I recently had the opportunity to visit Disney World for the first time. Kris, my wife, and I
attended our semi-annual John Maxwell International Conference for the first part of the week, followed by a couple of days at Disney. We also had the opportunity for one of our adult children to join us as well. To top it off, we were able to go with a friend and his wife, who are more expert at the “Mouse” adventures!
The whole week was amazing! Mickey (& Minnie) Mouse are favorites of my granddaughters. The “Mouse” has created quite a following. I do not know a lot about Walt Disney, except that he had vision, talent, and a desire to achieve the impossible.
His situation leads me to think about my life, my dreams, and my vision. Maybe you have similar thoughts…
Everything you have done in life up to this point has led to what you have achieved and the life you now live.
Is this everything you ever dreamed of? If not, have you settled? It’s ok to have become an accountant instead of an NFL football player. It’s ok to be a stay-at-home mom or dad rather than the president of the United States. It’s ok to re-prioritize your life’s ambitions due to maturity and real life experiences. It’s not ok to settle because someone has told you “no.” I’ve been told “no” many times, and it is leading to some significant life changes.
I found this Winnie the Pooh quote on a T-shirt in one of the many stores, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” This is absolutely true, unless . . . . you tell yourself it is not. Henry Ford said something similar, “No matter whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you are right.”
I learned that Walt, at one of his earliest jobs, sold candy and newspapers on the train out of Kansas City. After he began creating animated films, he dreamed of heading west to Hollywood. He didn’t have enough money to get a ticket, so he would stand there at the station with tears in his eyes, dreaming of the time when he would be on that train.
I am not sure whether it’s my dreams or my obstacles that put the tears in my eyes. I don’t plan to create a theme park, but I do plan to fulfill my dream and put my values to a greater purpose. More is coming, but now is not the time.
My friends and I only had time to visit a couple parks. Magic Kingdom certainly epitomizes the Disney spirit. Walt had such a vision. A vision of a magical world. A world that also taught good messages. One show we caught was a brief story of Beauty and the Beast. In case you are not familiar with this story, here is a short synopsis: Belle, a voracious reader, and as such, is considered an unusual lady. Gaston is masculine, macho, and “all that”; therefore, he is very much into himself. Nevertheless, he thinks he deserves the prettiest girl in town, Belle. She, however, is not interested in Gaston. She is interested in people as individuals, and in treating them right. She even knows that the Beast is more bark than bite. And when the Beast is attacked, Belle is right there next to his side - giving an unconditional love that actually saves his life. Sure this makes for a great Disney fairy tale! Yet, we also know that unconditional love is real and it is possible. Unconditional love is not based on the other person earning or even deserving the treatment. Unconditional love is an action that one chooses to give because of who they are.
The choice is all mine.
I am in control of who I love unconditionally, even to the point of whether I say nice things or make judgemental comments about someone. I am not saying I am perfect, but I am saying that it is up to me to choose how to treat others both outwardly and inwardly.
I’ll admit, Walt is an inspiration to me. I dream of creating a magical world as well. Not a Disney-like world, but a world where I model that which is correct and important to me. I want to live my life as an example. Where I struggle is in doing everything that I think is important to care for the things that I have been blessed with, and to make them last. For example, I like a nice yard, but it takes a lot of time to master the weeds! We must focus on those items that are of the greatest importance. Generally, that is the people around me and building those relationships. Along the way, we equip ourselves with the “tools” and attitudes that create our magical world. Creating this magical world was never promised to be easy, but it is rewarding; and I leave you with one more of my favorite Walt Disney quotes, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
Never stop creating your impossible! I’d love to know what your “impossible” is! Set up a Discovery Session and let’s get the “im” out of the way (that makes all things “possible”).
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