At the beginning of every year, Adi and I make something we like to call, The Mind Movie. I know what you might be asking: What exactly is a Mind Movie? Well, being great believers in the concept that what you think you become, a Mind Movie is a visualization technique used to manifest whatever goals and desires we may have by creating a mental mind movie showing us having already “accomplished” these goals. The idea behind this is to create a vivid, multisensory experience in our mind to illustrate to us what achieving these goals would actually look, sound, and feel like—we have to see it to be it. We picture our desired outcome before it has actually materialized into our physical reality.
To create a Mind Movie, we start by setting a clear intention for what we want to achieve and then visualize ourselves as if we are already experiencing it. We create a detailed mental picture of us already existing in this desired state, including all the sights, sounds, emotions and feelings that are already associated with it.
The idea behind this technique is that by consistently visualizing our desired outcome in this way, we reprogram our subconscious mind and align our thoughts, beliefs, and actions with our goals, ultimately leading to their manifestation into our reality.
Adi and I have been amazed by how effective this simply manifestation tool is. We place things in our movie and then allow the Universe to do her part. We have been astounded by how the Universe has co-created with us to bring our desires into reality. In our 2022 Mind Movie, Adi and I placed the Eiffel Tower in our movie. Since this is where we shared our first date in Paris (read about it in my book, We’ll Always Have Paris), we thought it would be fun to return to “the scene of the crime.”
We didn’t really know how this would manifest, but for us it’s just fun to dream. We put it in our movie and then step out of the way to see how the Universe will manifest our dreams and intentions (the Universe seldom presents it like you think it will). Each day, we get up, watch our Mind Movie and plant our goals into our subconscious mind and then we take small steps towards making these visions a physical reality.
Disney Convert:
In the fall of last year, I had a gig in Orlando for a transportation conference. It was a three-day event at Disney and Adi and our oldest son, Brennon (his name has been changed to protect his self-esteem), decided they would like to come along for the trip. They both love Disney and thought it might be fun to tag along and go to the park. At that time, I was what might be referred to as a, “Disney Downer.” I always considered Disney to be a whole lot of pomp and circumstance with a whole lot of cheese added in just in case a person wanted to abandon all forms of subtlety. I was not much of a fan of Disney.
We arrived at the Dolphin Hotel at Epcot that first day and I immediately went to work while Brennon and Adi went to “work” to find tickets to Disney. I spent the morning in a rehearsal but during a short break I met back up with my Disney goers. I quickly discovered that Disney is an experience that people plan for a very long time—month, maybe years in advance. This was news to me. I figured, you want to go to the park you show up, buy a ticket, and enjoy the schmaltz: I was wrong. I learned that because Adi and Brennon hadn’t made reservations for tickets far in advance the price of admission for both of them to grace the presence of “Mickey World” would set us back a cool $750. $750?! I have to say it one more time, $750. Welcome to price gouging.
“No way!,” I said. “We are not sending you off to that cheese-fest for $750 bucks. There has got to be a better way.”
I could tell they were both disappointed, so I finally told Brennon, “Okay, here’s the deal. We will get you to Disney, but we are not going to spend $750 to get you there. Instead, we are going to go for free, and…we are going VIP!”
“How are you going to do that?” Brennon asked.
“I’m going to teach you a little something about how to manifest some things. I am sending a signal to the Universe that this is what we want and soon it will be delivered.
Did I have an idea how this was going to happen? Of course not. Did I think it was going to happen? Kind of…I just didn’t really know “how” it would happen.
The first day of our trip went off without another hitch and as we were concluding our evening after dinner, a little surprise showed up. Adi and I were playing Uno and Brennon was texting his girlfriend, Care Bear, when all of sudden we heard a BOOM! This wasn’t a scary BOOM!, it was more like a fireworks BOOM!. We walked over to our window and when we looked out, I got my very first taste of “Disney Magic”—fireworks lit up the sky. We got to witness the most magical fireworks display unfolding before our very eyes—all from the comfort of our own room. I have to say, Walt Disney was probably giggling at me as I drank every bit of this in.
