UPDATE!!!

This post was originally written in early 2008 and was updated after he had his liver transplant in 2009. In light of Mr. Jobs passing, this YouTube video of his commencement address has gone viral – (10Million hits later). We originally shared this video when it was in the low 6 figures. I felt it was important to bring this back to the TOP of the POST pile.

If you haven’t seen this video, it’s extremely worthwhile and the words below are designed to challenge your personal reflection.

Recall Aristotle’s famous quote: “Wisdom is an equal measure of Experience plus Reflection.

E + R = W

ENJOY!

Stanford Commencement Address 2005.
Mr. Steven Jobs; Monster-Entrepreneur, Apple & Pixar CEO, Super-Hero Extraordinaire

“Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward.” ~Kierkegaard

Every time I see this speech I’m awed by the number of gems Steve shares. I find it interesting to overlay these anecdotes against the backdrop of my personal experiences. His tales of opportunity, following his heart, continuous learning, failure, humility, and of course, mortality are both profound and inspiring.

However, I ask you, “How unique are they?” Just how rare are these “coincidences?”

The question I encourage you to ask is, “where are the parallels?” Surely you recognize you don’t have to be CEO of a couple fortune 500 companies to notice that, ultimately, the song remains the same; that these synchronistic events happen daily for everyone. The real question is not, “how rare is this?” But rather, “How aware am I to the events and all the possibilities?”

Think about it. One day Jobs is walking eight miles to eat at a Hare Krishna Temple – the next, he’s revolutionizing the computing industry. A slight exaggeration perhaps. However, the point is not to be lost, those were two very real “stations” in his life separated only by awareness, purity of intent and of course time.

Enter Deepak
The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra, M.D. [excerpt]

We cannot even imagine the complex forces behind every event that occurs in our lives. There’s a conspiracy of coincidences that weaves the web of karma or destiny and creates an individual’s personal life mine, or yours. The only reason we don’t experience synchronicity in our daily lives is that we do not live from the level where it is happening. Usually we see only cause-and-effect relationships. This causes that, which causes this, which causes that — linear trajectories. Yet beneath the surface, something else is happening. Invisible to us is a whole web of connections. As it becomes apparent, we see how our intentions are woven into this web, which is much more context-bound, much more relational, much more holistic, much more nurturing than our surface experience.

Very often we fall into ruts in our lives; we maintain the same routines and act in the same manner predictably day after day after day. We set our minds on a certain course of action, and simply proceed. How can miracles happen if we march mindlessly, unthinking and unaware, through our lives? Coincidences are like road flares, calling our attention to something important in our lives, glimpses of what goes on beyond everyday distractions. We can choose to ignore those flares and hurry on, or we can pay attention to them and live out the miracle that is waiting for us.
(pages 125-126, The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, by Deepak Chopra.

Enter YOU
How can you relate to each of the lessons shared within Job’s speech? Hopefully, these questions challenge you to draw your own conclusions, to connect your own dots and ultimately TRUST what IS.

I found this exercise invaluable in helping me to keep the faith and trust – even during some extremely difficult times with my businesses. His themes; “follow your heart”, “stay hungry-stay foolish” “love what you do” and “trust” remain paramount and I’m hopeful they will continue as guideposts for as long as I live.

So, here for your entertainment, are a handful of questions designed to FREE your mind and to hopefully foster your trust… of what IS. To acknowledge that whether you know it or not, you’ve already connected a few dots

Question #1. How has chance played a role in your very existence?
When you ponder this question you literally become free. I’m sure you recognize you had no responsibility in the matter of your existence. But, how often have you considered it? It was neither your effort nor your ego which placed you “here”.

Question #2: Identify your most favored current relationship. Then ask, “How is it that I know this person?” “What events precipitated this relationship?”
How did that relationship manifest? How did you meet this person? What circumstances and coincidences played a role in the creation of that relationship? How much effort or control did you have in directly creating that relationship?

Question #3: How are you currently following your heart?
Recall, Jobs dropped out of school but not for the sake of dropping out. It was his intent to protect his parents investment and savings and so he could “drop in” on the classes that interested him the most, like calligraphy.

