Santa isn’t real. Neither is the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy or the Hanukkah Troll (that one actually may be a figment of my Mother’s imagination). 

Snapping the furcula from the Thanksgiving Turkey doesn’t bring longed-for riches, blowing out the birthday candles is just a waste of breath. Wishing upon the first star you see is as futile as tossing your pennies into a well, hoping to stumble across your one true love while doom scrolling on your living room couch. 

But what if we stopped looking for reasons not to believe? What if we started to look for the good in each moment, rather than be imprisoned in the cloudiness of negativity? If we truly believed and looked for magic in every moment, would we find it? Or are we too predisposed to only see the darkness? 

As I prepare to embark on my next fantastic journey to the happiest place on Earth, I reread an article I wrote after returning last year. At that time, I felt as if the magic was a bit less magical. I wrote, “The parade waves were less wavy. The smiles appeared less genuine. Mostly, though, the token conversation closure was absent.”  

I expected the place, the people, and the experience to bring me overwhelming joy, and force the magic into my bones, but it simply doesn’t work that way. Finding the magic requires intention, a positive vibe, and mostly the openness to look beyond the heat, crowds, and downpours to embody the enchantment. 

Magic is a mindset, an invisible, yet almost tangible, powerful energy that is fueled by belief and positive thought. No pixie dust required. 

We are surrounded, almost pummeled with negativity being fed to us via social media, the news, and even our peers. How do we unbury ourselves to be able to fly free from the weight of adversity and destructive thoughts and actions?

Believe in the Magic: One can not see what they do not believe. You must trust that the majority of the world, your peers, your customers, and even strangers are inherently good, and simply just falter at times. If you assume that every apple is tainted, you are sure to starve.

Be the Magic: The magic lives within us all. Once you believe that it exists, embrace it, feed it with a mixture of gratitude, respect, and optimism it will become inherent to your actions and outlook. Wasting our energy focusing on the mistakes of others and breaking them down, not only depletes our reserve, but destroys the opportunity for others to unbury their personal treasure. 

Spread the Magic: As a result of believing, exuding and living the magic, the positivity will spread as if the darkness has been lifted from beyond the pride lands. What begins with one individual, will quickly spread to the entire village. To nurture and care for the beast is to create a community of believers that support one another and are committed to the progress and innovation to become better as a whole, rather than to rejoice from the destruction of one. It’s a small world after all, your outpouring of exceptionalism will soon have your entire boat singing the same tune.

With less than six weeks to take off, I am practicing what I preach. Despite the hurdles that I face on a daily basis, I am taking the steps to not just be a pillar of positivity, but the Princess of Purposeful Positiveness. I’ll be on the castle steps waving my wand of wonder but will return just in time to snap that wish bone and have my Thanksgiving dreams come true. 

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it”. -Walt Disney