New Year’s Resolutions. We all make them. To lose more weight. To be a better person. To volunteer more.
We throw everything including the kitchen sink, into our New Year’s resolutions. The words come out of your mouth on January 1st and January 2nd, we have a list of items written in stone but not the resolve. So instead, why not try to embrace some important life lessons from Walt Disney to help make your 2012 a great one:
Always be imaginative in everything you do:
"I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination." —Walt Disney
People assume that imagination belongs to artists and Hollywood movie stars. However, every day, people who are not movie stars or Disney Imaginners’, use their imagination to help make sense of the world. How? Take a look:
· Imagination is key to learning: School teachers across the country spend a great deal of time reviewing curricula, studying dry facts and trying to figure out how to make it come alive for students. Teachers use their imagination to turn these dry facts of history or the mundane knowledge of mathematics to weave tales that help students understand the accomplishments of the scientific world, the importance of mathematics in everyday life, or the historical accomplishments that have shaped the world.
· Imagination is key to understanding: It is not easy to look at an empty room, see how the contents are placed and determine what happened. Nor is it easy when talking with someone to determine their motives, however, we have learned from various sources from Sherlock Holmes, to Edgar Allen Poe, to the various Crime Scene Investigation teams around the country that those in law enforcement study a crime scene and then use their imagination to understand the motivations of different suspects to crack a case.
· Imagination makes eating fun! Enjoy those wonderful dishes at Kona Café or Boma? A Chef uses his imagination like a scientist, mixing flavors and tastes to develop that wonderful palate you get to enjoy when visiting the Walt Disney Resort.
Get Better Every Day:
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." —Walt Disney
Generations of new workers no longer look at careers the same way people had in the past. The way we look at our careers has changed. A career is no longer based on being a type of vocation as it now is more of a role that matches your personality, interests and passions. Many new workers are interested in doing something, than being “someone.” Many people are beginning to figure out how to spend more time doing what they love and not wanting to spend time do work that does not fulfill them in some way and helps them realize their own personal definition of success.
Critics are just as important as Mentors:
"You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." —Walt Disney
Everyone tells you that having a mentor is very important in your growth and development, personally and professionally. However, no one really tells you just how important the critic is. When you screw up and no one is around to tell you to argue that what you are doing is wrong, now, that is a bad place to be. People have dreams and ideas, and critics help you – they prod you and ask tough questions and challenge your vision. And you need that in life. It helps give you perspective and helps sharpen your thinking to find ways to improve upon or better implement your vision.
Always remember that there is still much more to learn:
"When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do. And one thing it takes to accomplish something is courage." —Walt Disney
The biggest lesson Walt Disney put on the screen can be found in the film Fantasia, which contains the piece “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” where Mickey Mouse plays an apprentice anxious to use the magic he has seen the Sorcerer perform. When it becomes clear he is not prepared and does not how to control the power, needs the steady hand of experience to save the day. The lesson is clear: There is always more to learn, and the more you learn and get become better at it, the better you will be. Luck is when preparation meets an opportunity. The more we learn the better prepared we can be to one day wear the sorcerer’s hat.
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