Brilliant colors of red, green, orange, and yellow lit up the sky as I stared in amazement at this stunning display. I was embarrassed to say that this “Disney Downer” was being slowly converted to a fan of the “cheese-fest.”
As I was marveling at the show out our window, Adi very casually mentioned to me, “Do you see that?”
I looked at her not really knowing what she was talking about.
“Look what’s right in front of us.”
And there it was—the Eiffel Tower. We were indeed at Epcot and it now made sense to us that the tower would be so prominent but it still took me a moment to realize that this very tower had been the star of our Mind Movie that we created less than nine months earlier.
“Our Mind Movie just came true,” Adi said. “Just not quite like we anticipated it would.” No, we weren’t in Paris but this night felt every bit as magical if this was the City of Love herself.
She was right, it wasn’t like we thought it would look—it was better. It was so unexpected that I couldn’t have written this any better if I tried. We sat and watched a nearly 20-minute fireworks display and I didn’t even have to leave the comfort of my room.
“This Disney is alright,” I said silently to myself as I felt my heart thaw about ten degrees.
Following that night, the days passed at Epcot and I hadn’t made any headway with scoring tickets to the parks. I wasn’t really worried about it—I just kind of thought, “If it happens, it happens.” (I know, this isn’t exactly a masterclass in manifesting one’s desires.). Finally, on the evening of the awards banquet, I was backstage about to begin hosting the festivities. Moments before the show was about to begin, I was talking with one of the speakers and I casually asked, “So what are the plans for the group tomorrow night?”
“You don’t know?” she said.
“No, I have no clue.”
“We rented Epcot for the entire group (this was roughly 4,000 people).”
Without missing a beat, I said, “Can I go with you guys?”
“Of course, we’d love to have you.”
“Is there any way I can bring my wife and 19-year-old son?”
“Yes, we would love to have you join us. We will get you all badges so that you can get into the party.”
I have to admit, even I was surprised. I manifested tickets to Disney—VIP tickets—FREE VIP tickets. After the awards banquet, I returned to the room to find Brennon and Adi. Although they were disappointed about not going to the park, they kept their spirits up and didn’t complain about not going. When I walked in the room, I delivered the news:
“Brennon, so what do you think about going to Epcot…as a VIP?…and it won’t cost us one dime.”
Brennon and Adi’s face were priceless. When I told them the story about what transpired, they couldn’t hide their excitement; they were getting their Disney experience; I was excited, it didn’t cost me $750. This was a win-win for everyone!
That night, we joined 4,000 other people at Epcot for a private party replete with food, drinks and entertainment and then we were led front and center by a lake as we were giving the best seats in the house at the fireworks show we had witnessed two nights earlier from our room. It was spectacular! As I stood there watching this magical moment unfold, with Adi and Brennon by my side, I realized how incredibly blessed we were and are.
We watched while holograms danced and fireworks lit up the evening sky and this is when it dawned on me—Disney truly is a magical place. I was awed as I watched this show and witnessed how grown adults became like children once again. I was no longer a Disney Downer. I came to understand why people loved this place.
Following the fireworks show, everyone was given access to the ride, Soaring. This ride is nothing short of exhilarating in its own right. This immersive ride took us on a breathtaking aerial adventure through the rugged coastlines of California, to the stunning vistas of the Swiss Alps, to the exotic beauty of the African savannah—it was, in a word, magical. It made me feel as if I was flying through the air, experiencing every twist and turn, every gust of wind, every burst of fragrance, settling at the end…on the Eiffel Tower.
It was the perfect end to a perfect week. It was the Mind Movie coming alive and manifesting before our very eyes. Truly, we are what we think. We can be anything we want to be, we just have to believe it before we see it. Once we do, the world is our oyster.
Click the link below to hear David narrate this week’s blog on Spotify.