Do You Have Room On Your Broom?

How children’s literature can reveal strategies for personal development.

Your respect, trustworthiness and steadiness, peace of mind, freedom from pain and fear, in a word your freedom. For what would you sell these things?

This quote from Stoic philosopher, Epictetus’ really sums up my understanding of personal development.

He is advising that we need to place the utmost value on the virtues that give us our freedom as human beings.

He is suggesting that all other values or virtues are cheap, and therefore should not be prioritised.

It is the prioritisation of values that will determine the life that you will have.

If you keep prioritising the things that do not spark joy or those that may even hinder you, then this will be the sum of the life that you have.

It really is all about prioritising.

What you make room for will determine how free you feel.

I cannot count the number of times that I have read to my daughters the story, Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

Plot spoiler ahead….

On one level the story relays a tale about a witch and her cat travelling on their broomstick. They pick up some hitch-hikers — a friendly dog, a beautiful green bird and a frantic frog.

Each passenger earns their spot on the broomstick for helping the witch locate items that fell from the broom, such as her wand, hair bow and hat.

The broomstick cracks in two as it is not meant for five and just at this moment a hungry dragon appears.

The animals fall from the broomstick landing in a bog, leaving the witch alone in the sky. Meanwhile, the dragon decides he would like witch and chips for dinner.

Shortly after the witch lands, a terrifying beast emerges from the bog. The horrified dragon flees in terror, releasing the witch to the beast. The beast is, of course, the three animals in disguise.

Together the group create a broomstick that has enough room for everyone. Aside from being a fantastic story of quick wit and friendship, it can also be read on another level.

We could read the story as one of values and priorities.

The witch could be said to place her focus and value on her hat, her hair bow and wand.

Perhaps these items represent her priorities in her life. Imagine that these priorities are acquiring great wealth, gaining status and the ‘self’ or ego.

The wind throws the witch off course and she loses her items or values.

The wind could simply represent life’s journey. The wind blew the witch off the course she was following and as a result she is taught a powerful lesson.

Her values fall away and she feels bereft without them as she feels that they are important things on to which she should cling, perhaps because these were the ideals presented to her in her childhood.

This is her narrative; her identity.

What is she without them?

Which path can she follow without these values?

The witch has no option but to face what she perceives to be adversity, when in fact what she is really facing is the opportunity to learn something new.

The animals that are able to reunite the witch with her possessions represent new values, perhaps of friendship, or maybe even Epictetus’ recommendations of respect, trustworthiness and steadiness which give the witch peace of mind, and freedom from pain and fear.

When the new broom is created by all of the characters, it is larger — perhaps representing the space that the witch has made to add more values into her mind set and thought patterns.

The old values remain alongside the new ones, but the positive feelings associated with the new values may make the witch seek these out before pursuing the old values.

Acquiring great wealth, gaining status and the ‘self’ or ego do not give the witch the freedom that she seeks and so she is drawn more instinctively to the values that do. Her prior values may have even caused her pain and fear without her realising that they were the source.

Understanding your goals, values and priorities is an essential step in your personal development journey.

Getting your life in a state of order is a great starting point.

Start by tidying up your work desk, your car and your living space.

When these spaces are orderly, you can tackle your mind.

Buy in fresh seasonal foods and cook them simply.

Nourish your life by nourishing your body with simple unprocessed foods.

Read books, lots of them.

Make a playlist of all of your favourite songs and listen to them.

Nourish your soul by surrounding yourself with people that bring out the best in you.

Find your tribe and let them nourish you with shared or different interests, jokes and experiences.

Nourish your soul by undertaking meaningful work — this can be paid employment and/or volunteering.

Take up gardening, even in a pot or window box. Give life to something that can grow and bloom. Use this as a visible metaphor for your personal journey. Nourish the plant and nourish your wellbeing. Watch how the leaves and flower heads turn towards the light, soaking up all of the goodness they need.

Do the same.

Make time to travel.

Remove yourself from your comfort zone.

See something new and your outlook will be disrupted and refreshed. You will taste different foods, smell different smells and encounter different people and cultures.

If funds do not permit travelling abroad, take a different route home from work. Get off the bus a stop early and walk the rest of the way.

Find a park, find a bench, sit and read a book.

As psychologist Carl Rogers wrote,

‘wellbeing isn’t completed after a series of steps, it is ongoing’.

It may be a long road ahead, but you just have to begin and there is no time like the present to begin….