This is a tale of Transparency.
You know the story, Cinderella wore her glass slipper to the ball, but when the clock stuck midnight, she lost one shoe running to her carriage before it turned into a pumpkin. The prince scours the village in search of the lady perfect enough to fit the shoe, finds his maiden and magically she transforms her life from a position as a slave to become a princess.
How can we apply this childhood belief into reality? Let’s first ‘Get Real’!
- Cinderella had to show great courage to formulate and follow her dream
- She was extremely resourceful.
- She knew the rules of the promise she made to attend the event and made the sacrifices she needed to fulfill the agreement.
- She had the strength to show no malicious reaction to the adversity surrounding her life
- She lived happily ever after and wore those transparent glass slippers with humility and reigned over her domain with standards, style and grace.
And now some thoughts about how we, in our business and personal lives, might appear as transparent as Cinderella’s glass slippers.
Considering that the word ‘transparent’ is a word rapidly becoming over used and abused.
Webster’s definition of transparent:
1. transmitting light rays so that objects on the other side may be distinctly seen; capable of being seen through; neither opaque or translucent 2. so fine in texture or open in mesh that objects on the other side may be seen relatively clearly 3. easily understood; very clear 4. easily recognized or detected; obvious 5. without guile or concealment; open frank candid
Can you be transparent and still be a person of substance?
Was Cinderella actually the only woman in the whole land pure enough to wear the glass slipper? I think not. In this day and age, both men and women are free to break through any perceived glass ceiling if you have the courage, the fortitude, the resourcefulness, the strength and the internal ‘where-with-all’ shining through to show the world that YOU are clearly a person of substance with much more than meets the eye!