Tag: Walt Disney

Five A Day Blogger Explosion

To Serve, To Strive, and not To Yield
To Serve, To Strive, and not To Yield

In March 2009, just ten short months ago, I made a promise – a 100-day challenge.

Have you ever made important promises, big promises, promises that you could almost taste the life-changing benefits?

Some call it dreaming big dreams.  Walt Disney, one of my heroes, was like that. But Walt Disney also had something different.

He had drive. And Walt Disney did what he set out to do. And Walt turned a deaf ear to the multitudes who called him crazy.

Walt Disney did things others said were impossible. When I set out to write five daily blogs for 100 days, not even I could imagine what it’s turned into.

Here we are, not 50 blog posts later, not 100, not 500 blog posts later, not 1,000 either, but over 1,500 blog posts – in ten short months.

It is quite literally a Five-A-Day Blogger explosion.

PS.  Who would you rather listen to:

  1. A big-time dreamer?
  2. A big-time dreamer and a big-time doer?

Audacious, antagonistic, insightful, servant.

A Brand Called You

Icons Help Shape A Brand
Icons Help Shape A Brand

Who needs me to draw a map?

No seriously, I hope you’re getting this.  Hey, everyone is busy. You don’t think I know that?  Come on, I get it.

But do others get it?  There is never going to be a time when you will have time. It hurts to hear this, doesn’t it?

So now is the time.  And this is the place for simple, daily reflections on excellence. It has to be a daily habit, or it will never be excellent.

You can be very good, without a daily habit, but not excellent.

My whole point last week, spontaneously inspired by a ten-minute walk outside that Dallas hotel, was what Tom Peters calls: “A Brand Called You”. Others call it ,  “Me Inc”.

Don’t believe me?  Then click here to read an August 2007 Fast Company article from Tom Peters entitled, A Brand Called You.

jungle jeff Vacation

jungle jeff on Vacation
jungle jeff on Vacation

Woo-hoo!  jungle jeff is on vacation!

Now I can really get some work done.  Here’s my list:

  1. Slow down

Will let you know how this goes.  Carpe diem.

Walt Disney Died December 15

It was, and still is, a sad day for many people, December 15, 1966.

For it was on this day in history that Walt Disney died.

Being born in 1959, I was old enough to remember watching Walt Disney on Sunday nights, as he came into the living rooms of Americans across the country.

He made such an impression on me that I eventually found my way to Disneyland as a 12-year old Guest.

And years later, while attending a Pennsylvania College, I spent a winter semester (1982) as a Magic Kingdon Adventureland Jungle Cruise skipper, jungle jeff.

There’s more, much more, about this Disney story, but it’s a tale for another time.

Have a Magical Day everyone.  Signing off from Orlando, Florida and living right next to the Walt Disney World Resort,  jungle jeff  🙂

PS. We miss you Walt.

PS.  This is a “bonus” post today.  Today’s main post is next, please scroll down if you’d like to read it.

One Simple Tip to Avoid Waiting

Want a tip to help you resist the urge to wait? In a moment, I’ll share what happened last month, what I did about it, and how it impacted my leadership philosophy.

But it’s a double edge sword isn’t it?  If consistency is the hallmark of quality, and continuous improvement is the key to becoming world class, how do you balance risk and reward?

Faced with a opportunity to do something the way I’ve always done it, or a way I’ve been dreaming about but always chicken out, I was once again presented the opportunity, but was afraid I’d pass on it again.

But not this time.  Finally choose the way I had envisioned.

It was amazingly exhilarating!  Why?  Which is a good question because the thing I did differently, was actually very small in the big scheme of things.

Then why was it exhilarating?  Because conquering a small fear builds the confidence to conquer another small fear.

Eventually, the fears that get conquered are bigger and bigger, until we are faced with very little fear that we can’t act on.

Well, we will always come across scary things, but the confidence to confront and conquer is a priceless ROI for small risk taking habit.

The key, the simple tip – “Do at least one thing each day that scares you.”