It’s one of the most famous tropes in cinema history. Glinda the Good Witch leans down to a girl in silver slippers—red, if you’re watching the 1939 Technicolor version—and drops a truth bomb that frankly feels a little like gaslighting at first. She tells Dorothy, "You had the power all along my dear."
But honestly? If someone told me that after I’d just survived a cyclone, fought a literal green witch, and marched through a forest of sentient, grumpy trees, I’d probably be a little annoyed. Why make me walk the yellow brick road if I could have just clicked my heels on day one? If you liked this article, you should look at: this related article.
That’s the thing about human psychology. We don’t believe we have the agency to change our lives until we’ve suffered enough to feel we’ve "earned" the right to use it. We wait for a mentor, a boss, or a life coach to hand us a certificate of readiness. We treat our own potential like a locked door and spend years looking for a key that’s actually been in our pocket the whole time. It’s a classic case of external validation dependency, and it’s arguably the biggest thing holding most people back from actually enjoying their lives.
The Psychology of the "Waiting Room"
Most of us live in a perpetual waiting room. We think, "I’ll start that business when I have more savings," or "I’ll set boundaries with my family once I’m more established." Psychologists often refer to this as an External Locus of Control. This is the belief that your successes or failures are determined by outside forces—luck, fate, or the silver-haired "wizards" of the world. For another look on this story, refer to the latest coverage from The Spruce.
When you believe the power is "out there," you become a passive observer of your own existence. You’re waiting for the weather to be perfect. You’re waiting for the market to be stable. You’re waiting for someone to say, "Okay, it’s your turn now."
But the "power all along" isn’t about magic. It’s about Self-Efficacy. Albert Bandura, a legendary psychologist from Stanford, defined this as a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations. Without it, you can have all the talent in the world and still stay stuck in Kansas. Or Munchkinland. Or a cubicle you hate.
Research suggests that people with a high sense of self-efficacy view difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than threats to be avoided. They don't wait for permission. They don't need Glinda to show up in a bubble to tell them they’re capable. They just... do the thing.
The Dorothy Paradox: Why the Journey Actually Matters
If Dorothy had clicked her heels immediately, she would have gone home as the same scared girl who ran away from Miss Gulch. She needed the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion. Why? Because they were reflections of what she thought she lacked: brains, heart, and courage.
In reality, she was the one coming up with the plans. She was the one showing empathy. She was the one facing the Wizard.
We often think that "you had the power all along my dear" means the struggle was a waste of time. It wasn't. The journey is the process of integrating that power. You have to prove to yourself that you can handle the responsibility of your own agency.
Think about the last time you took a big risk. Maybe you quit a job without a safety net, or you finally told someone how you felt. The "power" didn't arrive the moment you succeeded; the power was in the decision to act. The outcome is almost secondary to the realization that you are the one pulling the levers behind the curtain.
The Permission Myth in the Modern World
We are conditioned from birth to seek permission. Raise your hand to speak. Wait for the grade. Wait for the promotion. Wait for the blue checkmark.
This creates a "permission-based" mindset that is incredibly hard to break. Even in the creator economy, where anyone can start a YouTube channel or a newsletter, people still wait. They wait for the "right" equipment. They wait for an "algorithm" to bless them.
Let's look at real-world examples.
Consider Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. She didn’t have a background in fashion or retail. She was selling fax machines door-to-door. She didn't wait for a venture capital firm to tell her that her idea was valid. She used her $5,000 in savings, researched patent law herself, and drove to hosiery mills until someone agreed to make her product. She had the power all along—the power was her persistence and her refusal to wait for an "expert" to give her the green light.
Then there’s the story of Sylvester Stallone and the script for Rocky. He was broke. He was offered hundreds of thousands of dollars for the script on the condition that he not star in it. He said no. He knew that his power wasn't just in the writing; it was in the performance. He bet on himself when it would have been much easier to let someone else take the reins.
Identifying Your Own "Silver Slippers"
What does this look like for you? It’s usually the thing you’re most afraid of doing because you don’t feel "qualified."
- The Fear of Being a Fraud: Imposter syndrome is just the flip side of the "power" coin. If you feel like a fraud, it’s often because you’ve stepped into a role you haven't been "given" by an authority figure. Good. That’s where growth happens.
- The "Once-I-Have" Trap: This is a mental loop. "Once I have X, then I will do Y." Break the loop. Do Y with whatever version of X you currently possess.
- The Validation Loop: If you find yourself asking five different friends for their opinion before making a choice, you’re giving your power away.
Honestly, most people don't want you to realize you have the power. If you realize it, you stop being a predictable consumer. You stop being a "yes-man." You start making waves.
The Biological Reality of Agency
It’s not just "woo-woo" self-help. There is a physiological component to taking back your power. When you operate from a place of agency, your brain’s prefrontal cortex—the part responsible for complex planning and decision-making—is more active.
Conversely, when you feel powerless, your amygdala takes over. You go into fight-or-flight mode. You become reactive. You make poor decisions based on fear rather than strategy. By simply acknowledging that you have the "power" to choose your response to a situation, you shift your brain state from a reactive animal to a proactive human.
How to Start Clicking Your Heels Today
You don't need a wizard. You don't even need a good witch. You just need to stop waiting for a sign.
Stop asking "Can I?" and start asking "How can I?" The shift in language is subtle but massive. "Can I start a business?" implies someone else holds the answer. "How can I start a business?" assumes the goal is possible and puts you in the driver's seat.
Audit your influences. Are the people around you waiting for permission, too? If you hang out with five people who are waiting for the "perfect time," you’ll be the sixth. Find the people who are already clicking their heels. They are usually easy to spot—they're the ones making mistakes, getting messy, and actually moving forward.
Embrace the "Cringe." Realizing you have the power often means doing things that feel embarrassing at first. Posting that first video. Launching that "imperfect" product. Setting a boundary that makes things awkward at Thanksgiving dinner. The "power" is usually found on the other side of a very uncomfortable conversation.
The Reality of the Yellow Brick Road
Let's be clear: having the power doesn't mean the road is easy. The road is still full of flying monkeys. There are still poppies that will try to put you to sleep. There are still people who will try to steal your slippers.
But when you realize you had the power all along my dear, the obstacles change shape. They aren't stop signs anymore; they’re just hurdles.
You aren't a victim of your circumstances; you’re the architect of your response to them. It’s a heavy realization because it removes your excuses. You can’t blame the Wizard anymore if you know the Wizard is just a guy behind a curtain.
Actionable Steps to Reclaim Your Agency
- Identify one area where you are currently waiting for someone else’s approval. Is it a career move? A relationship talk? A creative project?
- Determine the "Minimum Viable Action." What is the smallest possible thing you can do right now that doesn't require anyone else’s "yes"?
- Practice "Micro-Agency." Make small decisions quickly. Pick the restaurant. Choose the movie. Build the muscle of trusting your own judgment in low-stakes environments so it’s there for the high-stakes ones.
- Write your own "Permission Slip." It sounds cheesy, but literally write down: "I give myself permission to [insert goal] even if I’m not 100% ready." Keep it on your desk.
The realization that you are already equipped with everything you need to begin is both terrifying and liberating. It means the only thing standing between you and the life you want is the decision to start walking. You’ve had the slippers this whole time. Stop looking at the map and just start walking.