Question #4: How has a recent set back or failure affected your present mindset?
What was Steve’s first impulse when was fired from the very company he created? Then, what was it that kept him around and set him on a course of action and why?

Question #5: Are you able to connect the dots now?
Can you see that be looking back you’ve been the beneficiary of some fantastic, seemingly unrelated events that have brought you to your current career path or introduced you to something you are very passionate about?

Question #6: What question did Steve ask himself every morning?
What question do you ask yourself every morning? What do you choose to focus on?

Question #7: What is life’s greatest invention – it’s greatest change agent?
How much time do you think you have? How much time do you really think you need in order to make your dreams come true? Do you NOT think that SynchroDestiny (as Deepak calls it) must play a part in that vision? Particularly when you consider the meeting of two strangers is statistically incalculable
.

Enjoy.
~MWS

————
P.S: When I envisioned writing about Jobs this wasn’t the piece i had in mind. Far from it. I thought it’d be a post about the most brilliant execution of business strategy I’ve ever witnessed. Recall, his early days after being reinstated at the helm of Apple; his settlement with Microsoft to shore-up some badly needed cash then, secretly developing for the Intel platform and making the Apple OS open source. It was like watching Kasparov’s end-game. Simply brilliant. And, I haven’t even mentioned the iPod, iTunes or iPhone.

Mr. Jobs, Sir… thoughts and prayers to you and your family. We’re pulling for you and your speedy recovery.

btw: Thanks for making the world a far more creative and enjoyable place to live.

Cheers and God Bless.

~MWS

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“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” ~T.S. Eliot

It was a beautiful spring day, the sun was out, the birds were singing, squirrels were playing in the yard, and I Brian Webb a recent college graduate was deciding my future. I was at home in Maysville, Kentucky discussing what I should do with my life and what endeavors I should partake. The decisions were made that I should move to Cincinnati and live with my father and work in the IT field with his company as a mentor/internship. With my education, it was believed that I can move up to management. With that decided, I drove back to Lexington content on my decision.

“Life tends to happen when you are making plans.” I arrived at my apartment in Lexington, Kentucky and decided to lay down on the couch to take a nap. However, I couldn’t sleep, I had a strange headache coming on stronger and stronger. Bam! Bam! BAM!!! Felt like a nail was being driven in the back of my skull. The pain was excruciating! So, painful in fact that I got sick and passed out.

My brother came rushing to my side and called 911. The ambulance delivers me to the ER in a coma. End of story.

Now, this is where the adventure really begins…. Twelve years later, I discovered that I suffered an intracranial hemorrhage. A blood vessel in the back of my brain ruptured destroying the life I once knew. Doctors said that I had an Arterio-Venous Malformation or A.V.M for short. I don’t care what the doctor’s call it, but I call it a dream killer.

Tragedies happen every day, just look at the news. Being a traumatic brain injury survivor has given me a new lease on life. What I am going to share are three lessons I believe it takes to succeed.

Vision: You must know where you want to go! You must have a dream. Nothing starts without a dream. I dare you to dream! For example, I heard I should be in California since there are many great programs available to me. With that vision, I saved my money working odd dead-end jobs. At one point I was working three different jobs at once. The vision is very important for success.

Belief in yourself: You must have an innate belief in yourself. Believe in yourself and mountains will move. Always bet on the long shot and if you are the long shot then bet the farm on yourself. It is hard to go it alone, to believe that you are right. But, understand that where it MUST START (yourself). Take pride in yourself and all your successes whether small or great.

Don’t give up don’t ever give up: Babe Ruth once said, “It is hard to beat a person who never gives up.” Keep striving, keep pushing. There was a time when I could not use my legs for three months. I had to force myself out of bed and try to get my legs moving. I vividly remember waking up each morning to get in my wheelchair, wheel myself to the cafeteria for breakfast and wheeling myself back to my room where my therapist were waiting. The therapists got me out of my chair and had me walk the length of the hallway in the hospital and back. I took a step, step, step….BAM! I fell flat on my face. Step, step then BAM! I fell down again. Step, and BAM I fell down a third time. When the world tells you to give up, hope whispers try one more time. I got up and eventually made it down the length of the hallway and back. This led to me walking the perimeter of the hospital and then going back home to walk around the perimeter of the local lake. I am happy to report that I ran my 5th marathon this past spring in San Diego! It has taken twelve years to discover the new me. But never giving up has always been consistent. The idea of never quitting when the going gets tough has helped me accomplish these goals.

