The 2017 Challenge
Entry posted by JoshC.
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Parks in the UK have been subject to much scrutiny over the past couple of years. In fairness, a lot of the scrutiny and negativity that the parks receive is justified; there are things which do happen which shouldn't happen. And when we compare to our European cousins or American brothers, it does seem like UK parks aren't up to scratch. But at the same time, there is an awful lot of nitpicking that goes on at times.
However, despite this overwhelming negativity, a large majority of us continue to visit our home parks multiple times year-in-year-out. Why that is will no doubt vary for every person. But one thing is almost certain - if we're visiting so often, they've got to be doing something right, surely?
So if you end up making multiple visits to a park this year, maybe even finding yourself in a rut, set yourself a little challenge: Try and notice some new-to-you positive each time you visit. I'm not saying this positive has to be a new thing the park have done, like painting or fixing something (though it can be!), but just a new thing you've personally noticed. Maybe you hear a piece of audio you never noticed before, see a subtle piece of theming tucked away, try something new to eat, some new foliage that's been planted. It could be the tiniest of things. But just try and notice something.
Then maybe, just maybe, you might find yourself enjoying the parks a bit more. You might realise that everything isn't as bad as you originally thought. You might remember what it was like to visit for the first time, and just how awesome some things are. And then you won't be blindly visiting the same park over and over again, but actually visiting because you want to go, want to explore and want to immerse yourself. And that might give the extra incentive to visit a new park, go exploring, go on an adventure, to truly recapture that buzz.
Of course, don't overlook the negatives. Don't be afraid to think 'This is naff' or 'Why have that changed this?' as well. Not everything is going to be perfect. Just don't forget to look out for the positives too, and if you really can't find any, then maybe you've finished exploring that park, and you truly have to wonder why you're visiting at all.
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