A comedian reflects on how the children’s film A Little Princess shaped her ambition and resilience, particularly her decision to pursue stand-up. She argues that the protagonist Sara’s unwavering belief in herself illustrates the “delusional” confidence needed to keep pursuing creative work despite uncertainty and failure.

After winning an open-mic competition at 28, the writer quit her job and has since performed stand-up consistently for five years. She describes using imagination to escape shyness, disappointment and an unfulfilling office job, while comparing comedy’s setbacks—such as bombing late-night gigs—to Sara’s endurance under hardship; for her, fantasy is not merely escapism but a strategy for building a different future.