I have presented my own three key mindsets to accomplish any goal! The process is vision, belief, and never giving up. This experiment that I call life has been a twelve year process for me and I continue to learn more every day. I successfully moved to San Diego, CA during one of the worst recessions this country has faced. I intend to go to grad school because I have discovered what I want to do with my life which is to serve other individuals like myself by teaching them about rehabilitation and counseling programs.

Choose life, learn to live, the miracle is inside you. Stay strong, don’t quit and never, ever give up. Thank you.

~Brian Webb

—-COMMENT:

Brian, greatly appreciate your submission. Your story is truly inspiring and reminds me that when “we” think we have “problems” stories like this help snap us into a more realistic and responsible perspective! Great job!

~mws

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Rest assured, there isn’t a greater ‘end’ to consider than YOUR END- (your death/departure from this planet).

So, if it’s helpful to ‘begin with the end in mind’ for goals and projects you can bet it’s pretty darn valuable for your life.

For those who haven’t heard the story there is a terrific anecdote about Dr. Alfred Nobel. What you may not know is that while today everyone hears his name “Nobel” and thinks “Peace Prize” originally, this was far from the case.

In fact, turns out that in 1888 a French paper erroneously proclaimed “The merchant of death is now dead.” The story went on to explain that the man who invented and patented dynamite (his original claim to fame) and a faster, cheaper, quicker way to kill people died in a fatal explosion. As you might expect, a very alive and able Dr. Nobel read this account of his death and its merciless headline and was mortified by the prospect that his lifetime work and his legacy would be relegated and labeled synonymous with death and destruction. This was not the legacy the good doctor had in mind.

Turns out, after reading his own obituary he instantly knew he had to redefine just what his life was to mean; what he was to represent and how he wanted to be remembered.

Drum roll please…
So, here’s a couple KEY questions for YOU to answer…

What do you want your life to represent?

How would you like to be remembered?

Recommend you spend at least an hour and begin writing your own obituary (now). Yes, begin with the end in mind. The more time you spend, the greater the value will be and you will more clearly define what it is you’d like your life to represent. The paradox is that by focusing on what you want your absence/memory to represent the stronger your presence will gain those attributes. You can also be assured that your sense of destiny and direction will immediately improve and clarity, purpose and meaning will all be elevated by via this exercise. Write your own obituary. Several times if necessary. It may take weeks or months but the longer you can meditate on those two questions above the more power and better you will feel about yourself in the now.

Remember Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous gem, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” And, what lies within us is (or course) our imagination, our creativity. The beauty is, this becomes your CREATIVE CHOICE. This is the first “C” in your succcess and it’s tied to your ability to envision your ideal future (alive & not).

What do you want your life to represent? How would you like to be remembered?

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Brilliant. astounding, outstanding and remarkable

There aren’t enough superlatives for MAN ON WIRE!

Things have been a little busy lately – and wanting to get to this “review’ / post since I saw this movie well over a month ago! Man on Wire is incredibly entertaining movie and not just for the never-to-be-repeated, remarkable feat itself (tight-rope, in this case wire-walking from one World Trade Center tower to the other) but, also, for its direction, production, and original footage.

I happened to see this movie (wifee’s recommendation) just before the Academy Awards (no surprise it won for best documentary).  The story features Phillipe Petit and his mission to realize his life’s dream of walking a tight rope between the two world trade towers. The brilliance from a production standpoint is the reenactment is interspersed with some fantastic original footage.  But, what makes the movie truly so powerful and riveting is the UNDERLYING THEME.

We are all walking a tight rope.

The difference is easy to see though isn’t it? Some people embrace the ‘experience’ and go out of their way to, as Phillipe says, “live on the edge” and then, there is the majority – the vast majority, that cower from the edge. They seek the center, they seek “security”.

