Fairy tales are just that fairy tales!  They are fictional stories with “fairy tale endings” and “fairy tale romances”. 

I hate to burst your bubble, but these are extremely rare in real life.  Even when they do seem to be coming true, the fairy tale often dissolves right before our very eyes.

When it comes to trying to live life to its fullest, I think waiting or hoping for our lives to play out like fairy tales is a dangerous trap.  One that can cost us dearly!

The danger in waiting for a fairy tale life

You can waste your life waiting for a fairy tale.  Life does not have to be perfect to be very enjoyable.  Living life to the fullest is not about living life perfectly.  It is about making the most out of every day living.

When you keep waiting for the ideal fairy tale situation to arrive, you let a lot of great things pass you by in the process.  The one thing we can’t make more of is time.  Once time has slipped away it is gone and it cannot be recovered.

You have to go out and make the best of every circumstance in your life by investing yourself fully in it.  This is a much better approach than waiting and waiting for the ideal situation that is likely never to arrive.

Three ways we waste our lives waiting for a fairy tale

There are a number of circumstances where we might waste our lives waiting for the ideal situation.  Here are a few common ones:

1.  Waiting for the fairy tale spouse

This can happen in one of two ways.  First, if we aren’t already married, we may be waiting for the perfect Prince Charming or the matchless Miss Right.  Second, if we are married, we may be waiting and hoping our existing spouse will magically mutate into the fairy tale spouse we always dreamed we’d have.

Both of these are dangerous.  People are not perfect therefore it is impossible to find or change someone into the perfect spouse.  Waiting for one to appear  is a complete waste.  Marrying carefully is important, but your spouse does not have to be perfect to love you and be loved by you.

Sharing the ups and downs of life with a spouse is how you build something truly valuable and worth having.  Accepting them with all their strengths and weaknesses is what true love is all about.  Stop waiting and start living!

2.  Waiting for the fairy tale job

People often fail to fully apply themselves to their current position because they don’t like some little thing about the company or their boss or the specific position.  They think if this or that were different they would more fully commit themselves.

This holding back keeps them from achieving all that is possible.  It is a waste!  Again, perfect situations are rare.  However, superstars often work themselves into better situations.  Those that hold back get labeled as mediocre and listless.

The best way to improve your situation on the job is to shine in the position you have right now.  Get noticed!  Stand out from the crowd!  Do more than what is expected and you might get more than you expect in return!

3.  Waiting for the fairy tale opportunity

What is it that you’ve always wanted to do?  Maybe you wanted to start a business or go on your dream vacation or move to the other side of the world.  Whatever “it” is, why are you waiting?!?  It is highly unlikely that things will ever be perfectly right!

We often waste our lives waiting for the ideal opportunity to do the big things in our lives.  However, most of the time, the fairy tale moment we keep waiting for never arrives.  That’s because we live in the real world that is imperfect and continually changing.

Yes, timing is a factor in success, but more importantly success requires us to take action!  Nothing ever happens without someone accepting the risk, stepping out and making their dream come true.  Stop waiting for the fairy tale opportunity to do what you’ve always wanted to do!

Don’t wait for the fairy tale!  Make the best of the life you have!

Instead of continuing to wait for the fairy tale, I say go for it!  Yes, it will likely be messy.  Yes, problems will arise.  Yes, things could get a little scary.  However, the potential payoff is huge!  Once you start really living, all kinds of great things can happen to you.  So, I say dig in, take a chance and you might really live happily ever after!

Photo by PrincessAshley