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Disney Wonder (Social Media Update)

Disney Wonder (Social Media update).  This is different than the Disney Scoop, which is the motion Disney Cast Members learn, to pick up specks of trash without stopping.

I often wonder where I’d be right now if I’d been quicker to embrace social media.

Which naturally leads to wondering about businesses, if they wonder about what I wonder about.

The power to reach the masses grows exponentially as the Internet tools are mastered and maximized.

In keeping with the “Family” theme this month, you might be asking, “So what does this have to do with family”?

For starters, our son has written two blog posts from his first two days back at school. He’s a third-grader.

How many blog posts have you posted this week?

If your retirement plan is all locked and loaded from your company, you certainly don’t need any radical thoughts from jungle jeff on what the future might look like.

Then again, well, then again…….

Cd, jungle jeff 🙂

Don’t Get Arrested

Do what you fear, but don’t get arrested.  Sometimes, if not more often, we must do what we fear to overcome it.

This has been challenging, considering  all the places I’ve lived and worked – 35 years in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Idaho, Florida and Washington State.

Bottom line, my thirst for pushing boundaries tends to threaten others. Since turning 50 in June, I have flat out accepted this is who I am – a game changer.  Maybe this will be September’s theme.  Maybe not.

Let’s go back two days to The Ledge, at the western hemisphere’s tallest building:

Went out on The Ledge five times. Would have done it even more, except it was a very busy Friday night in Chicago.

“So what”? Exactly.  So what!  I’ve never been more impatient with the status quo.

Turbulent times call for unprecedented creative efforts.  In order to teach our son patience, I constantly remind myself to relax and be patient.  One day soon, some one will ask, “Will you share your vision with us”?

While I went to The Ledge five times that night, Walt Disney lived his whole life on The Ledge.  Wonder if we’re related. Carpe diem, jungle jeff 🙂

Back To School

Back to school for our third grader.

Thank you to my wife for all her hard work to shop, organize and take care of all the preparations necessary for a successful end to summer vacation.

Third grader, nine years old, 70-plus pounds.  Who woulda thought?

Our son had a great summer at the Disney – YMCA child care facility. He learned how to dance in front of others.

And it was easier than you might think.

Part of the class culture, led by his YMCA teachers, was every day starting with music and dancing on the playground.  Every day.

What happens when you do something every day?  You get used to it. And you get good at it.  This strengthens your self-esteem.

Because of the way my brain works, it is only natural to connect this insight to business.  Yours and mine.

Great results happen when dedicated effort is practiced everyday and fun is part of the culture.

What surprised me about writing this post was that it surprised me, because I shouldn’t be surprised.

This is common sense, just not always common practice.

Carpe diem, jungle jeff 🙂

jungle jeff, Risk Taker

jungle jeff, risk taker, on The Ledge.

Friday evening, I walked to the Willis Tower (formerly The Sears Tower). The 1.5 miles took about an hour, with the numerous photo stops.

Going there was a mission.  A mission to stretch myself.

Spent two full days in Chicago, exiting, motivating and inspiring a great organization to reach even greater heights.  To go out on the ledge, so to speak and challenge themselves to do something they think can’t be done – destroy the status quo.

I felt an absolute calling to go to the ledge.  The ledge is a very scary place to be.

How can professional speakers – motivational speakers – inspire others to do impossible things if they themselves aren’t motivated and aren’t capable of doing impossible things?

Walt Disney never asked his associates to do anything he thought was impossible.  Walt always thought things were possible, even if everyone around him didn’t.

Same with me.  I’ll never ask my son, wife, or anyone else in our family to do anything impossible.

But maybe I should.  Carpe diem, jungle jeff 🙂

jungle jeff Traditions

jungle jeff traditions are inspired from Disney’s successful business models.  If it works for Disney, it can work for you and  me.

So in 1996, when my Grandmother was given six weeks to live and a few years later my Dad was fading from early onset, rapid progression Alzheimer’s, I sent many Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and other Disney Character post cards to them in Pennsylvania.

I wanted them to know that I loved them and choose a seemingly insignificant way to do so, simply placing the stamp upside down.

If, or when, our son ever notices, there will be a story behind it.  A good story.  A story to help him learn about his Great Grandmother, his Grandfather, and me in more detail, using a very simple example.

Roy Disney, Walt’s brother, recounted Walt on his death bed pointing out the hospital ceiling tiles. Walt told Roy, “In this square mile we’re gonna do this.  In that square mile we’ll do that”.

On Walt’s deathbed, he was still talking about making a 43-square mile swamp the world’s vacation kingdom.

Walt had passion, and, great people who knew how to keep his values alive, long after his death.

Will people remember what I value after I’m gone?  My son sure will. It just takes some effort on my part to ensure it with some stories from everyday life.

Carpe diem, jungle jeff 🙂