by: guide4wdw – Collin

Why I See Disney As The “Perfect Escape” From the Real World

A few hours ago a friend of mine posted an article (go check it out here first!) that stressed the inherent realities of the social media and content sharing dilemma that so many creators understand but rarely know how to fully interpret and share. At the concepts core we all tend to share the good in life but what’s often overlooked is the reality behind the social media, the content we tend to pump out, and the real world problems “behind the scenes.” In my opinion, it’s so easy to create this perfect representation of “reality” on a screen no matter how hard we strive to create something that’s authentic and real along the way. 

It’s not that sharing the good in life is inherently bad because it really does tend to put a piece of joy in our lives that otherwise wouldn’t be there. At the same time, nobody wants to watch a feed full of gloom and doom doses of the real world. However, that leads me to today’s topic and really what I was inspired to write today. It’s a rather simple article but one that I hope shares a real world look at my life “behind the scenes” as a Disney content creator” in a round about way. 

You see, I’m no different that anyone else. Sure, I share my Disney world travel tips on the internet and truthfully I’ve been decently successful in doing so, but at the same time I live a real life and sometimes it’s a brutally “real life.” I don’t say that to be negative because I love my life and the people in my life and ultimately the incredible array of blessings my life encompasses but I’d be lying if I said I lived the perfect life that tends to get portrayed both intentionally and unintentionally.

I get asked quite frequently about being “local” and it always surprises me that people assume I’m local until I take a moment to look through my own Facebook or Instagram feed. It’s weird for me to look back and think about my posts and their implications because to me it’s just the representation of another day chasing a dream that may never fully materialize. I’m not local and while I hope to be one day that’s all a part of today’s story. 

In the real world beyond the site (and I can’t believe I’m actually about to share some of this) I’m a college student and have the ever present problems every college student faces. There’s never enough time in the day. After class I run to work as a Range Safety Officer for a live fire indoor shooting range, and then do homework between classes, after work, and basically any other time I can find. For years, it was fairly easy to manage, but as the final semester is in full swing it’s taxing to say the least. Combine that with family and other events of the day that everyone faces and there’s very little down time in my life.  

A “normal” day for me typically revolves around a few short hours of sleep and most of the articles you see me post have been written between 11:30 and 2:00am. Truthfully, it tends to be the highlight of my day. I get to set the worries of life aside for a moment and simply do what I love doing. It may never be a full time job, and it may end tomorrow (I hope not), but nonetheless it gives me something to look forward to every single day and a goal to chase every single day of my life. Every moment I have I’m sharing content, making content, and going through the ever present process of getting it in front of more eyes while working to develop relationships with people that are kind enough to interact with what I share. Truthfully, those interactions are the highlights of my days and often times what gets me to the end of the day where I get to set aside life and dive into content creation.   

I may not be local, but in a weird way those moments of writing and sharing content put me “in the parks” for a few brief moments every day. It’s an “escape” from the real world that I hope opens up a window in your day to do the same. 

As theme parks guests, we all go to the Disney in many cases to escape our routines and to escape the troubles of life. It’s one of the benefits of just being there that is so incredibly hard to explain to anyone visiting for the first time. It seems so simple, but to me an ideal day is heading to Epcot, sitting down on a bench, and simply enjoying being there in the moment. As strange as it sounds it’s one of the many things pushing me daily to find a way to make this content sharing dream a feasible realty. I’m nowhere near that being an actuality short of some massive boost in readership but at the same time the daily grind is something I couldn’t live without.

All of this tends to come off as negative, but it’s not intended to be. I love my life. I love the people this content sharing journey has brought me in contact with and truthfully I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nevertheless, real life is still a reality and even though I’m at Disney multiple times a year I don’t live the perfect life. If we’re all being completely honest nobody does. So many of us share the social media versions of reality because it’s the highlights of our lives. Reality isn’t picture perfect, but the people you meet and that ever present reality of life being “life” is always going to be there and often times the people you meet chasing your dreams tend to become the people you value the most and the people that will be real with you in life no matter what your social media pages may portray. Sure, I’d love to travel the country and speak about sharing content, or spend my days touring the Magic Kingdom, or taking photos around the world, but that’s not a real picture of life right now, but rather a goal to chase! 

I share all of this because this is my escape from reality, and often times doing what you love in life requires sacrifice and it requires a certain level of determination that isn’t always obvious. Chasing your dreams isn’t the “popular” thing to (trust me on that one lol), but I encourage everyone to take a step today that could change your life tomorrow. If you have a dream, do something today to try and make it a feasible reality. I’m not a model of success, and I may never be, but I do hope that I am a portrayal of someone trying to make the most of every day and ever moment. I’m not perfect and I’m never successful with the aspiration of being positive every day, but I do hope this story encourages even one person to pursue a dream. Find a way to do what you love and then find a way to make what you love what you do every single day. The journey isn’t easy but it’s real in every way imaginable and something I really hope everyone tries at least once in life. 

In the end, your escape from reality and the daily tasks of life may not be Disney but for so many of you reading this it’s a comparison that you “get” and “understand” in a way that I can never fully portray otherwise. Disney is the perfect escape for me and when you find what you love and love what you do you’ll be surprised at where your “escape” may take you.

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s here and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are!

Need a Travel Planner?

If you want or simply need a little bit of planning help to make your Disney vacation dream a reality, check out the quote request form below this article for our friends over at Destinations to Travel. They’ll let you do as much or as little of the planning as you’d like and may even save you some money along the way! As always, thatks for supporting those who support us.

Ready to Plan?

Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way!