Do you remember when Dorothy first made it to Oz, she met Glinda the Good Witch and was told she needed to make it to the Emerald City so she could make it back home. And how would she do that? (Sing it with me!) Follow the yellow brick road.
Follow the yellow brick road.
Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick roooooooooaaaad!
All she had to do was stay on the path and she would get to the Emerald City and meet the Wizard and POOF! All would be right with her world again. Yeah, yeah, there was that pesky old Wicked Witch causing issues, but Dorothy always knew what she had to do. She just had to stay on the yellow brick road.
But rewind back to Munchkin Land. Do you remember at the start of the yellow brick road, there was also the start of another path? It was a red brick road that started in the same spot, but led off in a different direction. Maybe I was just a weird kid, but I wondered every time I watched that movie where that red brick road went.
What if Dorothy had decided that the yellow brick road was all fine and dandy, but she was going to take the other path. Or what if halfway to the Emerald City she realized she didn't want to go back home just yet, and she decided to try living in Oz for awhile. We'd have a very different movie!
Would Dorothy have been wrong to take another road? I can hear it now: "But Dorothy is supposed to be on the yellow brick road! That was the only way to get back home!"
I refuse to believe that is true. The yellow brick road wouldn't have been the only way. Dorothy was bright, resilient, and tough, even if a little whiny at times. (Hey, everybody deserves a little pity party every now and then. Just don't stay there!) If she had taken another path, there's every reason to believe she would have made it to her destination eventually.
It is very easy to sometimes fall into the trap of setting goals for yourself based on what you "should" be doing, or following the advice of others who think they know what you need to do. We all have our own version of the yellow brick road that's been laid before us; the path that we should take. I have yet to meet a single person that's stayed on that path without ever deviating.
The idea of the yellow brick road is enticing. No doubt about it. But it doesn't guarantee the security or success.
Each voice is unique, and therefore what each of us does with it is unique, too. Your journey will look different than mine, and mine will look different than everyone else's. The great part about my unique journey is that I can make my own way. If something isn't working, I try something else. And if that doesn't work, I try again with another plan. There are plenty of second chances. And third and fourth ones, too.
As you are setting goals for yourself, listen to how many times you think or say "should," as in, "I should be doing this" or "this is how things should be done." And listen very carefully, because those "shoulds" are really good at disguising themselves in other words or thoughts that are just as stifling.
Are you setting goals that are really going to get you to where you want to be, or are you following the "should" path? If you need a little help, last week's post is a great starting point, to start with your "why," so that you can know what your destination looks like.
It's totally okay to veer off the yellow brick road. The Emerald City is still at the end of your journey, however you decide to get there.
Share your goals with us so we can cheer you on! Write them in the comments or send me a message. And if you need help setting or reaching your own singing goals, set up a discovery call to see how we might work together. I'd love to help support you in your singing journey!