My WanderFull World

Five Life Lessons I Learned From Disney

brizzy

6 years ago

Lessons from Disney

Hello fellow travelers!

Hello fellow travelers and welcome to my blog! If this is your first time visiting, I want to give you a big warm welcome and if you are a returning visitor, welcome back!

Recently, I was invited to participate in a once in a lifetime event at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fl. This opportunity sparked my imagination and reaffirmed now, more than ever, the impact that Disney has had on my life. Therefore, I wanted to share with you the Five Life Lessons I Learned From Disney.

Recently, I was invited to participate in a once in a lifetime event at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fl. This opportunity sparked my imagination and reaffirmed now, more than ever, the impact that Disney has had on my life. Therefore, I wanted to share with you the Five Life Lessons I Learned From Disney.

Thought I could go write pages upon pages on how this experience changed me, I will try to narrow it down to my top five moments.

As some of you may know, I am a school psychologist by trade and my personal goal in life has been to help as many children and families as I can. I always try to see the good in people, because I do believe that we all have a little magic within us and if we do our part, we can make this world a better place. But most importantly I want my little baby boy to grow up knowing that we CAN make a difference in this world. All you need is the courage to try and maybe a pinch of dust…

5. Disney Empowered Me

As a school psychologist, I get to help families every day by empowering them to take control of their futures. I believe that the work we do truly helps those who need guidance. However, as many of us in the education field know very well, some days can take an emotional and physical toll on you. Most days you can just turn off the computer at work and go home but when I have days that seem to go on forever, I remember this Walt Disney quote:

“You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world… but it requires people to make the dream a reality.”

Walt Disney

Originator imagineer

For me, this quote exemplifies that dreams don’t just come to fruition without effort. As we learned from Ashely Eckstein who spoke at the Disney SMC event, we need to work hard and be willing to put in the hours to make your dreams a reality. There are days that are hard and some days that you just want to give up, but you can’t let momentary feelings of sadness or exhaustion determine your future. You need to get up, dust yourself off, and try again. If the goal is to make the world better, we must be sure to always put our best foot forward. I want to help others achieve their own goals by empowering them with guidance, love and grace. Sometimes you just need someone who believes in your abilities and most importantly, believes in you.

4. Disney Inspires Me

There are, what we like to call, “Disney Moments” for so many of us inspired by the works of this company. Mine happened while watching Disney Pixar’s Finding Nemo, still to this day, my favorite movie. What did this movie do to inspire me you may ask? Well for starters, it fueled my passion to finally visit the one place in this world I had always wanted to go to Australia, and in 2013 I did just that.

But this film also inspired me to pursue a career that helps individuals feel included regardless of their ailment or disability. The first time I watched this movie in theaters, I remember telling my mom “I don’t want anyone to ever feel like they are not good enough, able-bodied enough, or smart enough to go reach their dreams”. I wanted to be able to show anyone they CAN achieve their goals and that there is NO limit to what they can achieve if they put their mind to it. Remember to “just keep swimming.”

3. It's 'ok' to make mistakes

This has always been tricky for me because as a human being, I sometimes dwell or worry my past mistakes. Worry can take many forms. Maybe it’s worrying that you may have not set the alarm clock, or maybe that you didn’t study enough for that hard statistics exam you are dreading. I must always remind myself that worry can always manifest itself into something larger and cause an ongoing cycle of self-doubt.

One day, I was researching different self-care tactics to help with my constant worry, and I came across a Walt Disney quote that, I kid you not, is on the wallpaper of my cell phone as we speak:

“Why worry? If you've done the very best you can, worrying won't make it any better”

Walt Disney

Original Imagineer

And for some reason, it just clicked. If you try your hardest, then you should be proud of yourself for trying. And taking five slow deep breaths to regulate your breathing doesn’t hurt either.

2. The importance of having courage

Whether it be trying a new dish, going on a rollercoaster, or traveling to a new land, having the courage to face something new can be a real challenge. However, even when faced with situations that are out of your control, having the courage to face them, even little by little, can make a big impact in your life. The same year that I made the journey to Australia, I had a house fire that took everything from me. I was devastated. I could barely get up in the morning and everything felt muted in my life. However, about a month after the fire, I remember watching Mulan and hearing the words “the flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” Something about that quote sparked hope inside of me and gave me the courage to keep going!

It reminded me that my story wasn’t over. I had so much to offer this world and I would not let past events define my future.

Consequently, I now try to teach developing courage during my therapy sessions as well. Sometimes, my clients have gone through hard times and need to reflect on their problems. In many cases, children are reluctant to talk about past traumas in their lives. However, I have found a simple solution that has helped me during my sessions.

When I start, I always ask, “Who is your favorite Disney character?” To this date, I have not had a single child who did not have an answer. I also bring some of my magical mickey mouse ears (I have SEVERAL to choose from) and I let them wear them during our time together. I have come to find that the power of Disney magic is real, especially to those who have been through so much. They quickly transform into princesses, princess, galactic warriors, or superheroes. Their imagination is limitless, and it gives them the courage to talk about their feelings in a caring and safe environment. All they need is the courage to try.

1. Never give up on your dreams

Did you know that Walt Disney lost almost everything he had in order to pursue his dreams? Cappy Surette, one of the key speakers at the Disney SMC, shared Walt Disney’s story with us. In 1927, Walt Disney was working with Universal Pictures and a distributor by the name of Winker Pictures on a cartoon series. After creating his most successful character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Universal Pictures wanted Oswald to be the main character for the series.

Due to the Oswald’s popularity, Walt asked the owner of Winker Pictures, Charles Mintz, to pay him a higher wage as well as a share of the profits. Mintz however, refused his wishes and upon Walt’s contract- renewal in 1928, Mintz degraded Walt Disney by offering him a pay cut instead! To make matters worse, Mintz also told him that if Walt left the company, Winker Pictures would keep Walt’s animators and his most successful character.

Walt had a choice to make that would ultimately define the rest of his future: either give in to Charles Mintz’s demands or start his company all over again. And so, Walt Disney started over and started the journey to creating the Walt Disney Company that we know of today. Sometimes, it takes losing everything to push yourself even farther to follow your dreams.

Mr. Surette expressed the importance that courage and resilience play in achieving your dreams. Had Walt Disney given up, we wouldn’t have the beautiful characters and stories we have grown to know and love. He is a shining example to never let others decide your future. Your dreams matter because they are yours and no one can take them away from you.

Towards the end of his presentation, Mr. Surette gave us the telegram that Walt Disney sent to his brother Roy shortly after losing the rights to Oswald the Rabbit as a reminder that even when seems at a loss, “Everything (will be) ok.”

A BIG & SPECIAL THANK YOU!

I now have framed this telegram and put it on my desk as a reminder to always pursue dreams, no matter how big or small they may be. I want to thank Walt Disney World and the Disney Social Media Celebration for this incredible opportunity that has inspired me to share the Disney’s magic, hope and inspiration to my friends, family and community. That day I pledged to “spread happiness, hopefulness, joy and inspiration” to all those around me, and I intend to keep that promise.

Our dreams and aspirations in life are possible and we can achieve them if we have the courage to pursue them. As Walt Disney said:

“I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing- that it was all started by a mouse”

Walt Disney

Original imagineer

If you have any Disney Life Lessons that you would like to share, please put them in the comments below! I’d love to hear how Disney Inspired you.

~Brizzy~

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