If you’re new here, bear with me for this article and possibly consider jumping to another article if you’re looking for planning tips. For those of you looking for simply a “real” read, hang in here and I think it might be worth your time.
Today, as I was pondering a big idea I came to a realization, and it hit me hard to say the absolute least. It was simple but truth be told it was impactful enough for me to pull out my computer and put off some sleep tonight to share a few thoughts.
As I walked around pondering my next “project” I had this thought of how much this Disney community has changed my life. Now, if you know me, you know that I’m not the most sentimental person or even really the best at dealing with anything emotionally charged but this is a rare exception to that all too often true rule.
You see, three and a half years ago I was a college kid with no idea what I wanted to do next. I knew I was going to finish college but nothing felt like the right fit. As I pursued a degree in business management (mostly because it was what “fit the mold”) I realized in a hurry that if I wanted to do something unique and build a career for myself that I had to start right then and there. If you know my story you know that led to a book and then the book led to this website you’re on right this second (or at least a version of it). I wont rehash that story here but it’s out there and in the open for anyone who wants to read it to scroll through. Just tap on “My Story” in the menu bar.
I say all this though because I had no clue whatsoever what I was doing starting out and those of you who have tried something completely out of your comfort zone know exactly what that feels like. You feel like you’re just throwing content into the wind and hoping something sticks. Slowly, yet surely, though you start to figure it out and the pieces start to come together. However, none of that would have happened without this community. I know that sounds sappy, and maybe it is just that but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I can never explain the feeling to you but when you start trying something new this miraculous thing happens and you start to meet the right people. For me, the journey of meeting the right people started with one individual. He knows who he is and I’ll always be grateful for his first push to get me started. I kid you not, it’s one of the single things in my life that I’ll always remember and always be grateful for. He’ll never take credit for it, but the truth of the matter is I was ready to quit before I even started. I hated doing things out of the ordinary, and I had a drive to create something but I knew it was destined to fail.
My first book got turned down by tons of publishers and I was crushed, ready to give up, and really just upset that I had wasted a year of my life staying up until 3am creating something that seemingly nobody wanted to even look at. That, my friends, is a humbling experience. But then I got an email from that same friend that pushed me to start and gave me a tip that I’ll never forget. He said, if you believe in it, try it, because at the very least you can say you’ve done something that 99% of people can never say they’ve done.
That sentence stuck with me and as I thought through this project today it hit me that this journey and this site has meant so much to me beyond the content. Instead, it’s because of the people and the incredible journey this has been meeting some of the greatest people I never thought I would ever meet. Sometimes it’s funny how life works. One thing leads to another and in my case you look back and that single sentence started it all. I don’t know about you, but to me those things don’t just happen for no reason at all.
Today, I sit here thinking about some of my closest friends that I’ve met from this content sharing journey. Their support is unbelievable and continues to be day in and day out. I know I can count on this Disney community and how it all happened, I have no idea. But why it happened, I’m starting to understand.
You see, when you enter the Disney space, you enter a space where if you find the right people you’ll be surrounded by support in a way that you never could have imagined in your wildest dreams. You don’t even have to be a creator to be impacted by this community. everyone has their niche in the “ecosystem” but these people, they treat you like family. There’s no other way to explain it.
The only way I can possibly begin to explain this is in the reality that today, as I type this, I have friends around the country. Sure, a lot of them are in Florida, but I also know that the support is so far reaching I’ll never fully understand it. To be quite literal, my website as it sits right now is because of this community and people pushing me to learn web development and other skills, my real world job (yup, I do have one of those) is because of this community and somebody giving me a chance, and ultimately my greatest support system in life (beyond my immediate family) is because of this community.
If you’re one of those people I can name, thank you. That’s all I can ever really say and I’ll never be able to express what that means to me. If you’re someone I’ve never met in person, thank you as well. Without both groups, I’m just a guy typing on a laptop like a crazy person. It’s because of you all that any of this exists. Sure, some of you I owe more than others, but know that each and every one of you pushes me every day to do what I love and to find new ways to love what I do. That, my friends, is a life changing reality.
Thanks for listening.
