YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

Disclaimer: I was invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and given a media rate for my attendance. All posts and thoughts are my own. This post does contain affiliate links.

People say getting invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is a big deal. The first year I got invited, I was sure Disney had made a mistake. 2018 is my third year attending, and people always ask me “how do I get invited?” or “what is the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration?” I intend to answer those questions in other posts, but I feel compelled to talk about one particular session this year that I entitled, You Have the Power to Make It Happen!

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS HAPPEN

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is about Family, Fun, and Learning. This year during the event, bloggers/influencers were treated to amazing experiences. Some of them entailed new Disney happenings, special meet and greets with hard-to-find characters such as Mike and Sulley, or characters where there is always a long line such as Woody and Buzz, and Mr. and Mrs. Incredible. Additionally, the breakfast in Pandora: The World of Avatar with the ability to ride Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey before the park opened was spectacular. And then sessions with the best and the brightest in the Disney sphere such as Bob Chapek, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

While the learning aspect is so fantastic, we seldom see posts about that. I mean, how can me talking about growing as a blogger even compete with a blog post about Toy Story Land? But this year there was a talk given that exceeded all my expectations and opened my eyes to the fact that we all have the power to make our dreams happen!

MY ALMOST BIGGEST MISTAKE AT THE CONFERENCE:

I usually read over the itinerary and make judgements on the sessions. “I am interested in this topic,” or “this doesn’t seem interesting to me.” I know I should keep an open mind, but most of us do similar things every day. When I read that Ashley Eckstein, Founder of Her Universe (the fashion company started to make girl/women clothing for Star Wars fans), I made a grave error. Having a Star Wars/Star Trek fan for a husband, and having a household of 4 boys, I have been bombarded with sci-fi, technical hullabaloo my entire adult life. What I lack are girl words devoid of “blah, blah, blah, science, science, science, bigger.”

From the moment Ashley opened her mouth, I realized that I needed to listen. She is a dynamo, that is eager to learn, change and grow. When she told her story of starting Her Universe, I was inspired to be more and do more.

Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ashoka Tano, Star Wars: The Clone Wars

For those who don’t know, Ashley Eckstein is the voice of Ashoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. But when Ashley approached Lucas Films to see about getting a license for a women’s clothing line, she was told NO. No, because “we only work with established companies who can produce the merchandise.” So she created a company and found a manufacturer. And then Lucasfilms said YES. Ashley took the no and worked to create a yes. And this is the lesson I needed to hear. I have heard no often (as many of us have), but we usually hear no once or twice and stop. But because of Ashley’s upbringing (her mother telling her, “Yes, You Can,” and her work as an actress (hearing no over and over and still continuing to apply for yet one more job), she believed she could!

After the session, we were all given Ashley’s new book. We actually received an advanced proof copy. Later that afternoon, a meet and greet was available. As you can see, I met Ashley and Ashley Taylor (artist of Disney merchandise).

GAINING MY POWER

Meeting Ashley and reading her book, It’s Your Universe: You Have the Power to Make It Happen, has been inspiring to me. I started to read the book, and on page 14, I hit a roadblock. You see, Ashley challenged me to say my dreams and write them down.

I am a child born between the baby boomers and Generation X’ers. Born at the tail end of the boomers, I don’t fit in, and being born at the beginning of Generation X, I don’t fit there either. I have characteristics of both generations, but the most limiting one I have found is the belief that “women do (insert womanly things here).” When I was going to college, there were few choices. You see, women were nurses, teachers, secretaries, and stewardesses (I was too short for this one).

We were told from the time we were little that this was what our choices were. I knew I wanted to be a mom, but beyond motherhood, there was nothing else. However, I still had dreams. But they were unattainable. So when Ashley said to write down my dreams, it took me an entire week to formulate and write them down.

Here are my dreams:

1) Disney Parks Moms Panel

2) Finish writing, editing, and begin to market my homeschool Disney movie curriculum

3) Get invited to a Disney movie premiere event.

4) Be an awesome mompreneur!

I will continue to add to my list as things come up. But for now, this is a good start.

Ashley’s book released on May 8, 2018. While the book is marketed to teens ages 12-18, I believe an even bigger market is women who are finishing raising their children and are now in the process of reinventing themselves. Or the blogger trying to get an invite to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. You see, we too have dreams and are trying to figure it all out. We too need to believe that We Have the Power to Make It Happen!

Using Your Power to Make Your Dreams a Reality

So what are some of the steps you can do to make your dreams a reality?

1) Write them down: Make a list of them and keep it where you can see it.

2) Read Ashely’s Book

3) Read and Work through Mastin Kipp’s Book: Claim Your Power. Finding out what in your past is stopping you from achieving your dreams is key to moving forward.

4) If you can’t move forward, because you still have some hang-ups, meet with a life coach, mentor or someone who is living the life you want to get additional help in meeting your dreams.

[amazon_link asins=’1368021328,1401949568,1728826292,1943217076,B01879F1TU’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’amotsrantho-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’301a9909-db5e-4527-ad70-bff6f49bf20c’]

Drop me a line and let me know some of the dreams you have!