When I look in the mirror, it’s easy to spot a blemish, a wrinkle, or an extra pound to complain about. What’s hard is to really see yourself for who you truly are, your true essence, and the limitless potential and infinite possibilities you hold. This requires going through the looking glass, beyond your mere reflection.

We’ve been conditioned to define ourselves by our looks, our titles, and our possessions, and we all often fall for that. And I don’t think that it’s because we’re all narcissistic and materialistic, but because of fear to seem crazy, nonsensical, and foolish.

I was casually going about my day, checking my inbox when I saw the subject that started with the words “Disney Invites You to Los Angeles …” With dilated eyes and a racing heart, I read the rest of the message:

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS opens in theaters on 5/27, but I was selected as one of the 25 top Bloggers to walk the Hollywood Red Carpet at the premiere!!! I will be screening the movie at El Capitan Theater! Someone pinch me!

It’s an all-expense paid trip, staying at the Sheraton Universal Hotel! But wait… there’s more! I will be interviewing ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS cast members and filmmakers. Can you say “eeekkkk”?

Okay, so as you can imagine, this news was overwhelming. It still is. I think you felt it as you were reading it. It is a dream come true, and though I’d admit it adds validation to my unconventional entrepreneurial path that even after over a decade most of my family doesn’t get, the invitation revealed that it takes courage to look in the mirror and see yourself as deserving, especially when you’ve been programmed to believe you’re broken, damaged, and hopeless and your inner bully tirelessly reminds you – at every opportunity.

The anticipation of your Red Carpet comes with excitement, exhilaration… and a generous dose of self-doubt:

• Do I have what it takes?
• Will I look ridiculous?
• Will they like what they see?

I think it is no coincidence whatsoever that ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS is my first (yup, I said first!) red carpet event, because I am a firm believer that you must embrace your weirdness and be perceived as “entirely bonkers” to become your best self – but sometimes you need an itty-bitty tiny baby reminder. Breakthrough can occur in the most unexpected ways.

Going through the looking glass and onto the red carpet means knowing what you are made of and who you are (as the Cheshire cat would advice), clothing yourself with self-acceptance, so you can walk your life with confidence, as if you are the protagonist, the award-winning star.

When you step through the looking glass, you are willing to go deeper, embarking on a journey of self-discovery that can often turn messy and uncomfortable.

When you go through the looking glass, you take a stand that you believe in a world of possibilities, where things may seem absurd but where you get both lost and found, because the path reveals both your darkest demons and your purest light.

When you dare to jump through the looking glass, learning about who you truly are, and decide to be unapologetically you, you will walk your very own Red Carpet, because you’ll be on the path of your making, the one you were designed to follow. It’s not enough to embrace your weirdness; it is necessary to also embrace your worthiness!

I’m willing to be my authentic self in this literal Red Carpet walk that awaits… and I’m inviting you to be a part of it by following our blogger team updates with #ThroughTheLookingGlassEvent and #ZootopiaBluRay.

Oh… let me explain. While I’m in LA, I’ll also have the privilege to attend a special press day for the In-Home release of ZOOTOPIA, [ which my family absolutely loves ] and will be available on Blu-ray and Digital HD on 6/7. I’ll be interviewing members of the creative team, so stay tuned for upcoming posts with all the deets!

This whole experience has my head spinning, especially with it being around my Mother’s Day mixed feelings and all. Just last week, my daughters were lovingly teasing me because I cried watching P!nk’s “Just Like Fire” music video for the ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS film. Some of the scenes felt familiar: being judged and regarded deranged when you own your reality. It’s scary… but worth it. And, after all, as the Hatter would say: “We’re All Mad Here!”

I’ll be sharing what I learn what I find Through The Looking Glass, because I’m sure there will be many hidden lessons in this Fantasy Adventure film that we positive moms can definitely use. And leave it to Disney to bring imagery to life in a live action film in ways you never knew could be possible.  Walt Disney Studios has a way of stimulating our mental faculties.

In Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland and travels back in time through a magical looking glass to save the Mad Hatter. This film promises to be an all-new spectacular adventure featuring the characters we all love from Lewis Carroll’s endearing stories.

Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS was directed by James Bobin, written by Linda Woolverton, and produced by Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd and Tim Burton, with John G. Scotti serving as executive producer.

My favorite part about Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS?

The all-star cast from the 2010 worldwide blockbuster phenomenon “Alice In Wonderland,” is reunited: Johnny Depp (the Mad Hatter), Anne Hathaway (the White Queen), Mia Wasikowska (Alice) and Helena Bonham Carter (the Red Queen), along with the voices of Stephen Fry (the Cheshire Cat), Michael Sheen (the White Rabbit), Timothy Spall (Bayard), and Alan Rickman (Absolem), who will be sorely missed.

I’m excited to see the director’s spectacular vision and touches, and for new characters in this fantasy realm: Zanik Hightopp (Rhys Ifans), the Mad Hatter’s father and Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen), a peculiar creature who is part human, part clock.

Are you excited to go through your own personal looking glass and to embrace your life as your very own red carpet?

I encourage you to watch Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS in Digital 3D™, Real D, 3D or IMAX® 3D when it opens in U.S. theaters on May 27, 2016. For more cool pictures, trailers, and news, visit the official ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS site, like on Facebook, follow on Instagram and follow Walt Disney Studios on Twitter. These weird and worthy characters teach us how it’s done!

And remember to follow me and my fabulous blogger friends Through The Looking Glass and onto the Red Carpet on social media using #‎ThroughTheLookingGlassEvent #ZootopiaBluray. I want you to be a part of every step of my journey! YAY!!!

[ela]