What would Mary Poppins do?

Photo by Taylor Wright on Unsplash

On top of being one of the all-time great nannies, Mary Poppins was also a lyrical genius. For example, consider this verse that kicks off the legendary A Spoonful of Sugar:

“In every job that must be done

There is an element of fun

You find the fun and snap!

The job's a game”

And let’s not shortchange the song’s popular refrain either. You know, the one that’s been seared into all of our brains since childhood…

“Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

In a most delightful way”

While a literal spoonful of sugar might not be advisable, Poppin’s dollops of wisdom remain timeless.

No matter what challenges we face, be it in our jobs, finances, or personal lives, it’s helpful to remember that our medicine goes down much smoother when we make it digestible and fun.

Making it digestible means we don’t try to jump directly from where we find ourselves in this moment to where we want to be. Instead, we only need to take aim, identify the first step, and begin. We’re much more likely to get where we want to go when we start by going from A to B and continue step by step, rather than getting frustrated by failing to jump directly from A to Z.

Making it fun reminds us that no matter how hard and long the challenge we face might be, we need to find ways to enjoy the journey. Otherwise, we’re likely to throw in the towel before we get wherever “there” is. We often get stuck fixating on how far we still have to go — and when we do so, we can lose sight of how far we've already come and the momentum we’ve already built. And just like Poppins shared, if you can find the fun, suddenly the job becomes a game.

So rather than allowing the enormity of life’s many challenges to stop us in our tracks, give Mary’s advice a shot and look for ways to make life’s challenges more digestible and fun. 

And the more we do, the more supercalifragilisticexpialidocious our lives tend to become.