If you’ve seen my prior post on SECURITY and CERTAINTY you know my thoughts on the topic. So having said that, I wanted to call out the 9 significant take-aways, essentially, reaffirming the techniques and lessons of Philipe’s brilliant story. Reverse engineering, once again, to the rescue.

1: Desire, Dream & Visualize: Phillipe actually realized his goal the day he was in his doctor’s office waiting for his appointment. While there, he was flipping through a magazine and noticed a feature story on the world trade center – it was still the early 70’s, the towers where not even completely built! However, he knew upon seeing the vision of the towers this was his destiny. He was sucked into the event at that moment several years earlier by the VISION – the dream and his desire quickly compelled him to tear a page right out of the magazine featuring the towers.

2: Practice: Phillipe was the consummate pro – addicted to practicing his craft.There is original footage showing how often he practiced and under what circumstances – blindfolded, with people shaking the cable, etc. His daily ritual involved practice. His tight rope walking skills were masterful because of fundamental practice.

3: Plan and Strategize: To pull of something of this magnitude required considerable planning which involved a schedule; scoping the job, gaining access to the towers. A plan to get the cable from one tower to the next and of course a strategy for  “game day”.
3.a – Flexibility: With every plan you must remain FLEXIBLE. Literally, the man was a cat. One flexible dude. but this refers to his flexibility in planning, of bending but not braking. More things went wrong than right — before the plan came together.

4:  TEAMWORK: Phillipe had to enlist nearly a dozen accomplices to this “CRIME”. A few friends pulled out at the last minute – fearful they may be held accountable for the death of a friend! Without the other brave and willing friends his dream isn’t realized. TEAMWORK.

5: BELIEVE: In the man’s own words… “Impossible! Great, let’s get to work!”

6: Passion: Passion powers people through obstacles. It’s stated in The 3 C’s of Succcess a few times. Nothing worth pursuing is going to be easy. What differentiates those who succeed more often than not is passion! Passion gets you to COMPLETION (the 3rd C). Lack of passion gets you somewhere else.

7: “Death is very Close”: Often times far closer than any of us want to imagine. So, this can either terrify you or MOTIVATE you. Phillipe was motivated by death on the front (of the event) and back end (during the event).  And, his point is you are never more  ALIVE then “when death is very close” . There are many who will attest to that.

8: FOCUS: To execute such an act took laser-like focus. Guess how many times he looked down? What are you focusing on? Right now, quick question, are you focusing on the opportunities before you or the obstacles? Can you craft the obstacles to become opportunities?

9: Fun & Flare: Perhaps this is why the cops waited around to drag his ass to the looney bin. He didn’t just tight rope walk between the towers – he turned it into a PERFORMANCE. Phillipe bowed, saluted, SMILED and then decided to take a CAT nap (gives new meaning to the term) on the wire! He danced on the wire for over 40 minutes. Seriously, he executed the impossible with remarkable poise. He enjoyed the process and put on a show nearly 2000 feet above crowds and a lot of cement! Yes, I said he LAID DOWN on the wire!!?

Now that is beautiful. Scoreboard.

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1. Steve Jobs, Synchronicity, Connecting the Dots & Trust

~ John Wooden

Whether you like basketball or even know what a basketball is — chances are you will love this man! At 98, John Wooden is still regarded a quick wit and sage to many players, coaches and friends seek his friendship and counsel. To give you a little flavor, this from the same article referenced above.

“When asked about the keys to successful aging, Coach was quick to respond: stay busy, stay active, enjoy every day like it is your masterpiece, have some variety and try to learn something new every day,” Castel said. “One of Coach’s famous quotes, ‘When I am through learning, then I am through,’ illustrates his lifelong commitment to learning.

“Make everyday your masterpiece!?” I almost let the brilliance of that comment escape me. It sounds too cliché, right? “Make everyday your masterpiece.” Wow! That is super powerful. If I could only possess that type of presence, that type of awareness – to make each encounter, each moment of each day a masterpiece. In order for each day to be a masterpiece, each moment would have to be a masterpiece. By definition that is what a masterpiece is right? All pieces/component parts masterfully interwoven to produce magnificence? I ask you, just what affect would that have on my life’s outcome?
And, “Lifelong commitment to learning.” Sound familiar? Based on the above statements, I think it’s obvious why I’ve taken some time to spotlight the “Wizard of Westwood”. Certainly, a site like this, dedicated to success philosophy is going to harmonize with so many of coach’s philosophies.

