Dear Reader,
Do you have any idea what an impact you have made on my life? Yes. YOU! I'm writing this letter to you. Like the card? Wasn't too expensive. Got it at Hallmark.
I know. I'm not funny.
Alright--get to the point, Kayla.
Now seriously, reader, reader(s) [doubt it], you really have made a huge impact on my life. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing this letter in the first place.
Christmas has arrived, or for some, your holiday has passed. But around Holiday time, I become very nostalgic and grateful. At times, a tear comes to the eye. I ponder about life, family, friends, relationships with people, the way my life has changed or not changed in the past year. And this year, I sure have a lot to be thankful for.
One of the biggest things is all of you reading this. (If there is anyone reading this at all.) Over the course of a year and a half, I have met some of the most spectacular, supportive, outstanding human beings on the face of this earth. And we all have one thing in common: our love for Disney. Sure, the love varies from person to person. Some love just the Parks, others love just the movies, and some, like myself, love anything and everything Disney even if it's a one-dollar Princess pen filled with candy inside. Regardless of the extremity of affection, we can all relate and come together for this one thing; this one amazing factor in our lives that touches us in such a way that we feel the need to reach out and communicate with others that have this same passion. I believe everything happens for a reason and God definitely put all of you in my plan, and I am freaking grateful.
As most of you know, I was having quite a challenging semester. I had to put together one of the most complex, difficult, demanding projects of all time: the one-person show. Not only did I have to compose this work, I had to perform it, direct it, and produce it. If you’re getting a headache just conjuring up an image of yourself doing all of that in a matter of a few short months, you get the picture. Now for a while, I had planned to make a one-person show on a historical figure that I admire and sympathize for. And even with all of my knowledge and information and passion for this person, try as I did for most of the semester, it just wasn’t working out. Something in my gut said “Kayla, what the heck are you doing? You KNOW what you should be writing. Just do it, dang it!” So for a couple of days, I contemplated the pros and cons of writing a new show that I knew I would get crap for, but also knew it would be a success; at least MY terms of success. I wrote a new show, all Disney, and all Kayla, and it was actually approved. My colleagues, professors, and Dean, were in love with it. I had a blast and it was definitely an experience I’ll never forget. In it, I mention Disney Twitter friends. And if it weren’t for you guys, I never would have been able to have the courage to write the show.
So thank you all SO MUCH for your continuing support and love and faith in me. I have a ridiculously low self-esteem (I’m working on it), and to have what some people would call “complete strangers” lift my spirits up and believe in me when I don’t believe in myself most of the time is something I’ve never really had before. Not that I don’t have support and love in my life, because I have 2 of the best friends ever, an amazing boyfriend, and such a great family support group. But knowing that not just the people that I see almost day-to-day have faith in me is just that extra bit of pixie dust I need, and I’m sure many others need, to get through those tough days. Being nominated, and actually winning (still can’t believe it), the DDL Award was seriously such a huge shock. I thought for sure I would come in last. Chris and Nicole are extremely talented and more well-known in the Disney community than I am. But there it is, and I for sure extend the award and share it with my fellow thespians.
To my BOGP Family, my special extended family. Every time I tune into a live show in any way, calling in, chatting on Friend Feed, or just listening on iTunes if I miss it, I get teary-eyed. Truly, I care for each and every one of you. I hope that our relationship grows more and more as time goes on and that I have the honor to meet all of you in person one day. Hopefully, another Treehouse meet this coming new year.
Mike, Rikki, Pam, and Debbie: thank you SO MUCH for making my day every time I turn on the BOGP podcast. I smile and laugh and wish I was actually in a room with the four of you just talking Disney. I can honestly say that your podcast changed my life because it introduced me to you and to the other hundreds of amazing people that are also touched by your weekly episodes. Please, keep this thing going for as long as possible. You are each such supercalifragilisticexpialidocious people that have no idea of the gift you give to so many people all around the world. Thank you.
DisneyDrivenLife: JL, this blog/website is such an ingenious idea and I really enjoy reading all of the Neurotic Disney People’s blogs all day, every day. Extending it to making a DDL Academy Awards was hilarious, and fun, and extremely exciting! I hope it’s an annual tradition for quite a long time. Innermouse is so great! I really need to catch up but I absolutely love all of you!
