I have two young daughters, aged 7 & 9, and we fully embraced Frozen when it was released. We had a wide variety of toys, we watched the DVD on repeat, and we sang “Let It Go” and “Do You Want To Build A Snowman” until we were blue in the face. 

But that being said I loved the message of Frozen. It was about the bond of two sisters instead of finding a prince.  I use it to remind my daughters of their strong sisterly bond and point out how Elsa & Anna try to protect each other and work together. 

 I have to say when Frozen II came out I was nervous that the message would change, and boy was I right... it's better!

I know this is probably not what you're expecting but if you are struggling with fear and self-doubt you need to watch Frozen II and here’s why.

Your Inner Voice Is Speaking To You  

If you don’t know anything about Frozen II, Elsa hears voices calling to her (that no one else can hear) from the enchanted forest. She is afraid, but also thrilled. It is an invitation she struggles to admit that she wants to accept. 

Like many of us, we try to ignore these inner callings. The ones that tell us we should take a risk or to do something outside of our comfort zone. We get these small nudges or ideas and most of us quickly dismiss them.  

Sometimes that voice gets so strong and it’s really hard to ignore. 

How many of you have a dream inside of you that you can’t stop thinking about it? 

You do everything to ignore it. You have a zillion reasons why not to embrace it. “It will be hard, It doesn't pay enough, I’ll have to give “x”  up, What if it doesn’t work”, and the most famous “I’m not good enough”.

We spend so much time fighting with this voice. 

“I can hear you but I won't

Some look for trouble while others don't

There's a thousand reasons I should go about my day

And ignore your whispers which I wish would go away, oh

Whoa

You're not a voice, you're just a ringing in my ear

And if I heard you, which I don't, I'm spoken for I fear

Everyone I've ever loved is here within these walls

I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls

I've had my adventure, I don't need something new

I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you”

This is just an excerpt from the song “Into the Unknown” where Elsa is arguing with this calling and trying to dismiss it as anything but important. 

If this sounds familiar keep reading because it gets better. 

People Who Love You Want To Keep You Safe

Anna desperately tries to talk Elsa out of following this voice because she can’t bear to lose her. The fear of the unknown forces Anna to go into a protective mode for her sister. She finally agrees to accompany Elsa on her journey hoping to be the voice of reason and keep her safe. Never letting her risking too much and placing all of her fears onto Elsa.

How many people close to you do the same thing?

They are scared for you and want to keep you safe. It’s hard for them to let go and let you do your own thing. They project their own beliefs and fears onto you. 

They think it’s helpful to tell you all the reasons why it’s not right, why it won’t work, or why it shouldn’t be you.

Then justify it by saying they are just  “being honest with you when others won’t”. The majority of people believe them and think “it must be true because they love me and wouldn’t want to intentionally hurt me.”

Slowly that voice may fade but if you are lucky it will SCREAM so loud that you are forced to listen.

Which is exactly what Elisa did! 

She pushed Anna & Olaf away from her so she could follow this voice. 

Guess what? She stumbled, multiple times, it took a lot of effort, but she discovered her truth. 

Following Your Inner Voice, You Allow Others To Follow Their Own

When Elsa pushed Olaf and Anna away they both were hurt by her actions.

 It's always easy to turn ourselves into the victims. People feel we are selfish when we follow our inner voice. Like you need to choose “them or it” and this absolutely is not the case. Following your inner voice does not make you selfish, ridiculous, or defiant. 

We all have that voice leading and guiding us but very few people are brave enough to listen and follow. 

Not to give away from the movie if you haven’t seen it, but Anna has to begin to listen to herself and she ultimately became the hero of the movie.

She never would have made the decisions and took the risks she did if it weren’t for Elsa pushing her away.

Your actions will inspire other people to make decisions for themselves. It gives them permission (not that they need it) to rise up and do what’s right for them. 

It could be your sister, a friend, an acquaintance, and in today’s world, it could be someone who follows you on social media. Seeing people brave enough to chase their dreams, overcoming rejection, and failure is very inspiring. It gives us hope that if someone else can do it then maybe I can too. 

The limbic lobe (caveman part of our brain) tries to keep us safe and has built-in survival mechanisms that help us “adapt” or “fit in” to our environments. We are genetically programmed to need acceptance from our tribe because isolation would result in death. 

Our brain evolves at a slow rate so this program is still in there and it really limits us in this modern world. Nowadays you will survive if your tribe isolates you. There will be another tribe nearby that will welcome you with open arms. 

