Business and life lessons from Alice in Wonderland

One of my favourite books as a child and still as an adult is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I love that its slightly bonkers, all the different characters and that like the real world somethings just don’t make sense. More than just an adventure, we can take business and life lesson from the book.

Lesson 1

“ Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” Alice said, “That depends on a good deal on where you want to get to” Said the Cat
“ I don’t much care where -“ said Alice  “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go” said the Cat
“-so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added

Sometimes we are so intent on making progress, we don’t focus on where we want to go. Having a business vision and setting business goals are vital. They not only keep us on the right path but knowing what direction we want to go helps us to stay focused and motivated.

Lesson 2

“Who are you?” Said the Caterpillar. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I-I hardly know, Sir just at present – at least I know who I was when I got up this morning but I think I must have been changed several times since then”

How many different hats do we wear as business owners. One task you are creating graphics, the next you could be doing accounts and then you could be marketing your business on social media. It’s easy to get overwhelmed wearing all of these hats. One way to stop overwhelm is to plan and organise.

Lesson 3

“She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it).”

Listen to yourself more in life and in business and do follow it. You know you best and you know your business the best. Always follow your gut instinct.

Lesson 4

“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

This quote is great as it challenges our self belief. As business owners we put limits on ourselves to what we believe it right. Self limiting beliefs stop us from moving forward in our businesses. Things we thought were impossible, in time become possible. If only we start believing in ourselves.

Lesson 5

“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then”

How much have you learnt since starting your business? Learning things about your business often helps you learn about yourself as well. Running a business does change you as a person. Whether it makes you mindful, more productive, confident, learn a new skill. I know as a person I have changed several times since starting my business.

Lesson 6

Two began in a low voice “Why the is, you see, Miss this her ought to have been a red-rose tree and we put a white one in by mistake:”

Mistake in business happen. You are human, it’s gonna happen. No matter the size of the mistake you can always learn from them. Don’t be ashamed of making mistakes, they make you a better business owner.

Lesson 7

Business is like a wonderland or so I think. There are ups and downs, twists turn.
Running a business can be scary, fun, exhilarating and a little crazy. It can be described as entering a wonderland. There are strange things that don’t make sense and maybe a mad hatter or two. Embrace the journey, you will have lows and high. You will meet some characters along the way. Some of them will pass you by and others will be life long friends.

Lesson 8

“Begin at the beginning,’ the King said gravely, `and go on till you come to the end: then stop.’

Don’t try to jump ahead in your business. Do start at the very beginning so that you have anything set up in place and correctly. Enjoy the journey and process of your business.

Lesson 9

“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get “

Ever feel like the more you do, the less productive you are? Don’t try to do too much multitasking especially when it comes to importance tasks like emails. You are bound to make mistakes and errors. You’ll look unprofessional and people won’t recommend to work with you.

Lesson 10

I can totally relate to Alice . She just eats and drinks everything she see and hopes it solves her problems.

Which quote is your favourite and why? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below

Quotes taken from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.