Ricky Brigante: If you read this blog, first off thank you. I know you’re busy. Second, your podcast introduced me to podcasts in general, and more so, the Disney podcasts. Since 2005, when ITM started, I have listened every single week and looked forward to every Halloween for that special episode. I’m constantly reciting the little intros and such throughout the podcasts for each little section. I called in for your anniversary episode a little while back, and you used my recording so from that you know the impact your show has made on me. But I just want to write in text, here, on your second favorite holiday, thank you so much for all you do for the Disney community. If any of you tweeps are reading this and have not check out Inside the Magic, DO SO! One of the top 5 Disney podcasts out there in my opinion.
To everyone else out there, I hope we get to know each other better as time goes on. You are just all so awesome, I can’t handle it all at once!
I truly hope that all of you have a very Merry Christmas, and if you celebrated Chanukah a little while back, I’m sorry I didn’t say “Happy Chanukah!”
Stay safe, stay warm, be happy, be jolly, be grateful, be giving, be merry.
Have a Magical and Merry Christmas!
With lots of love,
Kayla L.
@DisneySoprano
P.S. I made a virtual video Christmas Card too. I sing a song. I don't know if it's good. Check it out if you want!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_PUfEFV9c <---clickety click!
Sweet, sweet Kayla...
ReplyDeleteYou remind me so much of myself not to very long ago.
There was a time when I wasn't true to who I was. Trying to be someone I'm not. (Not saying that you are, just trying to relay a bit of my story to you.) I found a bit of myself in my Senior year of high school, finding the best friends I have now...but it really took finding the Disney community to really come out of my self-imposed shell.
I found the Disney community during college and learned that there was a place for me out there where I could talk with others and gain friendships unlike no other. A place where I could be free to be me and no one would judge. This group of people I met were from all across the country of all different age ranges, but we had so many similarities besides just a love of Disney. We became our own little family. (A family I still cherish, though don't talk to near as much as I used to.)
Then came along the opportunity to join Mike in the podcast. I took it, not really knowing what would happen. Only thinking it sounded like something that would be fun. I'd listened to a few podcasts before. But I didn't realize how it would completely and utterly change my life.
It still amazes me how much people care about little old me...and how much they love to hear my stories and my thoughts. To me, I'm no one special. I'm just me. This kinda goofy 27 year old who is no where close to wanting to grow up.
Which brings me back to my point...I see myself so much in you Kayla...which means you are on the right path to become this amazing woman! You are already learning to be true to yourself and when you can finally accept who you truly are and how incredible that person is, that's when the real magic happens. :)
So while this past few months (or year) has been difficult for you, know this...college stuff will pass...and it won't matter. What matters is what you do with yourself once you get out into that big world out there.
Which brings me to my best suggestion for you. I know you are going to be auditioning to be friends with a character soon (correct? I thought I'd read that recently.) Be every ounce of yourself in that audition. Pour every part of your sweet self into that audition. If you do, I can bet you'll get some sort of role...that someone in Disney will see all that amazing potential that you have.
If for some reason it doesn't work out the way you want though, just know...that potential you have is still inside...and someone out there will see it.
You are truly talented and I know the field that you want to go into is a challenging one...but in order to truly be successful, you have to believe so strongly in yourself before anyone else will believe in you. So start believing!
These are things that I know can be difficult to learn, but I've been there. I've learned them before. I only hope I can help pass along some of what I've learned in hopes that I can help make your process of learning go just a little bit quicker.
Just make sure to remember one thing...you are AMAZING! :) And I'm always here to talk if you need me.
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ReplyDeleteOk...so I thought the whole thing I'd written first had gotten erased! I wrote it all over again, only to find out it had originally posted!!! Doh!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kayla, I loved the blog post and I loved the youtube video! Have a wonderful Christmas, and an even better New Year! Wishing all the best for you in 2011. Lots of love xx
ReplyDelete“Stay safe, stay warm, be happy, be jolly, be grateful, be giving, be merry” - Very well said Kayla. I hope you don’t mind if I “borrow” that quote.
ReplyDeleteLet me tell you, I am totally impressed that you would take the time to write such a heartfelt message to people who as you said could be considered “complete strangers”.
