By Michelle Mclean
Goldilocks has a bad reputation. What with the trespassing and the criminal damage, she’s not too popular, especially amongst bears. I think she might have been on to something though. Hear me out…
You know the story. A curious girl stops off (uninvited) at a house in the woods, scoffs some porridge, has a kip and then gets caught by the owners and given the fright of her life. Moral of the story – don’t touch what’s not yours, kids. Fair enough.
Putting her criminal activities aside for a moment, I think that Goldilocks was the master of trial and error. Presented with three chairs, she tried them all out until she found one to her liking. Same for the porridge and the bed. She had to make several attempts until she discovered what was just right for her and she did so unapologetically and without fear.
She may have ended up with a burnt mouth, some bruises and was inevitably chased by bears but she also enjoyed a delicious breakfast and a good nap. Plus she satisfied her curiosity. Good for you, Goldy! We can learn a thing or two from her about our own attitudes to risk and about going for what we want.
Goldilocks’ main attribute is her spirit of curiosity. What might a bit of that same spirit do for you? If you reframed your uncertainty as curiosity what might you start, revisit or even stop?
The magic ingredient of curiosity is the complete lack of expectation. If you entered into something, without expectation, how might that change your attitude towards it?
Goldilocks was not scared to fail. If she had spat out the first lot of porridge, had a tantrum and left she would never have known the delicious ness that awaited her in the third bowl. She kept going until she found what was right for her. What have you abandoned because it didn’t work out quite right the first time?
Being alone in the bears’ house gave Goldilocks the freedom to try without judgment. Without an audience, she was safe to make mistakes. To what degree are you restricted by fear of judgement, when you are learning or trying out ideas? How much influence are the people around you having?
‘People’ doesn’t just mean your family, friends and colleagues. It also includes anyone that you are ‘performing’ for. Social media audiences in particular, or rather our perception of what that audience thinks, can have a big effect on us.
Be more Goldilocks*. If you channeled your inner Goldilocks today, what might you achieve?
*Don’t use your one phone-call from the Police Station to call me. I don’t advocate trespassing!- MM
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