What Visiting Walt Disney World Can Teach You About Life
I have the unique privilege of having grandparents who work for
Walt Disney World and can get free tickets for my family. This made visiting
Walt Disney World our usual family vacation until I was about 15. For spring
break this year, my brother and I decided to go back one more time before he
went to college and I got a real job. While the trip was very relaxing and a
ton of fun, I learned that there is more magic to these parks than how I
magically emptied my wallet. These parks have hidden life lessons everywhere
you look.
The Best Things In
Life Are Worth Waiting For
Anyone who has been to Disney can attest to the long wait
times in the Florida sun to get on a two-minute ride. The folks fortunate
enough to get fast passes before they run out can also attest to the luxury of
a fast pass and cutting the line in front of droves of impatient tourists. I
discovered during this trip that the lines help build anticipation and
appreciation for the small things—much like in life. When I did use a fast
pass, the ride wasn’t as fun. There wasn’t much time for imagination, we just
walked on the ride and off we went. I didn’t appreciate the ride as much
because I didn’t have to wait for it. In life it’s easy to take for granted the
things that come easily to us. Learn to appreciate the wait; for after all,
life is not all about the destination, it’s about the journey.
Don’t Follow Your
Dreams, Live Them. You’ll Achieve More
While on a Hollywood Studios tour ride I learned that Walt
Disney World almost didn’t happen. Florida initially denied Walt Disney from
purchasing the Orlando property that Disney now sits on. The Disney Corporation
had to purchase the land in big chunks by giving board members money to
purchase the land individually as part of a secret project. After the land was
purchased, the board members gave the land over to Disney and construction
began. The theme parks now play a major
role in Orlando’s economy. I would be willing to bet that Florida isn’t too
upset that the parks are now there. The lesson to take away here is that Walt
Disney did not follow his dreams, but rather, he lived them. In life you can
follow your dreams forever, but you’ll never get to reap the benefits until you
live your life centered around those dreams.
People Are RUDE! But
Smile Anyway
They say that Disney World is the “happiest place on Earth,”
but if you take a look around in a Disney Park will find that 10% of people that
can find something to frown about. The thing I’ve learned over the years is
that those types of people exist everywhere. You find them at work, at school,
in your clubs, in your family and even yourself sometimes. So how do you deal
with people like that? Find a reason to smile. Even when it’s hard, find a
reason to smile. Not only to try to make the other person smile, but for
yourself. The world can be kind of a hard place to live, and taking a second to
stop and smile makes the world a better place. Granted there’s a time and a
place, probably not at a funeral, but the next time you have to deal with
someone who’s in a bad mood, try to smile.
Life is Not All About
You
Disney parks are expensive. Let’s just face it. It costs
$1209.84 for a family of four to go to Disney World for four days and visit
only one park per day. That doesn’t include meals or a place to sleep. I think that some parents would much rather
go to the beach for free, bring some drinks, an umbrella, a comfy chair and
relax. Instead they’re paying crazy expensive prices and standing on their feet
all day so that the kids can have a good time. Life is not all about you,
sometimes you have to do things that you don’t want to do, and sometimes that
can be expensive. It reminded me that my
childhood is over and soon I will be taking on the world by myself, just as my
parents did, and soon I will be paying those prices for my kids, who after 4
hours in the park will likely be falling asleep, but I will do it for them just
as my parents did for me because life is not always about me. Sometimes you do
things for others out of the goodness of your heart because it’s just the right
thing to do.
- RA Braden
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