You've Got to Believe in Yourself
- Jun 25
- 6 min read
An appreciation of the Wiz and how it’s messaging is showing up in my life presently.
Last year I shared with some friends that I feel like I’m in the Wiz. If you’ve never seen the Wiz, I need you to go watch it. It’s the same plot as the Wizard of Oz, but with an iconic Black cast and production team. Anyways, at the beginning of 2025, I felt like Dorothy where far in the distance I could physically see the land of Oz, which represents miracles and wish fulfillment, BUT I didn’t know how to get there and how long it would take.
Pause. ⏸️ Did you know the Wiz was a box office flop? Yep. It cost roughly $24 million to make, but it only grossed $13 million at the box office in 1978, resulting in over $10 million dollars lost. I find that astonishing considering its cast which includes Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor and music produced by Quincy Jones. Also, it is now considered a Black cult classic.
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In the beginning of the Wiz, Dorothy appears to be emotionally stunted. Everyone’s life around her is visibly moving forward, yet she’s still never been south of 125th street. I often feel that way as I compare myself to societal standards and my closest peers. Many people my age own a home, have a spouse, child(ren), are excelling in a fulfilling career and while I desire those things too, it has not yet happened for me. The difference between me and Dorothy though, is that I’m actively trying to receive these things, while Dorothy is too afraid to try. We do however lead a similar life, even down to our little fluffy dogs we are constantly chasing after.
In the past two years I’ve done a lot of work around my brain, my heart, and having more courage.
Brain - Scarecrow
My brain (mind) needed a lot of work, or shall I say upgrades. I had a habit of thinking negatively about myself, but I began to say the negative things aloud and write them down. By doing so, I had proof of how silly my negative thoughts sound and now I think more positively of myself. “You is smart, you is kind, you is important.” Since changing my inner thoughts, I have quantum leaped in the area of my mental health, career, and finances in the last 18 months. This is also possible because I have surrounded myself with people who want to uplift me and left the crows behind. Your mind can either expand or shrink, depending on the people you surround yourself with and the media you consume.
Heart - Tin Man
In the past 18 months I’ve opened my heart up to receive, despite beginning 2025 newly single. I easily could have shut down after that break up, but I learned just because my previous relationships did not work out, I’m not hard to love. Instead, I’ve loved people who could not match the depth of love I have for myself; there’s a difference. Now knowing that difference, I’ve closed my heart off to those who cannot match the depth of love I have for myself, which in turn created more room for the love I’d like to both give and receive from myself and others. I now believe I am the embodiment of love in its purest form.
Courage - Mean ol Lion
Despite being bullied and shunned for being my authentic self in the past, during the last 18 months, I have had the courage to be my most authentic self online through YouTube, TikTok and Substack. Many would cower, and I often did, but now I fight through those fears by simply trying. Sometimes I get no likes, other times I get thousands, but each time I am rewiring my brain that being myself is not a bad thing; it is fun and has brought me more rewards that shrinking ever has. I even had the courage to learn how to swim; something that was once scary is now an activity that brings me joy. Courage to me is trying, even when there is fear present, not the absence of fear.
I’m currently at the part of the Wiz where Dorothy realizes that she must believe in herself before she can return home to New York. But before she does that, Dorothy learns that the Wiz is nothing but a scammer who’s conning the people of Oz. And the thing about a scammer, is that they have a lot of audacity behind the mask they hide their insecurities with… Dorothy is faced with the challenging decision to either stay in Oz because the Wiz cannot help her, or she can believe in herself by clicking her sparkly heels three times until she gets back home.
Pause. ⏸️ Do you know how difficult it is to believe that some dead witch’s sparkly shoes will help you get home? That’s how believing often feels for me. Ridiculous, silly, stupid, incomprehensible, etc.
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Believing in the unknown is extremely difficult for me. Like most, I have a cap on my beliefs. We may believe that the sun will rise tomorrow, but very few will believe that clicking their heels three times will grant them their deepest wish. I am trying to believe that through my authenticity and creativity, I will be afforded wealth 10 times greater than my current corporate job can provide. I am trying to believe that at 33, a healthy marriage and children will still happen for me, despite no prospects. The things I currently desire are something I’ve unfortunately not witnessed in my bloodline. I do not have parents, grandparents, or even great grandparents that have given me the blueprint for the romance, family and level of finances I aspire to have, and certainly not with the level of ease I prefer to obtain it. I am the blueprint, the generational curse breaker, and that takes a hell of a lot of belief to trust that by doing something different, life will reward me and future generations differently.
Pause. ⏸️ I’d like to note that while I do not see anyone in my bloodline with the exact blueprint I desire, I’m extremely proud of them. Each generation has done more than the last and that is a testament to our faith and endurance. I will always remain grateful for what they’ve done for us as we continue to progress forward.
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When Lena Horne appears in the final scene with the babies in the sky, I think of it as my ancestors and future generations (including my own children because I must believe lol) cheering me on, because they believe in me too. All of these figures in the final scenes play a powerful role in Dorothy believing in herself through community. Dorothy was different from those in the land of Oz and while she may not have initially believed in herself, she believed in others; for better or worse. By believing in others, she unintentionally created a community of people that helped remind herself of her power and light. That is what I realized I’ve done in my life thus far; inspire others to believe in themselves. So why not use the audacity of scammers (the Wiz, poppies, crows) and the love of my community (the land of Oz, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Aunt Em) help me believe that my goals are more than attainable and I will achieve them? I guess I have no choice now but to believe and trust that I’m almost exactly where I desire to be.
While preparing this article, I shared it with one of my best friends and she said “I don’t think you’re Dorothy at all, you’re more like the Wicked Witch of the West aka Elphaba.” I do love Wicked and I believe we can all be different characters throughout life’s seasons. I did say in a previous article, I’m like Chaka Khan, every woman is in me… So maybe Dorothy was past me and Elphaba is current me? Hmmm… Should I do a part 2 and focus on the parallels between myself and the Wicked Witch of the West aka Elphaba? Let me know in the comments and don’t forget to share this with a friend. Until next time. 🧚🏾♀️💕✨
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