Self-Help, part 2

There seem to be two basic approaches that most self-help books take. They propose either:

You relinquish control and become one with the universe, going with the flow and going wherever life takes you (this is the approach most religious-ish and/or meditation-focused books suggest)

OR

You act as though you own everything that impacts your life, regardless of whether or not it is actually your fault (this seems to be the approach of the books with "f*ck" in the title or the ones that claim to be "different").

You either accept that nothing is under your control or that everything is - there seems to be little acknowledgement of any middle ground. Sometimes it feels like you're in control of a lot, but sometimes, sh*t just happens. *

So what's the better approach? Do you channel Oprah and friends, and trust that the universe wants what is best for you and that what happens happens and everything will come out fine? Or do you go Mark Manson and take ownership of everything, but choose where and when you actively dole out your f*cks so that the weight of the universe does not overwhelm you? 

On one hand, there are a lot of studies that show that meditation, accepting and letting go, are good - really good - for people's mental and physical well being. On the other, there are also studies that allowing people a feeling of control can increase pain tolerance and empower people to actually change things for the better.

I guess the different approaches have to work for different types of people. Otherwise, we'd all be enslaved to Oprah's book club.

Personally, I still haven't figured out where I can draw the line between being in control of myself and not being in control of myself. For example, I would hope that I have control over my own brain, but at the same time, I'm taking medication to try to wrangle rogue elements into submission. I don't really feel like I have control over my own brain chemistry. 

Figuring out the line between things I can control and things I can't is another check box on the way to "being an adult", I suppose, but if both Oprah and Augusten Burroughs haven't figured it out yet either, being either all or nothing, I suppose I shouldn't be too had on myself about it.



*I suppose the main books I'm thinking of are "The Secret" and the "Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**ck"- Google them, I'm feeling lazy - as examples of these extremes.
**We're a family friendly blog here. Get the f!ck out, $&^$%.

How to Write a Self Help Book in Nine Easy Steps

Have you ever wanted to write an award winning self help book? Here's how!

1. Come up with a catchy title. Be sure to include at least one of the following words or phrases on the cover: happiness, magic, "fix your life", "change your life", passion, invigorate, communication, determination.  Use bright colors and weirdly incongruous imagery - gotta catch the eye of those ever-dwindling bookshop patrons!
2. Claim that this book is "not like all the others" for one of the following reasons  - it's a "revolutionary new technique",  it's "scientifically based",  it contains precepts of Buddhism but is totally not religious, it's a self-conscious parody, "nobody else has done this" or that it will "redefine how you see the world". 
3. Compliment your gullible reader on being wise enough and smart enough to buy this book - and make you some sweet sweet royalty money.
4. Here's the important part - the actual advice. If you've got a certain technique or practice that you've vaguely hear helps people, tell stories of how people implement it and how it totally changed their life, while remaining vague and indistinct about how to actually use said practice or technique in your reader's own life. Feel free to bullsh*t as much as you want here - you can claim that "names were changed to protect privacy" and make up whatever you want - nobody can actually check you on any of it. Use Unnecessary Capitalization to emphasize things in order to make it look like you actually have a System. 
5. If you don't have any actual ideas, all the best self help concepts were in "How to Win Friends and Influence People" first. Just rename them with more Unnecessary Capitalization, and you've got yourself a Bestseller.
6. This is important - while giving your advice, reference your website, blog, podcast, or your own self-published papers - multiple times. It will seem like you know more than you actually do and will drive clicks to give you that sweet sweet ad revenue - gotta get it where you can find it, right?
7. Optionally, include summary bullet points at the end of each chapter. If you have any actual points, these can summarize them in an easily readable fashion and essentially make the rest of the chapter moot. 
8. Conclude with a touching story of how you personally implemented your System/Technique/Organizational Method/Whatever You Called It. Make sure it's either disturbingly unnecessarily personal or so full of dropped names it  makes an Oscars after-party newscast look tame. If you did drugs, had a family member get sick, or got to talk to Oprah or the president, this is the time to wring it for all that it's worth. It will give you some credibility and make you sympathetic, making people more likely to check out your other stuff and make you more money.
9. Your last sentence should be happy, pithy, and memorable, while meaning absolutely nothing at all and leaving your reader feeling strangely motivated, yet directionless. Let's be honest - if you actually fixed people, you would destroy the market for your sequel. 

