Second Day of Thanks - Magical Beginnings

Photo courtesy of thewaltdisneycompany.com

For any of you that do not know me well, I was given an opportunity to work for the Walt Disney Company back in 2005. It was my very first job, and the one that has, to date, taught me the most about myself, and the most about what a good work ethic should be.

Most people assume I have an obsession with this company because of the happy go lucky story lines, and general love of "the mouse". In all reality, I fell in love with the ideals of a company who have found the magic potion to generate a full on team spirit for every single employee they have. This spirit is a force that drives each person from the high up imagineer to the lower level janitor to put all of their passion, effort, and energy into creating a detailed, accurate, image of this company for the world to see. I think it is safe to say that, no matter who you are (or what your views are of the company), Disney has almost no equal in their commitment to detail, accuracy, and follow through.

While I worked for the company, I was given the push to stretch myself. To not accept that I was a shy 18 year old kid who was really satisfied to blend in to any background I happened to find myself around. Instead, I was forced to create magic, to find ways to reach out to guests and make them feel special, and give all of that credit to the name of the company instead of to myself. Basically being required to realize that I was there to work for the glory of the company image, instead of the glory of myself (something that I have found is really hard to do most of the time).

As I spent my short time for Disney, I was able to work in costuming (for regular cast members, parades, and Festival of the Lion King with training on the side for Tarzan Rocks), security at Pleasure Island (something I am definitely NOT suited for in real life, but a good life experience), ticket taker/server for La Nouba, parade usher (hardest thing ever when re-routing thousands of people), among many other things. At the end of my time there, I had the confidence to walk in to any position and just give it a try. Many people see that as a negative, that I have moved around to many different companies in my short time working. What they don't understand is that A. The economy fell apart and made lay offs more common and B. Those different positions have all propelled me to where I am now. And while it has been hard to start over so many times, I learned from the best how to shove those freak out feelings down, and put myself in whatever job has come my way.

For that, I give my second day of thanks to the Walt Disney Company. Without you, and all of your lessons, I probably would still be the scared, apprehensive girl, not willing to jump at any career opportunities. Thanks to you, I have the confidence to know when a position is right for me and stick through it, or when (as in doing security), it's a good learning opportunity but nothing more.