Remember if you are brave enough to follow your voice you clear the way for others to follow their own, no pressure!  

Focus On The Next Right Thing

Anna experienced some hardships and felt the loss of relationships in this film. From a young age, she wanted nothing more than to have a relationship with her sister and shortly after she got it, she was alone again. 

 Forced to make a decision, Anna could stay laying down where was or she could do “the next right thing” (which in true Disney form leads into another song). 

Anna has been guided by her love for Elisa, and with her gone, she had to begin to guide herself. She focused on doing one small thing in the right direction. 

Many people are caught up in their problems and beat themselves up. I should be further ahead by now, It’s impossible, I can’t do this, There isn’t a solution, I should just quit... blah blah blah. 

If we only focused on what the next right step was. What is one small thing you can do today that will bring you closer to your goal? 

Did you post on Facebook today? Did you follow-up with your customer? Did you do what you said you were going to do? 

One small improvement daily will lead to incredible results. 

Life is not about doing all of the things and reaching your destination the quickest. If you think that’s the truth then you are listening to your ego, not your inner voice. 

Your inner voice will never tell you that you are unworthy, alone, that you don’t matter, or that you are better than, that is all your ego. Ego is more than “cocky”. Its anything that isolates you from everyone else. It can be hard to not listen to it but try because it is the enemy. The ego is what keeps humans divided.

And lastly...

Show Yourself

Honestly, the lyrics of this song give me goosebumps and I tear up almost every time I hear them, which is a lot!. My oldest loves to belt this out on her Bluetooth microphone regularly, and as annoying as that can be, the words are powerful and I want her to sing them over and over so they become apart of her.

"I've never felt so certain

All my life I've been torn

But I'm here for a reason

Could it be the reason I was born?

I have always been so different

Normal rules did not apply

Is this the day?

Are you the way

I finally find out why?"

At times, we all doubt why we are here and what our purpose is. I honestly think that everyone at some point in their life feels like they are different and they don’t fit in (Hello, Ego!). People don’t like to discuss their insecurities because that would make us appear weak (again, ego). 

If we all listened to our inner voice it will lead us to where we are supposed to be. 

"Show yourself

Step into your power

Grow yourself

Into something new

You are the one you've been waiting for

All of my life

(All of your life)

Oh, show yourself"

We spend our whole lives waiting for someone/something to tell us it will be ok and we are making the right choices, but we are the ones who need to do that for ourselves.

Don’t live your life for someone else. Don’t settle for something. Stop following social norms. 

Be brave enough to go into the unknown and find yourself. You are who you have been waiting for. Sometimes we just need to surround ourselves with nature and quiet the voices around us in order to truly listen. 

And like Olaf says “this will all make sense when I am older” (yes, of course, another song). You don’t have all the answers now but in time these obstacles will all make perfect sense and you will be able to see why you went through them. You just need to give it time and space. 

I want you to own your awesome. We all have our own unique set of skills and talents (Elsa’s is the power to create ice and snow )and I want you to use yours.

This is the reason why I work with small business owners. I want to help them get their dreams and messages out into the world. It inspires others to go after their own dreams and creates a ripple of positivity. 

My last piece of advice is if, by chance, you're a parent of a teenager (or you’re an actual teenager) be brave enough to let them follow their own inner voice. Don’t put pressure on them to go to university, get a high paying job, or give them advice on the  “real world".

Your beliefs, your thoughts, and fears are your own. Reality is subjective. These do not apply to anyone else. No one is ever going to see the world as you do, which is why you are uniquely qualified to follow your own inner voice. It will always guide you if you are willing to listen. 

Encourage your kids to take risks, celebrate failures, and chase their crazy dreams. You have no way of knowing where these paths lead. Don’t put limits on them. You don’t have to like what they are doing but you do have to support them trying. I think this is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give their child. Give that same support to anyone who needs it. 

This article was an example of my inner voice not shutting up. I have been stewing on it since opening night back in November. I have thought 100x’s that this is crazy. People are going to think you are nuts linking a kid’s cartoon to entrepreneurship. I couldn’t shut the voice up so I’m trusting that by surrendering to it that this will help someone somewhere. 

I want nothing more than for you to stop living for someone else and start living for yourself.  

What is your inner voice telling you to do right now? Don’t question it just do whatever it says. Be like Anna and just take one small step in the right direction.