As many know, I’m an avid fan of Disney and Disney World. However, as I grow older I’ve moved away from my childlike wonder of the stories that comprise Walt’s canon, and more toward the inner workings of the empire. My friend Paromita made me aware of this link this morning with a series of Walt quotes that are great guidance for life.
In light of the proliferation of blogs, comments, and conversations that have occurs in the past few days, I was driven more than once to recall this quote from Mr. Disney. Disney had an idea to create a place where adults and kids could play together, when there wasn’t one. He had an idea of what he needed to do for success, and he created it. He told people about it…and then he got out there and did it. Media had a really hard time tracking his movement- not just because he didn’t have a blog or Twitter account, but because he wasn’t talking about it. He was too busy doing it to talk about it.
When it comes to the wellness conversation, that’s what we need. We know what we need to do- time to start talking about how we should leave the office early, and just get up and go. Time to stop clicking delete in pursuit of the mythical “inbox zero” (spoiler alert: it’ll fill up again), and start acting on the items within those messages. Time to stop finding the correct semantics for having jobs and having interests (balance? integration? negotiation?), and just creating the correct combination for ourselves.
And when it comes to the mental health element of this discussion- which, as Kristen Abell and Dana Mc Nulty crucially point out in their latest posts, is a different conversation, the doing IS talking. Get to know your colleagues. The ones in your office, as well as the ones online. Reach out to them when they’re struggling. Advocate for them, their health, and their needs within your office and department. Begin doing.
What in your life needs less talking and more doing? Get out there today and, as they say, “just do it.”
Amma Marfo 