Make Up Excuses Why You CanWritten by Rachelle Disbennett-Lee
We all have excuses as to why we can't do something. Ask anyone and they can give you a million excuses why it can't be done, why they haven't moved forward on their goals, and on and on. Making up excuses takes a lot of energy and time. So since, as humans, we seem to enjoy making up excuses, I have a great idea. Let’s make up excuses why we can.Since we all are experts in making up excuses, we won't need much training in this area, just a shift of focus. Instead of focusing on what we can't do, let’s focus on what we can do. Instead of coming up with all kinds of excuses why it won't work, let’s focus on why it can work. Get idea?
| | The Lessons Walt Disney Learned Still Apply TodayWritten by Stephen Schochet
Contrary to popular belief, Walt Disney spent more time as a struggler than a success. Described at a various times as a visionary and a genius there were actually many occasions he could not foresee results of his ideas, and they nearly brought him to financial ruin. Yet lessons he learned through years are useful and timeless. 1) Ownership is key: Early in his career, Walt created a character on behalf of Universal Studios named Oswald Rabbit. When he tried to negotiate better payments for himself, Walt was informed that Universal had copyright on character and he was entitled to no compensation. From then on Walt owned everything he created. 2) Have passion for your product: Walt worked three long years on Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs which was originally budgeted at a $500,000 an extraordinary amount considering average cartoon in 1930s cost $10,000. His competitors, his wife and his brother all predicted Disney would be ruined. During filming, Walt was plagued with both health and financial problems as Snow White ran way over budget. Needing an additional half million to complete picture, he acted out story in front of a tough-minded banker and got loan he needed. The result was a classic that made $8,000,000 at a time when movie tickets cost 25 cents for adults and a dime for kids. 3) Make timeless products: Pinocchio, Fantasia and Bambi all failed in their first releases. World War II cut off international distribution. The national mood turned away from public sentiment. Disney plunged four million into debt and it looked like Bank Of America would cut off his line of credit. In a dramatic meeting, founder of bank, A.P. Giannini stood up and told board members that Disney made great movies and that war would not last forever. They voted unanimously to keep Disney afloat after old man's speech. He was proven right years later when all three films became profitable classics.
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