Yes, the “coach” is synonymous with “Success”. In fact, you’ll recall that in “The 3 C’s of Succcess” he is referenced for his storied commitment and direct study of success as well as his 14 year refinement of his “SUCCESS PYRAMID”.

Take notice! At a relatively young age the Coach started to ASK questions — he wanted to understand SUCCESS better. In fact, he cites a story where his math teacher forced the class to consider what success meant to them. (sound familiar?) It was a profound moment in young Wooden’s life and he never forgot it. What is Success? He wondered. As a young teacher he became disillusioned by seeing the pressures and expectations certain parents put on their kids if they didn’t receive an “A” or a “B”.

Those judgments he felt were hurtful, limiting and in some cases unfair. He thought long and hard about success and what it ought to be — what the definition should be. Sound familiar? (See 3 C’s).

So, he ultimately settled on this definition believing it provides everyone equal footing. In many ways his definition is attributed to this poem which he often cites…

At God’s footstool, to confess, 
A poor soul knelt and bowed his head.
”I failed,” he cried. The master said,
”Thou didst thy best. That is success.”

Widely regarded as the best college basketball coach of all time and recently named the “Coach of the Century” by ESPN. John Wooden had a knack for cutting to the core issue, focusing on fundamentals and expertly dealing with different and difficult players – their unique personalities, star egos and all the while forging character. In short, he was a remarkable coach. His methods earned his teams unparalleled success. In 70-71,71-72 his teams went a perfect 30-0, winning back to back NCAA championships. Only a few coaches have ever had one undefeated season. In fact, during a twelve year stretch, he won an astonishing ten national championships

Here are a few quick lessons I’ve learned from his many insights:

1. Ask questions and focus upon what you want to master.
He elected to ask questions and focus on success and therefore came to know success. If you become what you think about most of the time — what better concept to focus upon, contemplate and learn about then success? He spent 14 years. YES, 14 YEARS developing a success pyramid. How many DAYS have you thought about your definition of success and its component parts?

2. Life is a TEAM Sport.
Wooden embraced diversity and worked to find all players strengths.

3. Don’t treat everyone the same.
To COACH effectively you don’t treat everyone the same. Everyone responds differently. Some require encouragement and some require increased pressure and challenge. Same goes for management.

4. Concentrate on what you can control.
Coach would never let his team’s dwell on the opposition. They remained focused on what they could control — mainly…

5. Practice Fundamentals FIRST and LAST.
He was legendary for grinding even the best players on the basics. He knew they could do fancy dunks — but could they hit a clutch free throw or bank shot when it counted? Do you know what your fundamentals are?

6. Moderate and Simplify.
Wooden exemplified this on the court and off with his simple demeanor and tremendous humility.

7. Focus on effort not the result.
Knowing that practicing fundamentals takes time, he was concerned solely with effort and commitment, understanding that success is a bi-product of said constant effort.

8. Quality Leadership and management require teaching.
Effective teaching requires coaching. Effective coaching requires caring and caring requires listening! Even today, ex-players recall his impact because he cared and took the time to listen and teach.

9. Balance is everything.
He said this often – balance in life and balance on the court. He put balance only second to LOVE. Balance is everything. “Be quick, but don’t hurry”. This, in essence, is balance; controlled action in all areas of life.

10. Love Rules.
See above. He used to say “the purpose of discipline isn’t to punish but to correct.” With love in his heart and by always seeking to measure intent and effort first, his players would quickly align with the teams goal — a national championship. They never feared or second guessed his intentions.

So, when you combine all his methods, it becomes fairly easy to see why he has been so successful on and off the basketball court.

Thank you Coach! All the best Sir! Thanks so much for your tremendous gifts — your thoughtful consideration and study of SUCCESS has no doubt made many a persons’ path more swift and assured. We are all likely to go farther faster because you have contributed so generously. We have indeed been fortunate to benefit from your wisdom.

Continued peace, health and happiness.

