Princess

What is a princess?

According to the dictionary, a princess is

1. The daughter of a monarch.

2. A close female relative of monarch, esp. a son's daughter.

3. The wife or widow of a prince.

4. The female ruler of a small state, actually, nominally, or originally subject to a king or emperor.

5. A spoiled or arrogant young woman.

What is my definition of a princess?

A princess is me. I am a princess. You are a princess. Every girl is a princess. Princesses aren't just conceited, self-absorbed, gorgeous girls who dress up and attend balls and go around bragging about how wonderful they are and how glamorous life is. They don't expect everyone to bow down to them or put them on a pedestal. No. That is not a princess. And you aren't just born a princess. And you can't just marry a prince and magically turn into a princess and live happily ever after. A princess makes her own magic from inside. She is strong, brave, selfless, classy, lovely, amazing, and has a purpose. Her purpose is to save the world, to make it a better place and to brighten a room when she walks in it because she inspires you to want to be better. A princess knows that every other girl is a princess. Princesses don't just sit around waiting, wishing, and hoping for their dreams to come true. Princesses go out and give it their all and make not only their own dreams come true, they make others dreams come true. A princess has faced adversity and never lets it bring her down. A princess finds light in the darkest of nights, even if it's just the light inside her to guide her along. Princesses aren't perfect. They make mistakes and have flaws, but learn from them. They don't let anything or anyone stop them. A princess is fearless. Once upon a time can happen anytime. 

"Once upon a time. Aren't those wonderful words to begin a story? Once upon a time promises something: a story of adventure and romance, a story of princesses and princes. It may include tales of courage, hope, and everlasting love. In many of these stories, nice overcomes mean and good overcomes evil. But perhaps most of all, I love it when we turn to the last page and our eyes reach the final lines and we see the enchanting words 'And they lived happily ever after'. 

Isn't that what we all desire: to be the heroes and heroines of our own stories; to triumph over adversity; to experience life in all its beauty; and, in the end, to live happily ever after?

Isn't it remarkable to know that our eternal Heavenly Father knows you, hears you, watches over you, and loves you with an infinite love? In fact, His love for you is so great that He has granted you this earthly life as a precious gift of once upon a time, complete with your own true story of adventure, trial, and opportunities for greatness, nobility, courage, and love. And, most glorious of all, He offers you a beyond a price and comprehension. Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all-eternal life-and the opportunity and infinite blessings of your own happily ever after.

But such a blessing does not come without a price. It is not given simply because you desire it. It comes only through understanding who you are and what you must become in order to be worthy of such a gift. For a moment, think back about your favorite fairytale. In that story the main character may be a princess or a peasant; she might be a mermaid or a milkmaid, a ruler or a servant. You will find one thing all have in common: they must overcome adversity.

Cinderella has to endure her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters. She is compelled to suffer long hours of servitude and ridicule. 

In Beauty and The Beast, Belle becomes a captive to a frightful-looking beast in order to save her father. She sacrifices her home and family, all she holds dear, to spend several months in the beast's castle. In the tale, Rumpelstiltskin, a poor miller promises the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king immediately sends for her and locks her in a room with a mound of straw and a spinning wheel. Later in the story she faces the danger of losing her firstborn child unless she can guess the name of the magical creature who helped her in this impossible task.

In each of these stories, Cinderella, Belle, and the miller's daughter have to experience sadness and trial before they can reach their happily ever after. Think about it. Has there ever been a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of temptation, trial, and sorrow?

Sandwiched between their once upon a time and happily ever after, they all had to experience great adversity. Why must all experience sadness and tragedy? Why could we not simply live in bliss and peace, each day filled with wonder, joy, and love?

The scriptures tell us there must be opposition in all things, for without it we could not discern the sweet from the bitter. In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy.

It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life's story will develop. Stay true to what you know is right. Everywhere you look today, you will find promises of happiness. Ads in magazines promise total bliss if you will only buy a certain outfit, shampoo, or makeup. Certain media productions glamorize those who embrace evil or who give into base instincts. Often these same people are portrayed as models of success and accomplishment.

We all search for happiness, and we all try to find our own happily ever after. The truth is, God knows how to get there! And He has created a map for you; He knows the way. He is your beloved Heavenly Father, who seeks your good, your happiness. He desires with all the love of a perfect and pure Father that you reach your supernal destination. The map is available to all. It gives explicit directions of what to do and where to go to everyone who is striving to come unto Christ and 'stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things and in all places.' All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His plan. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your once upon a time is now."

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Cinderella walked on broken glass. Sleeping Beauty let a whole lifetime pass. Belle fell in love with a hideous beast. Jasmine married a common thief. Ariel walked on land for love and life. Snow White barely escaped a knife. It was all about blood, sweat, and tears because love means facing your biggest fears.”

“I’m just a little bit caught in the middle.

Life is a maze and love is a riddle.

I don’t know where to go, can’t do it alone.

I’ve tried and I don’t know why.

I’m just a little girl lost in the moment.

I’m so scared but I don’t show it.

I can’t figure it out, it’s bringing me down.

I know I’ve got to let it go and just enjoy the show.

Just enjoy the show, just enjoy the show.”

“I’ve discovered as I’ve grown up that life is far more complicated than you think it is when you’re a kid. It isn’t just a straightforward fairytale.”

-Rachel McAdams

“When I was a little girl I used to read fairytales. In fairytales you meet Prince Charming and he’s everything you ever wanted. In fairytales the bad guy is very easy to spot. The bad guy is always wearing a black cape so you always know who he is. Then you grow up and you realize that Prince Charming is not as easy to find as you thought. You realize the bad guy is not wearing a black cape and he’s not easy to spot—he’s really funny and he makes you laugh, and he has perfect hair.”

-Taylor Swift

“So I’m going out there and I’m going to do the best I can. People are going to get in my way. Things are going to bring me down. But I’m going to keep going. I’m going to reach as far as I can, for everything I’ve ever wanted. And I’m not giving up. Because that’s what you do when your dreams are more important than your fears. You go out there and ignore the odds. You focus on one thing—that your dreams come true.”

“Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is going to come from. The next smile, the next wish come true. But if you believe that it’s right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it, you just might get the thing you’re wishing for. The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make a wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it with all your heart.”

-Lucas Scott, One Tree Hill

“If you want something badly enough, if you’re determined enough and appreciative enough, eventually it will happen.”

-Izzie Stevens, Grey’s Anatomy

“Everyone wants to live a fairytale. Everyone wants a perfect life, but what makes up a fairytale? Is truly the pain and the strife? What would a fairytale be without a damsel in distress? She would never meet prince Charming, never dance in her dress. You see you can’t have a story with just a beginning and an end. You have to be broken to be able to mend. Without the dark, there’d be no light. Without wrong, there’d be no right. Every story can have a perfect ending. You just have to wait for it.”

-Marisa Draper

“I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rag, even if they aren’t pretty, or smart, or young. They’re still princesses. All of us.”

-The Little Princess

“Tell me princess, when did you last let your heart decide?”

-Aladdin

“You know how when you were a little kid and you believed in fairytales, that fantasy of what your life would be: white dress, Prince Charming who would carry you away to a castle on a hill. You would lie in bed at night and close your eyes and you had complete and utter faith. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Prince Charming, they were all so close you could taste them, but eventually you grow up, one day you open your eyes and the fairytale disappears. Most people turn to the things and people they can trust. But the thing is it’s hard to let go of that fairytale entirely cause almost everyone has the smallest bit of hope, or faith, that one day they’ll open their eyes and it will come true.”

-Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy