Walt Disney the man that dreamed up Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto. He created a whole family of animated characters and went on to create incomparable family films that changed the world of cinema, and many of the principles of animation that he mastered are still being used today. Some of the greatest entertainment parks in the world carry his name.
What made Walt Disney stand out? He loved to use his imagination. Walt regularly wrote things down in a rough form that in many cases later became reality–or the genesis of some other idea.He had research to supplement his ideas, and he found new ideas through regular meditation. He cultivated his imagination by always asking questions and by brainstorming with the people around him.
Coming up with new ideas and using his imagination became a habit. He regularly fired up his mind in such a way that it produced a constant stream of ideas, thoughts , and possibilities for entertaining others.
So what was the defining factor for Walt Disney? Simple…From a young age he was always asking questions. He cultivated a strong sense of curiosity, followed his natural instincts, and worked hard. Work is an essential part of imagination, something that’s easy to see through Walt Disney’s experiences. Still another is the refusal to be defeated by what others might see as failure–something else Walt Disney demonstrated.
In the early part of his life he delivered newspapers starting at 3:30 AM.
He worked with his father in a Jelly factory–but decided to follow his dream by taking cartoon correspondence courses.
He lost everything in his early 20’s.
Suffered a nervous breakdown at 31.
He was pursuing his dream, but in order to make that dream come true, he needed capital. He went to over 300 banks and they all said, “NO”. Disgusted and depressed, he went home for lunch one day and as he sat down, his wife put a note by his plate. The note had only three words, “And Then Some”.
Give it all you’ve got and then some! So the man went out and visited his 302nd bank. Lo and behold, they said, “YES”. Walt Disney now had the capital he needed because he did all he could do…and then some!
The rest is history.
So what can you take away from Walt Disney:
Use and develop your imagination.
Be curious and ask questions.
Follow your instincts and dreams.
Work hard.
And then some.
What can you understand in your job to better your job and department?
What and why are things done a certain way and can you imagine them being better?
Come up with solutions and work hard to implement them.
Work hard and be persistent till you accomplish your dream and your inspiration.
There is plenty of room for new ideas and solutions. The best ideas, products, and services have yet to be invented.
“The greatest picture is not painted, yet”
“The greatest salesman has not sold, yet.”
“The greats movie has not been produced, yet”
“The greatest book has not been written, yet”
“The greatest technician has not teched, yet”
“The greatest secretary has not surfaced, yet”
“The greatest communicator has not communicated, yet”
“The greatest manager has not managed, yet”
Does it seem impossible that new ideas are still out there? You don’t have to look very far to see exactly what’s possible! Just when it seemed all the great ideas had been used up, along came the Star Wars movie series, straight from the imagination of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Then, when it seemed impossible to beat that, along came J.K. Rowling with Harry Potter–a book that has been read by millions and that became one of the greatest blockbusters of all time.
Look at Mark Zuckerberg. His vision–a little thing called Facebook–resulted in a social network of hundreds of millions in the first few years.
So what are you going to be….yet?
You are standing in your acres of diamonds right now.
What are you going to do?….and then some.
Imagination, Curiosity, your instincts, Believe in yourself, Dream, Work hard….and then some.
Imagine BIG things and Make BIG things happen,
sysr
Just joined this dashboard yesterday… what phenomenal positive pick-me-up culture building tool!! Love that Walt Disney story, something we can reflect on daily to make our lives and struggles seem like speed bumps. I try not to pay much attention to news, as it seems to be mostly negative, I appreciate having something positive to replace it with!
Jason
Amen to Jason’s response…there is so much negative out there and it is so refreshing to have this site for “lift me ups”!!