Making Reality A Little Better

Walt Disney is one of my favorite characters of history. But there’s something that stuck with me about his life more than anything else.

I’m listening to the great “The Rest Is History” podcast. Instead of Genghis Khan or Caesar Augustus, their newest episode is about the master of imagination, Walt Disney.

They’re talking about Walt’s life. Not many people know this, but Walt Disney served in World War 1 as a volunteer Red Cross ambulance driver in France. The first signs of his love for attractions can be seen there: instead of cartoons, he starts creating props by gathering old German army helmets.

That’s when the Rest Is History guys say this one phrase I can’t get out of my head since:

“…In a way, what he's [Walt Disney] doing there is he's improving reality.”

What a great reframing.

Instead of reducing Walt Disney to a storyteller or entrepreneur, he was someone who made reality a little bit better when he found it. The other two are titles which could mean anything, while the latter is what he actually did.

Best case scenario, that’s what entrepreneurs (and of course other professions) should always do – with human welfare as its maxim. It also makes sense financially. A product or service will be much more successful if you change reality for the better for a lot of people. Also, what else is there to do, really?

I believe most people have the wish to make the world a better place. Yet I’m also certain wanting to change the world is the wrong place to start.

It’s alluring wanting to improve the world as a whole. But that’s like wanting to leap to the moon without ever having taken a first step.

Before you start changing the world, begin with improving reality around you.

And the launch pad for this endeavor is none other than the person staring back at you in the mirror.

Improving yourself is getting closer to the ideal version of yourself. The version that reached its full potential.

Yet how does this help us improving reality as a whole?

This is the phenomenal part: by improving yourself, the chances of your surroundings flourishing increase manyfold.

This is the ripple effect in action, imagine the following scenario:

You’re usually grumpy in the morning, getting up late. But because you’re trying to better yourself, you get up early and work out. Working out early in the morning boosts mood throughout the day. Right after your run, your phone rings: it’s your mom. She knows you don’t like talking in the morning, then why does she call you so early? But the elevated mood of your workout shows its effect. You pick up the phone, being in a great mood. Your positive attitude spills over to your mom, who goes to work with a smile on her face. Your mom’s colleagues are infected by the warm smile. What a great day to be at the office! The mood booster lasts throughout the day. They even take it home with them, spending a beautiful evening with their families.

And so on.

You might think this is a naive way of looking at the world, but I stand my ground. More often than not, this will be the case.

Thus, by making the first improvement on yourself, you’re not just getting closer to your ideal self. It spills over into the reality of others, making it a better place to live in.

Life on this planet is brief. I think there are worse endeavors than making reality a little bit better as you found it.

That’s why I urge you: make reality a little better than before. Even if it’s just your own.