~~~~Food For Thought~~~
The wisdom of Walt Disney
Somehow I cant believe there are any heights that cant be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true, Disney said. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence.
Disney spent three difficult years working on the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. No full-length animated feature had ever been done before, let alone in full color and with music. Neither his competitors nor his associates nor even his own wife believed that he could make it a success. Originally budged at $500,000, the project had gone over budget by half a million dollars in its early stages. Plagued with health problems throughout the projects life, Disney was forced to act out the films story in front of bankers in order to secure the additional loans he needed to finish it. In the end, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs went on to earn four times the box office of any other film when it was released in 1938.
It was Disneys passion for his project and determination to finish it no matter what that made it such a success. And, it was this characteristic of Disneys that he carried with him throughout his career. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably, Disney said. When we get into a new project, we believe in it all the way. We have confidence in our ability to do it right. And we work hard to do the best possible job.
Throughout Disneys career, he was constantly being challenged with setbacks, criticism and those who questioned his abilities. One of his most laughed at ideas was
Disneyland; few investors saw the financial possibilities of building a 330-acre theme park in California. Disneyland is a work of love, said Disney. We didnt go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money
we did it in the knowledge that most of the people I talked to thought it would be a financial disaster closed and forgotten within the first year. Rather, Disneyland, like all of Disneys business ventures, was a work of passion and love, the result of which was a monumental success.
When we opened Disneyland, a lot of people got the impression that it was a get-rich-quick thing, but they didnt realize that behind Disneyland was this great organization that I built here at the Studio, said Disney. And they all got into it and we were doing it because we loved to do it. Despite its success, Disney had an even harder time trying to launch Walt Disney World years later but knew enough from his past experiences not to give up.
When youre curious, you find lots of interesting things to do, Disney said. And one thing it takes to accomplish something is courage. Disney had the courage to follow his dreams. He ignored the critics and the disbelievers to become one of the most significant and successful entrepreneurs of the 20th century.
If you can dream it, you can do it.