March 29, 2025 Issue 14… The Happiest Place on Earth…Really?

I was reminded of this saying… I’m paraphrasing ;)…

There’s the stuff you know…and there’s the stuff you know you know…and there’s stuff you know you don’t know…

but the most intriguing…the stuff you don’t know you don’t know. Hmmm ;)

That quote contains a range of our human feelings between…

Confidence and Vulnerability. We can feel very confident in living our lives…on most days. Feeling confident to “handle” life…know how to do stuff, get things accomplished, have a little fun if possible.

And, if not happy, at least neutral, and not slipping into anxiety.

And then, when we start feeling into the… I don’t know, and the I don’t know I don’t know… that’s when we might start feeling vulnerable.

When we go through adversity, we can be left feeling the loss but also feeling lost as a person. Our confidence in managing and enjoying life can be lost.

And we have no idea where to begin, or if we even want to try to put a new life together after our loss. Why me? What do I do now? I don’t know!

I was reading an article about Disneyland employees. It seems there is one phrase they are Not allowed to say while working in the park… hmmm?

My imagination took over…what could Disney employees not be allowed to say when a tourist in the magic kingdom asks them a stupid question?

· What’s the secret to Disney Magic? Pixie dust, lots of caffeine, and a good marketing campaign!

· Can we meet Elsa? Yes, of course, you can meet Elsa…just stand in line for three hours, for a five second meet and greet!

· Where’s the bathroom? No, I can’t tell you where the bathroom is; that’s a closely guarded secret!

· Does Disneyland serve food? No, we have no restaurants here…stupid tourist…look around!

· Where is the exit? I can’t talk right now; I’m busy making sure no one sees me eating this taco!

I can imagine all the above being said, but then I turned the page to find out the one thing employees cannot say…I don’t know…that’s the one thing they can’t say!

I knew Disneyland was a magical place! But even more than magical, it’s where all questions have answers!

Imagine our lives, if we could not say…I don’t know!

Not knowing happens all the time, but even more so, after adversity. We feel vulnerable not knowing all the answers. We don’t know what to change, or how to change it. Or why?

If we feel lost in a mire of possible choices, we feel vulnerable…the unknowing.

The important point to remember is that vulnerability is a strength not a weakness. When we are brave enough to step out into the unknown and try.

There is strength in trying, strength in not knowing, and yet, still moving forward. Some of our biggest successes arrive after roadside stumbles.

Get comfortable with vulnerability…get comfortable with saying… “I don’t know”.

Be careful, confidence can le to our comfort zone. It feels good to know how to handle life.

Sometimes, our confidence can be a hinderance to growth. Our minds love certainty. Confidence let’s us feel in control, certain about our abilities.

Find your balance between confidence and vulnerability. Both have strengths and weaknesses.

If you don’t know the answer, practice stepping confidently into your unknown. You will get clues along the way. And if we don’t know all the answers, that’s okay…we are growing.

Maybe we will never love uncertainty, but we can appreciate the growth it brings into our lives.

And just in case, if certainty, confidence, and always knowing the answer is so important, you can move to Disneyland… the magic kingdom, where all questions have answers. ❤️

We are all in this together, Susan and Mike

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