The man who had one of the most fertile imaginations in history, who managed to turn his musings into a billion dollar company and whose legacy would continue to live on for decades after his death, was born Walter Elias Disney on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois.
The family quickly moved from the increasingly dangerous city of Chicago to Marceline, Missouri, where they purchased a farm.
Because he was too young to work, Disney spent most of his time on the farm playing with his four siblings and the animals. He would later reflect on this period as the best years of his life.
He created the world’s first multimedia empire and he did it by making people smile. An entrepreneur with a natural flair for animation, Disney became one of the world’s most well-known and respected entertainers, creating a company that continues to gross over $30 billion yearly.
What was the secret behind the magic?
“When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do. And one thing it takes to accomplish something is courage.
Somehow I can’t believe there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.
I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it.
When we consider a project, we really study it–not just the surface idea, but everything about it. And when we go into that 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.
Biggest problem? Well, I’d say it’s been my biggest problem all my life. MONEY. It takes a lot of money to make these dreams come true. From the very start it was a problem. Getting the money to open Disneyland. About seventeen million it took. And we had everything mortgaged including my personal insurance.
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book:Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.
This is a great article. I may have to start using the 4 c’s in my everyday life.
Wow, what an inspiring (and motivating) quote! And it is so true.
I was one of those who was talking a lot and doing nothing, and one day I reached http://www.JamesBrausch.com and one of the blog posts changed the way I do business by talking less, and doing more. (Well, actually NOT working more… but getting more results, but that is another topic.)
I hope some of the readers of this post will have a similar experience, after reading this post. The more “doers” is a good thing for this World.
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is great, as well as the content!