*Clickbait*
Yeah - I used clickbait. I love Disney but let's talk about motivation and dreaming in their movies.
No, Disney is not the worst. I enjoyed watching Disney movies growing up and they influenced me at a young age. I remember being inspired at Hercules. Although my parents were not Gods, there was something magical about watching Hercules transform into his truest self. Aladdin begins his story fighting for his life and stealing food and 90 minutes later marries a princess. The Mighty Ducks are a team of misfits and end up winning the championship. Growing up, I felt I was destined for greatness and knew I could accomplish anything with hard work. To this day, I enjoy watching Disney movies with my wife.
Well, I worked hard over the last two decades and I'm happy where I am now. However, I've learned some lessons along the way that make me feel the wisdom shared by Walt Disney may not be wholly applicable to certain situations. I've learned that I coexist as a cynic and optimist - let's find out why.
"When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you"
Disney loves dreaming & I love dreaming. At the end of the day, I want more people to dream. Please dream more. Dreaming should lead to more creativity, change, and, hopefully, a better world. However, Disney doesn't have the same invigorating quality to me as it did when I was younger. Perhaps the world has taken the child out of me. Maybe, it's the countless hours spent watching cynical TV. I struggle with Disney's portrayal of the dream being the only part of the story.
"If you can dream it, you can do it." - Walt Disney
The sentence above challenges me. On one hand, I love the interpretation that if you can visualize an idea, you likely could visualize the process and follow all the steps to realize your dream. I follow this line of thinking and try to encourage this to my friends and students. On the other hand, how much does seeing or dreaming affect your realization of your dream? I'm curious, does this inspire you? I love and appreciate this quote from Disney more: All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. It's less rosy, less applicable to kids, and talks about work. No wonder he didn't encourage someone to incorporate this in a song.
My motivation does come primarily from a dream that I've had for years. I picture it most nights before I go to bed. However, I love this statement from General Colin Powell: A dream doesn't become reality by magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work. Even typing that last sentence gave me goosebumps! What motivates you is different for every person. My less rosy connection with Disney's idea of dreams doesn't mean I think Disney is the worst. However, I want to encourage you to find what does motivate you.
When was the last time you wrote down what energizes you? What gets you excited to complete a task or take on a challenge? Write down five things and share them if you want. I'll share mine below. Let's get motivated together & we'll talk next week.
1) The idea that anyone out there could be working harder than me
2) People have doubted my dreams & I'm going to prove them wrong
3) Trying to recreate magical musical moments
4) I have more to learn
5) Family