Have the Courage To Be Different…The Walt Disney Way

“‘Well, in order to crack the field,’ I said, ‘I’ve got to get something a little unique, you see.’ Now, they had the clown out of the inkwell who played with the live people. So [with the Alice Comedies ] I reversed it. I took the live person and put him into the cartoon field. I said, ‘That’s a new twist.’ And it sold. I was surprised myself.” Walt Disney

Early in his career, Walt Disney produced the Alice Comedies which was a series of films starring a cute little girl who would interact and experience the animated world. Well, they were a huge success.

So, what is the message for us? Have the guts to be different. To stand out in a positive way. To succeed, we must differentiate ourselves. Being the same as everyone else will never get you where you want to be in life. We must stand out and be different. Not weird, odd, or silly. But different.

Most people will never do this because they are afraid. We like to hide in the crowd. It is comforting. Disney was willing to take a risk. He didn’t know if the idea would work or if it would be a spectacular failure. You see, the road of success can be treacherous. It can be that mountain road that snakes around and around so close to the cliff’s edge. Oh, but think of the view from the top.

So, what makes you different? What are your strengths and how can you use them in a little different way just like Walt did?