Image from Wikipedia

Roald Dahl, the author of such wonderful books as James and the Giant Peach, Danny Champion of the World, and Matilda, is my favorite children’s author. He was born on September 13, 1916. He led a very exciting life and worked with many fascinating people. One of those people was Walt Disney.

Roald Dahl is known for his whimsical stories, but the first children’s story he wrote was done for Walt Disney Productions. In 1943 he wrote a story about gremlins that sabotage British fighter planes and Walt Disney was going to turn it into a movie. The project eventually fell apart, but I think it led to Roald Dahl creating so many other timeless children’s stories.

I think there is a great lesson here. He could have given up on writing when this project was abandoned, but instead he tried again. I am so glad he did. Walt Disney had the same experience. He could have given up on cartoons when he lost Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Instead he kept drawing and gave the world Mickey Mouse. I am so glad he did.

The message is clear. If you really want to do something you should not let setbacks or total failure stop you. This message rings loud and clear in so many of Roald Dahl’s books. So, I declare today “Perseverance Day” in honor of his birthday. I hope we all celebrate by trying something again. Happiness squared.

A Goofy Quote: (Roald Dahl said this, but I imagine Walt Disney would have thought the same thing.)

“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” Roald Dahl

Happy birthday Mom and Disneyland!

On this July 17th I have three birthday wishes to hand out. Happy birthday, Disneyland! Happy birthday, Mom!, Happy birthday, A Goofy Idea! Obviously I have lots to celebrate today.

My mother is older than Disneyland, but I always thought it was awesome that they shared the same birthday. And no, I could never convince my mom to visit Disneyland on her birthday. She didn’t want to share her birthday with thousands of Disney fans. Oh well.

My blog, A Goofy Idea, turns 2 years old today. It has been a blast writing for it and I have learned so much. I hope you have enjoyed the advice and activities that I have shared. I plan to have even more fun in the third year of A Goofy Idea.

Disneyland turns 58 today. Not a milestone, but still worth celebrating. I wish I could visit the park today, but instead I’m going to watch Tangled and look through my many Disney vacation photo albums . Happiness squared.

Goofy Quote: (I like this quote because while it applies to Walt Disney, it also describes my mom. Happy birthday, mom!)

“The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.” Walt Disney

My best friend and I laugh a lot

I love to laugh! Can you say that? Do you laugh every day? Do you try to spread laughter to your friends, family, and even complete strangers? I was looking up some Walt Disney quotes and I found one that made me pause:

“Laughter is America’s most important export.” Walt Disney

How often to we think of laughter as an export? Obviously Walt Disney made funny movies so he was able to export laughter easily. But what about the rest of us? How can we export happiness? More importantly, why would we want to even if we could.

Disneyland is often thought of as the “Happiest Place on Earth.” Is America thought of as the “Happiest Country on Earth?” No. Why not? No matter how bad things are our lives are still a lot better than lots of other people on this planet. What if we could make Earth the “Happiest Planet in the Galaxy?” Whoa, Jennifer. Don’t get carried away.

Nope. I’ve decided to get carried away. I have a plan. One of my plans is to make cookies for all the leaders in the world, good, bad, and ugly, but I’ll save that one for now. No, my plan is to follow in Walt Disney’s footsteps and export laughter. It isn’t that hard. I’ll use six degrees of separation.

Six degrees of separation says that we are only six people removed from every person on the planet. (I just discovered I am only three people from George R. R. Martin. Cool!) So if I make six people laugh and they make six people laugh and those people make six people laugh than by using the six degrees rule I will have spread laughter to a huge number of people. And the cool part is that some of those people will know people in other countries so the laughter will spread around the world. I can export laughter.

So why not join me. Ideally it would be great if we all  made six people laugh a day. We have a lot of negativity to overcome. But even if everyone only made six people laugh a week it would have amazing effects. So tell a joke, relate a funny story, share a funny picture, or do a funny thing. And laugh…a lot. When the aliens land I want them to think we live on a really happy planet. Happiness squared.

 Goofy Joke: (I was looking for my favorite Mary Poppins joke and I found two (or three). Lucky me!)

Saying something is Mickey Mouse has not always been a complement. It has been thought of as cheap, or shoddy, or small in importance. When I think of Mickey Mouse I think optimistic, dream catcher, and go-getter. As Walt Disney said, “…it was all started with a mouse.” Could my goal planning start with a mouse, too?

I was reading a great book on self-motivation called 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself by Steve Chandler. Sometimes a book with 100 ideas only has 2 or 3 really useful ones, but this book has almost 100 great ideas that are easy to use. Number 67 introduces the circle game, a way to plan a goal in 4 minutes. I have modified it into the Mickey Mouse goal game. Here is how it works.

Draw a simple Mickey Mouse face. We all know how to do this. Draw one large circle for his face and two smaller (not too small) circles for his ears. They don’t have to be perfect. Just make sure you have three circles.

