As many of you know, and I won’t rehash here, Disney has been making some sweeping changes to reservations, systems, and all around the “Disney Experience” as we know it (no pun intended). I’ll be the first to admit, it irritated me beyond belief at first and I didn’t think they handled existing reservations (including mine) correctly and think they could have done much better and still might! However, I convinced myself to take a step back. Not only in regards to Disney but also in regards to life in many ways.
My “Step Back”
The “step back” wasn’t for ten minutes, it wasn’t for 2 days, but rather a few weeks before I felt comfortable sharing some of this here. As a friend recently so eloquently put it, there’s two sides to Collin, soft and extra soft, and I liked the way they said that and I’m actually a little proud of it. I pride myself on being approachable and being willing to do whatever I can to make someone’s day a little better. I’m not always good at it but it’s a good goal I have for myself.
In sharing that thought, this all kind of lead to a tale of two personalities and a largely torn feeling. So many of us are upset, but when you step back and look at things from a grander perspective I think it’s important to note that Disney is doing all they can right now to try and preserve the experience we all know and love to the best of their ability. Plus, they’re trying to do it right the first time.
Also important to note is a mindset that I’m incredibly guilty of falling into. So often, we look at these decisions being made, both at Disney and beyond, and tend to take the perspective of “Disney canceled my fastpass+ selection and now I’m mad as hell about it!” Then we proceed to complain about it to whoever we think might be responsible. Facebook posts, Tweets, emails, and the list goes on (sound familiar?). We’re all guilty of it. If it’s not Disney, it’s that item the local grocery store ran out of and of course the manager sold the last one just because they knew you were coming. My friends, it’s all a matter of perspective these days and the perspective we choose to have and what we CHOOSE to focus on each and every day.
There’s a lot of positive and there’s a lot of negative in this world right now, but we make a choice as to which one we want to focus on. Nobody makes that decision for you. Choosing the positive (or at least trying to) can truly transform your life and your perspective from day to day. It’s not easy to do, but it is worth it to try.
Today’s Heartfelt Thought
While I don’t have a good transition to this next thought, I still want to share it. As all of this plays out: Disney, daily life, and other struggles we face. It’s important to make a conscious effort to tell people around us how much they mean to us and how much we appreciate them. If you care about someone, tell them. If someone is changing your life, tell them how much that means to you. If you meet someone that makes you happy, tell them how much happiness they bring to your life. That’s more important now than it has ever been before. Little thanks and little pieces of gratitude are far more important and far more appreciated than we ever expect.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, there’s incredible value in showing people that you care about them but even more value in telling them that you care about them. All too often, we fail to do both in our daily life. We take people for granted and we take things for granted but it’s important to find those positive things and be thankful for them each and every day. Not all days are going to be good, but there’s good to be found in every day.
This is as much of a piece of advice for me as it is for anyone reading this. I’m beyond guilty of getting frustrated and shutting down and forgetting to be thankful and forgetting to tell people that they mean something to me. Heck, I can count at least four people I should tell that I care about them today, and at least one that I’ve put it off for far too long.
At the end of the day, I just want to encourage you all to make sure people know how much they mean to you. There’s incredible value in that and it’s often the one thing people regret not doing when something bad happens in life. We never know what the next day has in store so make the most of today.
Even when we can’t get to Disney World, bring that Disney mentality home and make time for your family dinner, make time for a good conversation, and make time for a game with those that mean the most to you. It does make a difference. Consider that my small piece of encouragement today. So many of us go to Disney to create memories that will last a lifetime with family, but often times the memories are far more about the people than any one particular element of the parks. That’s always important to keep in mind.
Stay Safe, stay positive, and tell people you care about them.
-Collin
