I recently read a great book, How to be like Walt. It was co-written by Pat Williams, NBA General Manager of the Orlando Magic. He conducted over 1,000 interviews and is one of the foremost experts on the life of Walt Disney.
In this book, I was taken on a journey through the life of Walt Disney. He has a fascinating story that began in rural Missouri. Through all the pitfalls and setbacks, he became one of the iconic entertainment leaders in world history.
I learned about his dreams and struggles as a young boy in Kansas City. I was encouraged about his early mistakes and missteps. Walt’s vision and tenacity should be admired by all who want to change their world.
There is no way I can recap the entire book. But the book lists 16 lessons that we can all learn from various stages of Walt Disney’s life. Every one of these had vivid illustrations from his life experience.
I’m not sure if Walt was a Christian. But I do know that he had a biblical heritage and spiritual foundations. Many of his generation kept their Christianity private. But I discovered a quote he gave…
“A prayer, it seems to me, implies a promise as well as a request; at the highest level, prayer not only is a supplication for strength and guidance, but also becomes an affirmation of life and thus a reverent praise of God.” – Walt Disney
So, here are 16 lessons from the life of Walt Disney…
• Lesson 1: Live the Adventure
• Lesson 2: Be a Salesman
• Lesson 3: Dare to do the Impossible
• Lesson 4: Unleash Your Imagination
• Lesson 5: Become an Animated Leader
• Lesson 6: Take a Risk
• Lesson 7: Deal with Loss
• Lesson 8: Plus Every Experience
• Lesson 9: Be a Person of Stick-To-It-Ivity
• Lesson 10: Be a Sponge for Ideas
• Lesson 11: Ask Yourself – “How About Tomorrow”
• Lesson 12: Live for the Next Generation
• Lesson 13: Build Complementary Partnerships
• Lesson 14: Stay Focused
• Lesson 15: Accept Your Mortality
• Lesson 16: Make Family Your Top Priority
You can read some of my other posts about life lessons from others: Life Lessons from the Wizard of Oz, Life Lessons from a Bag of Skittles, Life Lessons from Charlie Brown Christmas, Life Lessons from my First Marathon, Life Lessons I learned from Soccer.