Above the left ear write, “This year.” Above the right ear write, “This month.” Below the face write, “Today.” Okay, now you have your Mickey Mouse goal planner. You may want a calculator also. Let’s have some fun.

Pick a goal you are working on. It could be weight loss, or saving money, or paying a debt. Just pick one thing. My goal is to go to Disneyland this year. I need to save $1200 to do that. So my goal is “Save $1200 for Disneyland trip.” I write that in the left ear labeled “This year.”

Wow, that sounds hard to do. How am I ever going to save $1200? Well, if I want to go to Disneyland in December then I have six months (May through November) to save $1200. So I divide $1200 by 6 and I get $200. That sounds better. I write that number in the right ear labeled “This month.”

$200 is still a chunk of change. Let’s divide it again. When I divide $200 by 30 days I get $6.66 a day. I write that number in the face circle above “Today.” Wow. All I have to do is save $6.66 each day and I will be able to go to Disneyland in December? I can do that. That is a Mickey Mouse goal. Plus, it is fool proof. If I meet my daily Mickey Mouse goal I am guaranteed to meet my monthly goal and if I meet my monthly goal I am guaranteed to meet my yearly goal. Disneyland here I come!

Try this out yourself. Below I provide a few more examples. Some goals may be multi-year goals, like paying off a mortgage or student loan. Decide what you want to do in 2013 and worry about the rest later. The beauty of this goal planner is it focuses on what you can do today and usually it is very doable. You don’t have to wonder about next month or next year. Just reach your daily Mickey Mouse goal, mark it off your list, and get on with your day. Happiness squared.

5 Mickey Mouse Goals

1) Read the unread books on my shelf. 30 books  a year, 4.2 books a month, 1/6 a book each day

2) Pay off a $600 debt to a friend. $600 a year, $86 a month, save $3 a day

3) Lose 30 pounds. 30 pounds a year, 4.2 pounds a month, 1/6 pound a day or a deficit of 600 calories a day

4) Write a 300 page book. 300 pages a year, 43 pages a month, 1.5 pages a day

5) Complete 5 scrapbooks (each scrapbook has 40 pages.) 200 pages a year, 28 pages a month, 1 page a day

Goofy Quote: (I love this quote. I think it goes great with Mickey Mouse goal planning. Perhaps you could write it below your face to remind yourself to focus on the “Today” circle, and not worry about the month or the year.)

“Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it any better.” Walt Disney

Hakuna Matata!

Did you start humming to yourself when you read the title of this post? I am humming right now. I hope it doesn’t get stuck in my head. It is a silly song, but I like the message.

There are lots of things to worry about in the world today. I am not going to list them because you hear about them every day. But what about happiness? How often do people talk about being happy? This weekend I would like you to stop worrying and be happy. Just for two days (okay three, if you want to start on Friday.) Do things that make you happy, but more importantly, do things that make you focus on something other than your worries. The worries will be there Monday morning if you go looking for them. Or you could just be like Timon and Pumbaa from the Lion King and Hakuna Matata (great, now I have that song in my head.)

Need some help having a worry-free weekend? Here are five ideas to get you started.

Five ways to have a worry-free weekend (without breaking the bank):

1) Visit a friend. Social media and email helps us keep in touch, but when you need to escape visiting a friend face to face is much better. Bring over a dish for lunch, bake brownies together, or share a hobby. Nothing makes me happier than spending time with my friends.

2) Read a book. This can be any book you want, but it should be a want-to book, not a should book. I have a lot of books that I need to read to improve some aspect of my career. The pile is so large that I worry I’ll never get through them all. This weekend read a book that makes you happy. Declare time for guilt-free reading. I like to read non-fiction narrative books about black holes, or dark matter. Am I crazy? No. I know I am never going to be an astrophysicist so reading these books makes me happy, and I don’t have to worry if I don’t remember everything I read.

3) Go for a walk. You can walk by yourself or with others. Try to walk somewhere you haven’t been before so you can focus on the new surroundings and not the worrisome chatter in your head.

4) Watch a movie. You can go see the latest blockbuster or rent a movie to watch at home. If you want a worry-free option than visit the library and check out a movie for free. You can pick an old-favorite or something new-to-you. Pop some popcorn, turn down the lights and lose yourself in the story. Can I recommend Tangled, or the new Winnie-the-Pooh?

5) Create something. This one can be tricky. You may have lots of should-do crafts on your never-ending list that you worry you will never finish. Don’t work on those this weekend. Do something that makes you happy. I like to color, but I don’t do it often. This weekend I will pull out my crayons and a coloring book and have fun. Perhaps you can try a new recipe, or make a card for someone. Try to pick something that can be completed in a day so it doesn’t end up on your list come Monday. As long as it makes you happy the sky is the limit.

