Modern Cotton: when you wish upon a star

"Think beyond your lifetime,

if you want to do something truly great.

A fifty-year master plan will change

how you look at the opportunities in the present."

-Walt Disney

[mr. walt disney himself]

Preparing for Blume and finishing up my internship, I have been thinking about Disney a lot lately. Partially because Blume is at Disney World this year and partially because I'm reading How to Be Like Walt for my final book report. I'm sure everyone's familiar with how amazingly awesome this guy was, but few realize the grit behind the glam and glitter. This book is soo00o cool and extremely inspirational.

Bet most of you didn't know that Walt didn't actually animate most of the characters he's famous for, did ya? This fun piece of trivia isn't meant to burst anyone's bubble, but rather, to prove a point. You don't have to be the best at something to leave your mark. Walt had a vision; he built a team of talented individuals that believed in his dream enough to make it come to life. He was a perfectionist, a dreamer and a doer. He had more than his fair share of hard knocks, but he believed that his past did not determine his future. He remained an eternal optimist and refused to settle for less than what he knew was possible.

"Though Walt envisioned Walt Disney World in Florida, he died before it was built. On opening day in 1971, almost 5 years after his death, someone commented to Mike Vance, creative director of Walt Disney Studios, 'Isn't it too bad Walt Disney didn't live to see this?'

'He did see it,' Vance replied simply. 'That's why it's here.'" -How to Be Like Walt

wow. starting to get it now? There is a reason this guy was so famous-- he had the ability to tap into his inner child, something we all still wish we could do. I'm reminded of a quote from one of my all-time favorite movies, Now and Then: "It's not that we don't want to believe. It's that too much has happened and we can't." This is how grown-ups live their lives, jaded by past experiences and heartache.

BUT: "Nothing that is worthwhile comes easy. Walt didn't care about what was safe, sensible, respectable. He didn't care about past failures or being flat broke. For Walt, anything was possible."

Another fun fact about Walt is that Mickey Mouse wasn't his first choice for a star. He had dreamed up "Oswald the Rabbit" and was almost ready to launch him when a business deal went sour and his business partner stole the idea out from under him. Instead of getting even, Walt did what he did best and got creative. He invented Mickey and the rest is history. "If Walt hadn't lost Oswald, we never would have heard of Mickey Mouse--and Walt Disney might never have become a household name." SO, instead of sulking over the one that got away, count your blessings, and remember, it might have just freed you up for something better in the future.

"Walt always wanted you to find something wonderful in yourself, to believe in it and consider it God's gift to you. God gives you the gift, and the rest is up to you. Walt taught me that what you do with that gift is your gift back to God." -former Disney Studios employee