*No, I'm totally not vindictive. I've just read a lot of these type of books looking for anything of substance and coming up mostly blank. So no - totally not vindictive.
 If you're actively looking for self-help that makes you feel better, I personally recommend the Zen of Zombie, the Supervillain Handbook, or How to Survive a Horror Movie, all of which make me laugh out loud and feel good for a little bit, and all of which contain some actual useful advice, depending on your situation. 
Anything that claims to be serious is selling something.*

Top Ten Things that make Imagineering Different

*Please note that all opinions expressed are mine and mine only. I do not represent Disney, Walt Disney Imagineering, or any other entity other than myself in any capacity, official or otherwise.*

Since the majority of my views other than the Russian/German bots and my father (Hi Dad!) are still coming from a Disney intern blog aggregator, some of you might be interested in what I think about working for the Mouse. (Also, I like the sound of my own keyboard.)

Because the Internet loves top ten lists, here are the top ten things that make working for Walt Disney Imagineering different, in no particular order:

1. There is a lot of money involved.  Not as much as, say, an oil refinery, but there are copious amounts of zeroes tacked on to the end of many numbers in unexpected places.
2. People genuinely care about the source material. I know people might think that a lot of the new stuff going into the parks is just money grabs, but the people working on it and building it genuinely care. The people I work with on Star Wars Galaxy's Edge still are hugely passionate and excited about the movies and extended universe(s), and take great care and pride in bringing in their favorite little bits. 
3.  Everything has a code name. It was a bit of a shock when coming in - WDI is worse than the military for inscrutable code names and acronyms. For example, Pandora at Animal Kingdom was known as Project Morpho before it was completed. This is done in theory to prevent spoilers and allow the company to file building permits and the like without screaming WE ARE BUILDING AVATAR!!! but really, sometimes the code names just sound cooler. But seriously, secrecy is taken very seriously.
4. Everyone is really smart at something. There is an intimidating amount of brainpower and talent at WDI. Everyone seems really quick on their feet and excited to learn new things, which leads to a really dynamic work environment. Everyone seems to have at least one thing that they are scary good at, like programming or baking or drawing or storytelling or Excel or something completely off the wall.
5. People play along. The company threw a party and invited the Black Panther and the Dora Milaje to come and take pictures (as one does). As His Highness was leaving the photo area to take a break, almost everyone he passed unironically gave the crossed-arm Wakandan salute. People are genuinely dedicated to protecting the magic and mystique that surrounds the Disney stories almost to a fault, and will go along with almost anything.
6. The dress code is loose. No need for casual Fridays, no need to shave - the dress code at Imagineering is a lot more lenient than in any guest-facing role - or in any other corporate environment I've been in. My boss has a magnificent (sort-of) beard, the guy down the hall has a mohawk he occasionally dyes electric blue, and I can come into work wearing jeans, t-shirt, and Vans every day. It's glorious.
7. The big names get their hands dirty. As noted in a previous post, the Bobs (Weis + Chapek + Iger), Joe Rohde, and other big names are often on campus or on site. I actually work with awesome people like Robin Reardon, Scott Trowbridge, and Jon Georges, and can assure you that not only are their faces pretty, but they work extremely hard and are great at what they do.
8. There is a lot of focus on personal and cross-disciplinary development. Full time Imagineers get the legendary "Self Directed Development Allowance", an allowance to be spent on personal professional development. Outside of that, speakers (sometimes with big names) regularly get invited to give talks on what they do and how they do it. I've seen talks on everything from biomimicry to happiness to concrete forming (more interesting than it sounds), and I didn't have to look very far.
9. Tradition is important. No one is allowed to forget Walt Disney or Mickey Mouse. Some conference rooms and hallways are named after legendary Imagineers. Part of onboarding is a (sanitized) history lesson on the Disney company, the Disney Parks, and Imagineering.
10. Story is King.  Most importantly, everything that happens at Imagineering is in service of a story. Little details are added to add character. Cuts and adds are made with consideration to an overall storyline. Every crack in the rock, every queue line, every divot in the pavement, every piece of writing, every safety feature, every piece of merchandise is made with a story in mind. It might not always be obvious, but the scavenger hunt aspect makes it fun to create and explore. There is a story basis for almost every decision that gets made  - and that's what makes Disney different.

That's just a few random thoughts and observations from my time interning there. If you want to know anything more (other than project specifics lol) please leave a comment. Even I occasionally need the ego boost. 

As always, have a magical day.