~MWS

Note: John Wooden passed away yesterday 6/4/10 at the age of 99. Be sure to watch this feature TED talk he gave at the age of 91 about success. RIP Coach. You’ve left us all a little wiser and we can never repay you (the way you would have wanted it- see #10 below).

TED TALK -> http://bit.ly/9ji96g (priceless wisdom coming from the Coach himself)

ESPN Glenn Liebman Fav Quotes

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“Youth is wasted on the young.”
~ George Bernard Shaw

With all the excitement about Michael Phelps in the media recently, I felt it was a good time to jump in, but not necessarily pile on. If, for some reason you haven’t heard, Phelps was photographed with his face half-way down a water pipe (bong), less than ideal if you’ve just brought back a record eight Gold medals for your country and you have endorsements that total into the multi-millions.

My take on this is fairly straightforward – one very stupid decision. Having said that, the general public has absolutely no idea how tightly wound this kid has been since a very young age. Just try to imagine the patience, discipline and focus he’s had to practice and endure for not just a few years, but the majority of his young life! He is only 23. And, while I absolutely think it was a grave mistake, I’m hopeful we all recognize he is a young man. Young people make mistakes and then hopefully learn from them.

Try to imagine you are 23 years old and on the cover of every magazine from TIME to PEOPLE – you’re a national celebrity, yet, you just want to relate to your peers WITHOUT all the hype. You want to fit-in and be like the others, without the celebrity. My guess is that was his desire in that social/party type atmosphere. Sure, the way he went about it was less than ideal, but his intentions were innocent. He certainly didn’t set out to let people down, tarnish the image of a country, or jeopardize endorsements or a swimming career.

Talent will get you to the top, but it’s character that will keep you there.”
~ John Wooden

To me, this is where his story actually becomes interesting. To see how he handles this adversity. My hope is he uses this to his advantage. He can undoubtedly use his celebrity, athleticism, endorsements AND even bad decisions and create something positive – perhaps educating kids about drug use and consequence (just throwing that out there).

Yes, the entire second chapter of “The 3 C’s of Succcess” is devoted to CHARACTER. This “event” simply underscores John Wooden’s classic quote and the incredible importance of character to attain life-long success.

I fully recognize we have to be accountable for our actions and I fully recognize to “whom much is given – much is expected.” It’s my belief however, that Michael understands this as well. He could not have come so far so fast without being of very sound character and incredibly disciplined. However, no one lives in a vacuum – this event helps to illustrate how dynamic and quickly life can change and why character and integrity require ‘right’ habits and actions on a daily basis.

The American public has always been very quick to build up its heroes and even quicker to tear them down. Can we really throw a lifetime of discipline, training and 14 gold medals away for one bad decision?

It’s a good thing Phelps has the shoulders of an Olympic swimmer; they will come in handy under the increased pressure and scrutiny that comes with being a national hero. All the best MP – I think you know where to take this from here.

Youth is indeed wasted on the young, and that is how it’s meant to be.

Peace.

~MWS

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“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.” ~ Walt Disney

Walter Elias Disney. Now there was a man who deserved a “Sir” before his name if ever there was one. A legend. Certainly, an incredible SUCCESS by anyone’s definition. You would be hard pressed to find a man who’s vision and inspiration has positively touched more lives. At this very moment, kids are skipping around and smiling the grandest of smiles because of his vision; to create “the happiest place on earth”, Disneyland.

What seemingly everyone forgets is, much like our first HERO President Lincoln, his road to such heights was extremely difficult. He had a multitude of opportunities to quit. I found it hard to believe that Walt was told he had no talent when trying to submit his cartoons to a local paper as a young man. Imagine that, the creator of the iconic Mickey Mouse character! Also, later in his career, as an entrepreneur, he suffered multiple business failures and even a bankruptcy. Bet you didn’t know that.

There are no original ideas. There are only original people.

~Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

For Mr. Disney the road to great achievement and success was paved with many hard lessons. So, while Walt’s life was indeed a challenging one, he epitomized the winning formula for SUCCCESS (The 3 C’s kind). Creativity, Character and Completion.

