Done With Disney

Almost six months ago now I packed up my guitar, my $20 mini TV, a handful of clothes and my favorite books and movies into my hubcapless silver Toyota Corolla and headed out west. It wasn’t my first adventure into the unknown, but it was perhaps one of the biggest of such life events. I was moving away from my the state I grew up in, not to mention my family and friends.

However, while I was leaving so much good behind I also felt like it was a great opportunity for me to leave behind some negatives as well.  The first on that list of things that I just didn’t have room for in my small car were my fears. I have always tried to keep a positive attitude and move forward with things I believe in, but as is true for most of us, I have found nagging little voices at times telling me that I couldn’t succeed, that I wasn’t good enough, that I would let people down.

So, why the move? I came to California to work for The Mouse, commonly known as Disney. It’s a slight variation on working for The Man. I was excited to experience new things, new challenges and dive back into corporate world for the first time in 6 years. At the same time, I recalled some of the things that I didn’t like about the 9-5 and was a bit apprehensive. That said, I was dedicated to seeing out my 6 month contract doing SEO for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and some Disney owned ABC local television stations. “Heck, and even if it’s just the 6 months,” I thought to myself, “it’ll be one great ride.”

So fast forward 6 months. I’m now just 3 weeks away from my contract due date and begin to inquire about renewing my contract. I share my interest in continuing on and point out that I’ve gotten to know much better how all the disjointed pieces work together and how to respond to the conflicting priorities and last minute requests. Ideally I would have known already if I was going to stay, but I didn’t and I wanted to know if I would need to look for another job or if I could fly again on some other projects that I’ve been forestalling because I had an itching to let someone else call the shots for a bit. So, finally on last Wednesday, a routine 1 on 1 with my manager turned into the  certainty I was looking for:

“We are not going to renew your contract.”

The gist of the decision was based on the fact that my skill set is based in in-depth analyzing, strategy and big picture stuff. The position that mirrored my first internet marketing job 8 years ago was one that needed a worker bee and not a dreamer bee. I’m sure there are places in Disney for dreamers, but as it turns out, it’s may not be in the role for which I was hired.

Honestly, I was a little surprised based on the progress I was making. I was planning on staying another 6 months at least, but as we talked I realized that there were some things missing that I feel are pretty important to me. However, accompanying my surprise was a sense of  giddy little excitement. I am thoroughly excited to use my time at Disney as a stepping stone to reach higher for my goals and it looks like I’ll have some time really soon to do so.

So, there ya have it. I’m done with Disney. And here comes my future!

Speaking of my future. Here are some things that are likely to be in it. About 2 weeks after moving here I met and shortly thereafter started to date a gorgeous, fun and awesome yoga teacher. We’ve been to some great places including Kings Canyon & Sequoya National Forests. We’ve danced, done yoga, gotten lost running, watched humming birds, gotten sand in our toes at the beach, biked along the coast and so much more. I’m truly grateful for her and all the growth we’ve experienced together.

While here, I’ve also had the fun opportunity to talk with some great people about their projects: Nikki Forova’s new album & Adam Sidwell’s new best-selling children’s book, Evertaster.

Lastly, I’ve also been working on my book, Eyes to See: How Gratitude Can Transform Your Life Today and posting to The Gratitude Wall on Facebook. It’s been really good to have a practice of gratitude in my life. It has really enriched it and taken me further than I would have gone otherwise. Who knows, I may just take a trip up the California coast, stay in campgrounds and write. We’ll see.