessedly come to pass once again. It was a rags to riches and back to rags story with a happy ending because the handsome prince arrived to save the day...glass slipper in hand. Yep, she was LUCKY!

Dorothy on the other hand, tightly held on to that basket filled with her little dog Toto and was undeterred trying to get to the Wizard. On the way, Dorothy met no fairy god-mother but only other unfortunate souls searching for parts of their whole as well. She befriended each one insisting there was hope at the end of the journey for each of them. She obtained her "power" from the feet of one of her obstacles, the bad witch. When she met the Wizard, she realized he was nothing more than a fraud but instead of disappointment, she believed the Good Witch who assured her she did not need a Wizard to get back home but had the power all along in those ruby shoes. Oh yeah, she was DETERMINED.

Okay, I am taking some license with these fairytales, yet this is often how people see their lot in life. Some, like Cinderella believe things will only change when they get lucky and their fairy godmother arrives to give them what they need to catch a glimpse of the good life, while others set out on their own, facing the obstacles and looking for open doors and if the opportunities are not what they expect they tap their shoes together, keep believing and move on in the direction of their dreams.

It makes a huge difference whether you view your circumstances from Dorothy or Cinderella's shoes. While people are blessed with luck and fortune every day, waiting until your "fairy godmother" shows up to change your circumstances is a long shot. Dorothy knew each day you spend waiting for your luck to arrive is one day less you could already be "home". She ventured out on her own and in the process learned she was not alone, discovering she had more abilities than she once imagined.

One thing I know is that YOU are not alone. Everyday there are countless individuals going after their passion, living their dream and it started because they went looking for it. 
You can wait, dream and hope you have a fairy godmother to get you to the ball and a handsome prince that will find your matching glass slipper and rescue your dream when it's about to be over or...


You can look at what you already have to get you where you want to be and start tapping those ruby shoes together to get you on your way.

Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers, 1938 Sixteen-year-old Judy Garland wore these sequined shoes as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There is no place like "home", when your passion is waiting for you there.

So what shoes do you want to be wearing?


Kathy Brunner is an author, speaker and branding specialist. She helps people discover their passions and move from burned out to fired up. 

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