While I don’t know you well (or hardly at all), I am proud to say I know someone like you. I know someone who has written, produced, and performed a one person show. You changed the plan of that show from the “safe” course, to follow your own vision and dream. A lot of us could learn from that lesson.
I’m sure you’ve heard it said before, “That which doesn’t kill up makes us stronger”. In my opinion, those challenges we face head on, not only make us stronger and wiser, but perhaps more importantly builds character. Character counts. People are drawn to people of good character. People trust, and believe in, people of good character. You come across as a person of very solid personal character, and people are drawn to that. Hold onto that, and believe in it, stay true to yourself, and you’ll find the footing for your self-esteem.
I’ve work with a lot of young folks over a lot of years in a variety of organizations. I’ve seen a lot of good kids, of good character, do some amazing things. I see that in you as well, and I hardly even know you.
Rikki mentioned being a “kind of goofy 27 year old who is no where close to wanting to grow up”, well I’m a kind of goofy 50 year old who is no where close to wanting to grow up and I am happy to have “met” you. And if I may quote Rikki who said “To me, I’m no one special, I’m just me”. Well, that applies to all of us. We’re all just average people, no one particularly special… but we’ll also all very special in our own way. And when a bunch of average people put together in a special way, great things happen and we all become better than we could have alone. A single piece to a jigsaw puzzle doesn’t look like much by itself, but arranged properly with all the other pieces it’s a thing of beauty.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
And PS – when your first show come to Kansas City, suppose I could have a front row ticket?
Kayla,
ReplyDeleteYou, at your young age, are so much closer to finding what took me 3 decades to find--the courage to chase your dream.
For the majority of my life, I have tried to be someone that I thought everyone wanted me to be. As a result, I didn't pursue dreams that I had, and--consequently-- I never explored my potential in areas that really mattered to me. I still look back with regret on opportunities I missed because now I will never have an answer to the "what ifs" that haunt me at times.
It was only a couple years ago that I broke this pattern in my life when I started The Disney Driven Life. I stumbled upon a talent that I didn't know I had . . . writing. I looked squarely at it and wondered if it could make an impact. I wondered if it could be significant. I wondered if it was a gift to help me find out more about myself. Then I realized that if I didn't get the courage to pursue it, my writing would become another item on my "what if" list. After having long talks with my husband about it, we decided that this was something I needed to pursue--not just half-heartedly but passionately. I didn't want to look back on it one day (like all the other things) and wonder, "If I had just tried a little harder, could that have become something?" Now it has become something that exceeds any expectations that I had for it.
I have learned much in these past two years about pursuing dreams:
1. Be true to your vision. Writing could have taken the shape of any number of things in my life, but I am primarily passionate about Disney. I knew that my dream was not just exploring my talent but exploring it in an area that I loved--which was Disney. So not only did I need to be courageous in exploring my talent, I needed to be courageous enough to express it in a way that was fulfilling to me.
2. Be flexible with your vision. This may seem like a contradiction to what I said in #1, but it isn't. While the core of your vision needs to hold firm, you need to the let the rest of it have room to grow into what God has for you. My blog was originally *my* blog with a fun "Confessional" feature. I quickly realized, though, that it could be something bigger than just me if I was willing to share it with others. Now it is a blog where a whole community can express a common passion in a variety of ways. I know that because I let go of "center stage" that my dream has become something better and greater than I had envisioned.
3. Give it your all but give yourself the freedom to fail. It is better to try and fail than to not try at all. I have done both, so I can speak from experience. Let me tell you, as painful as it has been to fail, I far prefer it to the "not knowing from not trying." The Mom's Panel is a good example of this. At least I can look at the Mom's Panel and know that I gave it my best. It's helped teach me that, yes, sometimes my best isn't good enough, and the world can survive this revelation. LOL!
You seem like you are already learning these truths, and you are a lucky girl because you will accomplish more in life by grasping this early on. I feel blessed that pursuing my dream has led me to this point where I can support you in pursuing yours. Merry Christmas, Kayla. I pray that the New Year will be your best year yet.
Merry Christmas Kayla! Don't ever try to be something you aren't and stay true to your self! Make your self happy first! Not in a selfish way but in a way that you lead the life that is right for you!!!!!
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