Growing up, Pocahontas was one of my favourite Disney princesses. I never realized how inspiring she was, however, until lately. I recently pulled out the old VHS tape and rewatched it. I fell in love with it all over again, but for a bunch of new reasons.  I do still think it would be pretty cool to have a Mother Willow spirit guide.

Like many Disney princesses, Pocahontas has beautiful flowing hair and a handsome gentleman caller, but there’s something different about her. Unlike many of the other princesses, she didn’t need to be rescued. **Spoiler Alert** She was actually the one who saved John Smith from a painful end.

Pocahontas could have chosen to start a family with Kocoum and lead a life similar to the other women in her village, but she decided that that wasn’t right for her. She knew that she was meant to do something more. She ventured around the riverbend and explored the road less travelled. She discovered something extraordinary. Pocahontas was meant to experience great things, but she wouldn’t have had that chance if she decided to stay where it was safe, living the life she knew.

You’ll never know what’s waiting for you around the corner if you choose to stay where you are, where it’s safe. Something amazing could be waiting for you, but you’ll never discover it. To experience new, great things, we must be brave enough to venture into the unknown. We’re so often focused on the instant gratification of the here and now, and so rarely willing to wait for what’s around the riverbend. Extraordinary is worth the wait.

So many of us give up on our seemingly impossible dreams not knowing how close we were to achieving them. I hope I’m don’t become one of these people. How about you?