Well, who would guess that so much inspiration could come from one little 5 year old…?

Or maybe two 5 year olds if you include my daughter along with Matilda.

On Sunday we took a trip to Theatreland in London with our daughter to see the acclaimed musical, Matilda, based on the classic Roald Dahl book.

Matilda poster from the show - “Nobody but me is going to change my story. Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.” blog by www.lucystanyerlifecoach.com

The show brilliant – exceeded all expectations. Mrs Trunchball was suitably wicked and the kids in the show gave great performances. We loved it!

Lyrical inspiration

What I loved the most was having spent a week listening to the cast album before we went, really understanding the lyrics of the songs.

It’s s stonking musical score from Tim Minchin with plenty of comedy and a few home truths about parenting. 🙂

The most powerful song in the show is Matilda’s first solo number, Naughty.

You can read the full lyrics to Naughty here.

In Naughty, Matilda singing about how, despite being small and young, she is going to to tackle the injustices she sees with the Headteacher, Mrs Trunchball.

The metaphors in the song highlight how everyone has some power over their own circumstances, even if they don’t recognise or take advantage of it. “You mustn’t let a little thing like little stop you,” she sang.

She also sings about how being a little bit naughty – or disruption the norms or expectations – can be the best way to go to break out of the stories that we sometimes feel stuck in.

I don’t know about you, but I think we can all identify with this from time to time.

We all need a reminder that sometimes breaking or challenging the rules – or what we perceive as rules, the shoulds and musts – can be just what we need to make positive changes in our lives.

[Naughty – chorus:]
“Just because you find that life’s not fair, it
Doesn’t mean that you just have to grin and bear it.
If you always take it on the chin and wear it,
Nothing will change.
Even if you’re little you can do a lot, you
Mustn’t let a little thing like ‘little’ stop you.
If you sit around and let them get on top, you
Might as well be saying you think that it’s OK,
And that’s not right.””

And the last three lines say it all really:

“But nobody else is gonna put it right for me.
Nobody but me is gonna change my story.
Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.”

And if you want to listen with a full sing-a-long then click on the YouTube video below. Enjoy!

Free discovery session

If you want some help getting the confidence to make changes to your story – to your life, then why not book a free discovery session with me.

There’s no obligation and no charge for this 45-minute discovery call.

If you like my approach, then we can book your first session and start your journey to make changes with confidence.