Bonus idea) Daydream. In our worry-filled lives we often feel guilty if we daydream. But it is by daydreaming that we come up with our most fun ideas. So take time to daydream. Write down your thoughts if you want. Don’t worry about all the reasons you can’t do what you are dreaming about. Just imagine that everything is possible.

I hope you have a very happy weekend. If your daydreaming should have you imagining a trip to the Disney Parks add fire to your dreams by wandering around at A Goofy Idea. You’ll find a bit of happiness in every post. Happiness squared.

Goofy Quote: (I like this quote. It encourages all of use to allow less worry into our lives.)

“Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it any better. I worry about many things, but not about water over the dam.” Walt Disney

You have 21 days until the end of the world. (I’m looking forward to the 14th Baktun.)

You have 24 days to get your Christmas shopping done.

You have 31 days to finish your 2012 resolutions.

I love deadlines. Deadlines motivate me. I have deadlines into 2013 and beyond. Without deadlines I would be a bigger procrastinator than I already am.

Walt Disney loved deadlines, too. Considering all the fantastic projects that he completed I am glad that deadlines exist.

If you don’t have any deadlines go ahead and create some. (I don’t recommend Dec 21.) You may find that you are completing more fantastic projects yourself. Happiness squared.

Goofy Quote: “Everyone needs deadlines. Even the beavers. They loaf around all summer, but when they are faced with the winter deadline, they work like fury. If we didn’t have deadlines, we’d stagnate.” Walt Disney

Today is my birthday! Happy birthday to me!

For my birthday I would like to share a quote from Walt Disney that has always been a favorite of mine.

When I was thirteen or so I bought a book called Disneyland – the First Thirty Years. (I guess I have always thought buying books at the Disney parks was a goofy idea.) I still own this book and look through it often. It is hardback with large color pictures of the park. Sprinkled throughout is trivia, history and quotes. On the very last page (pg. 122) is a photo of a man and a woman in Mickey Mouse ears. They are looking at Sleeping Beauty Castle. In this picture the couple is in focus and the castle is out of focus. Beneath the picture is the following quote. Whenever I see this photo and read this quote I always get choked up. I hope you enjoy it, too.

“Why do we have to grow up? I know more adults who have the children’s approach to life. They’re people who don’t give a hang what the Joneses do. You see them at Disneyland every time you go there. They are not afraid to be delighted with simple pleasures, and they have a degree of contentment with what life has brought – sometimes it isn’t much, either.” - Walt Disney

Today, on my birthday, I am going delight in simple pleasures. Whether it is your birthday or your un-birthday, I hope you will do the same. Happiness Squared.

Goofy Tip: If you are visiting the Disney parks on or near your birthday be sure to pick up a birthday button at City Hall or Guest Services. Wear it proudly and you’ll be surprised by the number of people who will wish you a happy birthday.

Epcot opened 30 years ago as the second park at Walt Disney World. To celebrate this impressive anniversary we’ll take a tour of Future World and look at how the different Lands have changed over the last 30 years. If you want to learn more about this innovative park read The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot (affiliate link). World Showcase is also part of Epcot. For a fun tour of that area check out my World Showcase Wonders series. Today we’ll look at Walt Disney’s own vision for Epcot.

Walt Disney was not alive to see the completion of Epcot, but it was his brainchild. In honor of Epcot’s 30th anniversary I would like to share Walt’s vision with you. When he was dreaming up Epcot he thought of it as a test city where people lived, worked, and visited, and new ideas could be tried out on this closed system. That idea never emerged, but the need to push the envelope is alive and well. Epcot has changed a lot in 30 years, but I like to think that the core ideas that Walt Disney desired have remained. Happiness squared.

Goofy Quote: I found this quote in the Quotable Walt Disney, a truly inspirational book.

“But the most exciting and by far the most important part of our Florida project…in fact, the heart of everything we’ll be doing in Disney World…will be our Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow! We call it EPCOT.

…It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise. ” – Walt Disney

Art by www.disneyclips.com

A Goofy Idea is a labor of love, a work in progress, and a great learning experience – sort of like the Disney Parks.

I have just finished adding several pages to my website and would love to get your input. Go to A Goofy Idea and click on the tabs under Goofy’s smiling face. I’d love a comment on my newest additions.

Thank you for your support. Without you A Goofy Idea would be nothing but a dream.

If you could add one thing to A Goofy Idea what would it be?

Goofy Quote: (This is just something to think about. I think I may turn the idea of thinking the impossible into a series.  Enjoy, but beware what you eat.)

“I try to believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Count them, Alice. One, there are drinks that make you shrink. Two, there are foods that make you grow. Three, animals can talk. Four, cats can disappear. Five, there is a place called Underland. Six, I can slay the Jabberwocky.” – Alice Kingsley, from the 2010 Alice in Wonderland