The Wonder of Peter Pan

Peter Pan may be a figment of the author J. M. Barrie’s imagination, a fictitious character brought to life on the big screen by those wonderful folks at Disney, but if you stop and think about it, Peter Pan can teach us one or two things that we might just want to implement in everyday life.

Image credit: Disney

So what can we learn from the boy who refused to grow up?

1. ‘Keep adventuring and stay not a grown up’ 

   It’s wonderful to be a grown up and be able to make grown up decisions; but sometimes the best thing you can do is to act like a big kid. It’s good for your heart and it’s good for your soul but best of all, studies have shown having fun is great for your mental health too.

2. ‘Well, I’m certainly proud of you, you blockheads’

   Peter is surrounded by the best friends a person could ask for, he is kind and loyal to his gang as they are to him. Follow suit and get yourself a great group of mates - they’re the family you get to choose.

3. ‘To die would be an awfully big adventure’

   ‘Worrying’, to quote the great Baz Luhrmann, ‘is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum’. Worrying about death, therefore, is even more a waste of time. Treat life as the big adventure it is, you don’t get a do-over, and approach death in the same way. Even Albus Dumbledore says, ‘to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure’.

4. ‘The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it’

   Granted we may not be able to fly when we think happy thoughts, but happy thoughts can be the wind beneath your mental wings giving you enough of a boost to lift you out of your fug and get you back on the right track. Believe in yourself and you will be able to do anything; stop believing in yourself and you allow doubt to creep in and take a hold. Self doubt is one of the biggest obstacles preventing us turning our thoughts into action. Self doubt causes us to become self-protective to minimise the potential for failure. Self doubt results in procrastination, hesitation and self handicapping. It literally clips our wings and stops us from soaring.

5. ‘Don’t you understand? You mean more to me than anything in this whole world’

   Love with all your heart and cherish those you hold most dear. Make everyday count and tell them frequently how much they mean to you - the only way someone will really know how you feel, is if you tell them.

If you need a little reminder to keep the dream alive and be inspired each and everyday, our Peter Pan shadow wall decal is a wonderfully demure addition to any nursery (or bedroom), go on, release your inner child. Use code TICKTOCK25 for a 25% discount!