🧙♀️ Defying Gravity in Personal Growth
*consistency* of self-identity in Wicked
We love musicals around here.
Shrek the Musical, Rent, Into the Woods, Evita—these are the backdrop to our lives and our weekly mopping ritual.
For my daughter Emma and me, Wicked is one of our all-time faves—a show we've experienced countless times in countless places around the globe. We've cried our way through Defying Gravity and For Good, and leaped to our feet as the curtain fell on its unforgettable story again and again.
In the world of musicals, Wicked stands out for its music, characters, and themes that resonate with anyone who’s ever questioned their place in the world. But beyond the spectacle and songs, Wicked reveals a truth that’s central to pretty much all of us: when we Master the Mundane of consistency we can transform anything.
Wicked is the story of two women, Elphaba and Glinda, navigating the complexity of their individual identities. Their experiences look quite different, yet they share the same foundation: the daily work of figuring out who the heck they are.
The musical illustrates a lesson often overlooked by those of us who don’t yet subscribe to the TCA approach in our quest for self-improvement—real growth isn’t about dramatic moments or grand transformations. It’s about the small, repetitive, and often unexciting steps that build over time.
On our way to see WICKED on stage—note the green shoes
🧙🏾♀️ Elphaba: staying true to yourself
Elphaba, the so-called ‘wicked’ witch, struggles with being seen as something she knows she is not. From birth, her green skin sets her apart, inviting judgment and rejection. Her identity is shaped by how others perceive her, but her fight is internal—she’s working to define herself on *her* terms.
Her path is neither glamorous nor swift. Elphaba’s choices—sticking to her values, challenging the status quo, and refusing to let others tell her who she is—show us how progress comes from small, daily decisions.
She doesn’t magically become self-assured; she builds confidence through discipline. Her story reminds us self-acceptance is built through consistently showing up for ourselves, especially when the world pressures us to be someone else.
🧙🏾♀️ Glinda: consistently redefining what matters
On the surface, Glinda is Elphaba’s opposite. She is what the world tells us is the epitome of perfection—blond, popular, charming, and superficial. However over time, Glinda also changes paths and shifts to one of introspection and of peeling back those layers. Her friendship with Elphaba leads her to reconsider what goodness really means and to confront all the superficial standards she once chased and embraced.
Glinda’s growth isn’t flashy.
It’s slow, unfolding through quiet choices that reshape her priorities. She begins to see value in what lies beneath the surface, letting go of the need to be seen as perfect. Her transformation is proof sustainable fulfillment comes from consistent, deliberate work—not fleeting surface validation.
I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game. - Elphaba
Master the Mundane: consistency as the only key
Both Elphaba and Glinda remind us transformation isn't about sudden epiphanies or grand gestures. It's about putting in the work every day, even when it feels monotonous or puts us on the outside of friends who are choosing a more flashy path.
Just as the musical's elaborate set and costumes might distract from a deeper narrative, life's most dramatic moments often obscure the quiet, steady work that drives transformation.
From Elphaba's first flight to Glinda's profound and funny personal revelations each seemingly serendipitous moment in the show is actually the coming together of countless unseen decisions, small acts of courage, and daily commitments to change.
Wicked 2024
Wicked reminds us self-acceptance and personal growth are born from persistence.
Whether learning to see ourselves differently or standing by our values even when we feel wobbly—growth happens when we Master the Mundane of repeated choices.
Just as Elphaba and Glinda (and Emma & I) discover in Wicked, real change is a path of unexpected connection and quiet courage.
As Elphaba's odyssey shows, when we consistently persist despite distractions and odds, we truly learn to defy gravity.
Wicked is my favourite musical. That elphaba is so misunderstood. That she’s smart and kind, hated by her parent, the world doesn’t understand her and makes her a villain and an outcast. She could choose to fit in and is offered great things and stays true to herself.
There is so much I relate to with her. She is my favourite character of any show.
Love, love, love!