I was pretty late to the party on this one but I have to say it didn’t disappoint on a number of levels. It played to my love of musical theatre and the soundtrack was very uplifting. Zac Effron AND Hugh Jackman? Double whammy. Quite frankly it was a no brainer for a rainy half term afternoon with my three girls.

Aside from the cinematic entertainment there were a number of lines that really resonated with me and so often there are hidden lessons in the messaging throughout movies like this. Here’s my take on the life lessons learned from 90 minutes of popcorn and all things musical.

I am not scared to be seen. I make no apologies. This is me.

Too many of us are trying to be all things to all people or hiding away parts of ourselves for fear of rejection or feelings of not being good enough. You are perfectly imperfect just like the rest of us so step up and step out. You might be surprised at what happens when you do.

No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.

We can all learn things from modelling other people – people who deliver excellence in a certain field. The key to this one though is taking the learning and integrating in a way that is authentic for you. Be brave enough to stand out from the crowd – you never know who actually needs to learn from you!

For years I chased their cheers

How much are you chasing the validation or recognition from others and not working on how you can feel good about yourself and your progress despite what others say? External sources of recognition are not wrong but relying on it to boost your self-worth is a dead end.

And what is your act?

I don’t have an act.

EVERYONE has an act

Every single one of us has a gift to give to the world. We all have strengths and something that is unique that when harnessed can bring so much positivity to the world. So why do we all practice noticing the stuff that we cant do? Find out what yours is and then unleash it to the world.

You’re risking everything you have built!

Well how do you think I built it?

It human nature to avoid certain risks, generally speaking we don’t like to be faced with uncertainty and unpredictability. We have a natural tendency towards control. But the clichés ‘speculate to accumulate’ and ‘he who dares wins’ are saying the same thing. This is not about being reckless but it is about trusting your gut.

Comfort is the enemy of progress

If we are prepared to get out of our comfort zone and take risks it’s amazing what we can actually create. Nothing significant is born out of your comfort zone. Choose progress over comfort every time if you really want to stretch, challenge yourself and grow.

A man’s station is only limited by his imagination

Think big! Allow yourself to dream. Give yourself permission. Blue sky your ambitions. Its the internal dialogue, the voices in our head that get in the way and limit what we are truly capable of. Don’t follow those thoughts otherwise you become your own dream thief.

I am brave. I am bruised. This is who I am meant to be. This is me.

Connect to courage. We all have it we just have to access it from time to time. Once you decide to follow your big dream know that progress isn’t always linear and that there may be periods of feeling bruised because you chose brave. But it’s in these moments that we build our resilience to go to the next stage of our journey.

Now go find your ‘act’ think big, take risks and create The Greatest You!

Jo x