Dreams do come true

Today I was in one of my official days of on the job training for my internship. Many are aware that I recently moved to California for this new and exciting opportunity, but I don’t think that I had emphasized it enough that I was interning at the happiest place on earth, for the Walt Disney Company.

During training today we discussed some of our favorite memories of Disney, and why we feel the way that we do. I explained to my fellow peers about how much I loved seeing the castle for the first time ever. My family wasn’t able to take my siblings and I to Disneyland, or Disney World when we were kids. However, the excitement that I had when I saw that castle for the first time was more than likely at the same level that I would of had 20 years ago if I had saw it then.

As young adults we are often told that we need to be the best, or be in this unbearable competition for success. But why is it that we are hardly told to chase are dreams anymore and to go after our heart’s deepest desires?

I have always been a huge Disney Princess fan. I love everything about Disney Princesses, but my favorite part about Disney Princesses would be the storyline and purpose that each of them hold to especially encourage and inspire young girls like myself since the very beginning.

One of my favorite Disney Princess stories is the Little Mermaid.

I would think that most of you reading this would probably have the general idea of who the Little Mermaid is and her story. If not I will highlight some main key points.

Ariel, the Little Mermaid, is an ambitious young girl who wants to adventure and experience life. She is incredibly fascinated by land and humans. However, she is a mermaid and this is where things get a little complicated.

Ariel lives in a completely different world than the one that she feels called to be in, and desires to grow in. She, like any other person, has her struggles. Her father does not approve, there’s a lot of unknowns which can be dangerous, and of course she found herself a cute boy that she can’t take her eyes off of.

Ariel has so many obstacles that try to get in her way, but she pushes through each and every one of them. Yes, she does fall a few times and make a couple bad decisions, but that’s life- trial and error.

We are NEVER going to know unless we try.

Ariel continued to persist in the hard times, and took down each obstacle as she came her way. In the end, Ariel not only was able to live the life that she had been dreaming of, but she also was able to take this incredible journey of life and grow. She went outside of her comfort zone, challenged her own strengths, and went beyond the expectations of what others set before her.

And she got her Prince ;).

It’s the stories like these that encourage and inspire me to not give up on my own dreams and continue to strive to exceed the expectations that are set before me, and to obtain my heart’s desires.

I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to be mentored under the company that has created not only these stories but inspirations that personally remind me to never give up on my dreams because they do come true.

xoxo,

A Whole New World

Within this last month I have made a lot of new changes and began such an exciting chapter in my life.

To highlight just a few of the changes,

I bought a new car.

I moved across the country.

I started my dream internship with the Walt Disney Company.

For about the last six months I had been praying like crazy specifically about this new chapter of life. After I graduated from my undergrad I knew that I wanted to do something fun and exciting. However, I wasn’t entirely sure what exactly it was that I was supposed to do. I saw a bunch of my friends applying to jobs and hoping to just get an entry level in their field. I saw many people try to stick around our college town and be comfortable. And I also saw people who just wanted to chase their dreams.

I fell into each of these categories. After graduation I went straight to the applications and started applying for all kinds of jobs just to get out of the midwest. I didn’t have all the right intentions to what I wanted to do, and I knew that. I remember that I had this one moment when I was again applying for jobs where I clearly heard God’s voice telling me to stop searching. 

That moment scared me quite a bit and I wasn’t sure what to think. I then started to ponder the thought if I was supposed to either go back to Indiana to my hometown, or stay in the area of my college town. I absolutely love the community where I grew over the last four years at my university. I loved the area, the people, and just the overall memories that I have. Again, after a lot of thought and prayer I did decide to stay in the Chicagoland area for a while because that was where I felt and heard God the most. I had an amazing church family, a solid friend group, and uplifting leaders in my life right in front of me.

So I decided to stay in the area for a little while, but in my heart I knew that there was something more that I needed to do. Towards the end of summer I applied to the Disney College Program in California with no intentions of thinking that I would ever get in. The California program is extremely difficult to get into, and I had never applied before. I had a good friend that previously did the program and got a lot out of it. And in the midst of all my job applications, this one happened to also make its way into my submitted applications list.

About a month later I was notified that I was accepted into the program under the department that I not only wanted that I truly want to grow in. I couldn’t believe my eyes that I was chosen over thousands of applicants to participate in the Disney College Program in California and I could not be any more ecstatic.

Disney has been a company that had always been near and dear to my heart, but I never had even imagined that I would ever be given the opportunity to work and be mentored by them. Currently, it has been about a week since I have arrived to Southern California and I have been in love with every piece of it since the very second that I have gotten here.

My overall dream is to work in Corporate Social Responsibility where I can show the world the importance of community and coming together for a bigger purpose. Words cannot explain the joy that I have for this opportunity to work for the company that believes that dreams do come true.

I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving for this incredible blessing that the Lord has given me.

And it’s only the beginning.

If I can encourage you about anything in regards to chasing your dreams and actually living them I would tell you three things:

1. Don’t let anyone who didn’t go after their dreams talk you out of yours.
2. It’s okay to be scared, but don’t let fear be an excuse. Chase your dreams scared until all the fear is gone.
3. Never lose sight of the bigger picture. You were created for a purpose and all the desires that you have laid on your heart are important. Don’t forget that.

Here’s to my newest adventure and hopefully the next step to yours.

xoxo

2018: Making Dreams Reality

First things first: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New years always call for new goals and resolutions.

Personally, I have always been the type to make a super long list full of things I want to accomplish and experience, but maybe only completing half of the things on my list. If I was really lucky I may have completed 3/4 of it.

Although, I love the idea of planning and dreaming of amazing new things to do for the upcoming year, I know that sometimes some of these ideas are just going to be fun ideas. I know that some things are fun to just think about and in reality I may never even attempt them.

Why?

I’m not too sure what the exact answer to this is. Whether this may be the influence that society contributes to going with a certain flow, or maybe even family trying to push you to be realistic about your choices too many of us don’t attempt to make our dreams our reality.

I was born in West Virginia, but grew up in a very small town in Indiana. I was surrounded by corn fields everywhere and it took me at least 20 minutes to drive to my nearest Walmart. I experienced having four seasons year round, but if you didn’t drive something that was 4-wheel drive during the winter you better plan on staying inside most days.

I absolutely hated almost everything about living in the midwest and my heart was always to make something big of myself. This last May I graduated from my undergrad with my bachelor of science degree.

After graduation I made a promise to myself that I was going to stop putting things off and go all in. Just like I have imagined since I was a little girl I am finally moving out west to the city of angels (well close enough) and making my dream come true.

About four months ago I accepted a position with the Walt Disney Company as a college intern and continue my passion for event planning. I am beyond excited for the amazing opportunity and have waiting so long for this to come. I am finally down to the single digits until my big move and I will be living near the sand, sun, and the stars.

After graduation I went on a mission trip for the second time to the Big Island, Hawaii. I met this incredible woman of God at one of the churches that we worked with and she was prophesying over many of us.

Her exact words to me were, “You’re a voice”.

I have always had a passion for people and connecting others for a bigger purpose. I have no idea where God is going to lead me in this next chapter of my life, but I have no doubt that He is going to use me and the talents that He has given me for something great.

Within this last year I have traveled from coast to coast, graduated with my bachelor’s degree, began my master’s program for my MBA, accepted a position with Disney, and now finally moving to California.

One of Disney’s mottos may be “Where Dreams Come True”, but for me this is more than a motto. It’s my next chapter of life.

Here’s to new friends, new adventures, and new experiences.

Here’s to 2018, where dreams come true. And making my dream my reality.

Happy New Year.