I think you know where this is going…

Imagine both my surprise and, I guess, honor to come across Mr. Disney’s statement about “the FOUR C’s” which reveal in his words, “the secrets of making dreams come true” for ANY man.

I ran across his quote last week and nearly fell over… here it is again. Worth a second view.

“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.” – Walt Disney

You see, after I finally completed the manuscript for “The 3 C’s of Succcess” (that’s right, THREE C’s… not FOUR) just last July AND after years of research, study, teaching and writing of this formula/philosophy) I was utterly dumbfounded to have come across his quote.

Frankly, I wasn’t sure how I ought to respond to his quote. Does this suggest there are truly no original thoughts or ideas? Does this somehow make “The 3 C’s” invalid? Or, do Walt’s comments perhaps validate “The 3 C’s of Succcess” and its “blueprint” for success as Melvin Powers called it? Well, the uncanny similarity definitely forced the issue – I had to dig deeper.

TIME TO INVESTIGATE WALT’S FOUR C’s

Disney’s first C is CURIOSITY.
I can ONLY surmise by curiosity he MEANS or at the very least intended to mean CREATIVITY. Perhaps contained within curiosity? How can I be so bold as to presume that? Simple really. Has there EVER been a more creative soul then Walt? And, if Creativity is not in his remaining other 3 C’s (it isn’t) it must be here – in this one. Are you following this? Seriously, we’re comparing “Success Theory” here! If Walt is giving us, as he said, the secret to scale any mountain and realize any dream — he must mean curiosity equals, in some form, creativity since Disneyland is one of the purest forms of inspired CREATIVITY mankind has ever seen!

His second and third C’s; Courage and Confidence.
I ask you, my friend, are those both not CHARACTER traits? So, in the interest of economy and elegance could we not just agree to character as a second C? Simplicity in any formula ought to rein supreme. Perhaps he’s trying to be laser focused on just two specific character traits, you might suggest? Well, the challenge I have with that theory is what of the other REQUIRED character traits to realize true and enduring success? In fact, the very character traits Walt himself represented; tolerance and integrity to name just a couple. Do you think Walt wouldn’t tell you personally that those are also critical to scale any mountain or realize any dream? Can we really pull the other essential character traits out of any equation that equals success? I don’t think so. By identifying and labeling only two specific character traits, Walt is essentially excluding numerous others essential qualities and traits required for success. These are all detailed in “The 3 C’s” and truly can’t be overlooked. Again, I’d humbly suggest to you it’s easier and more eloquent to simplify the equation and, in this case, go broader with Character and therefore exclude none.

Walt’s fourth C, Constancy.
By constancy I believe we can safely surmise he means both the character trait of consistency as well as persistence. Additionally, it must follow that constancy implies a sort of completion and/or finality. In other words, by simply reverse engineering his marvelous creation, Disneyland – it undoubtedly required constancy of character as well as his ability to execute, to complete his vision, to finish the job. Yes, by pulling that ‘constancy’ thread a little further I would humbly suggest to you a perfect alignment with the final C within the 3 C formula – which is Completion! Since any project or job well done requires diligence and constancy to ultimately become complete.

Final thoughts…
In the final analysis I believe Walt’s quote is a fantastic sound bite and a wonderful outline to motivate and inspire any man to realize any dream. My guess is, it already has served that purpose. Having said that, and with all due respect, it is my guess also that he did not put years of effort into refining said outline or success philosophy. That is Just a guess. However, I want to be VERY clear, I am NOT questioning his success or his magnificent impact on humanity. See my legend comment – first paragraph! In fact, I’m not even questioning Walt’s philosophy. The fact is, upon further review, his 4 C’s align very well WITHIN the context of the 3 C’s.

Perhaps, what I am suggesting is that, having now just completed “The 3 C’s of SUCCCESS” I wish Walt and I could go throw a few beers and philosophize over our collective C’s. Of course, in my vision, he’d not only agree with The 3 C philosophy but he’d provide a wonderful testimonial for the book or write even write foreword. DARE TO DREAM.

Go ahead -give it to me! 4 C’s or 3 C’s? No C’s. Two B’s. 7 Z’s.
Talk2me.

Hopefully, I’ve not made you C sick.

All the best. Cheers!

~MWS

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