Posts by Pat:
Disney-smart or stupid?
A maverick writer, James Altucher who coined the 5 x 5 Rule said that Walt Disney was the “stupidest person in the room.” (or, maybe turned out to be the smartest in the room!)
Why?
Because he was smart enough to stand next to his brother Roy (who kept Walt positive after their first business went bankrupt).
He also stood next to Ub Iwerks (who drew that rodent for Walt).
He also stood next to Margaret Winkler (the first person to buy a Disney film: Alice in Wonderland), and Lillian Bounds (who not only named that little rat Mickey Mouse, but then married Walt).
You’d think this is all Walt needed. Four people. Now he was drawing and selling movies.
But Walt Disney was not in the movie business!
The movies were barely breaking even and it was the middle of The Great Depression.
He then stood next to the smartest person in the room. A guy named Kay Kamen who took a two day bus ride just to talk to Walt when he first saw Mickey Mouse.
Because the Walt Disney company was not in the movie business, or story business, or theme park business.
Kay convinced Walt what business he was really in.
It was in the wrist watch business. In 1935, not even breaking even from movies, they sold 2 million watches.
Kay convinced him to make watches. And toothbrushes. And blankets.
Because movies are not about stories. Movies are giant focus groups to see what products will sell!
And because Walt Disney stood next to the smartest person in the room.
Walt Disney didn’t just sit around reading comic books and fantasies. He was inspired to do something by the smartest folks in the room.
Well, who knew?
Disney created what is now the most successful media empire ever because of who he stood next to and how it inspired him to do something.
So…who are YOU standing next to?
The 5 Chimps Theory
There’s a theory called “the five chimps theory” shared by Naval Ravikant, Silicon Valley tycoon, in his book Tools of Titans: In zoology, you can predict the mood and behavior patterns of any chimp by which five chimps they hang out with the most. And I believe we see it in our own (non-chimp?) lives! As Jim […]
a fun story!
Here’s a fun story for you to follow last week’s post on four letter words! “A young couple got married and left on their honeymoon. When they got back, the bride immediately called her mother. ‘Well,’ said her mother, ‘so, how was the honeymoon?’ ‘Oh, mama,” she replied, ‘the honeymoon was wonderful! So romantic…’ Suddenly […]
Word Play!
The words we choose to use we often choose unthinkingly. Here’s a game to take control of that! Using the infamous four letter words association, make a better list of all the positive four letter words you can think of. As you do that you’ll discover some words are neither negative nor positive, but seem neutral. So then you have […]
There’s no substitute for doing it…
We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way. A child works hard to do something he’s never done before. He’s just turned one and he doesn’t know how to walk (yet). There are no really useful books or videos on how to walk. It’s something he has to figure out on […]
Sticks and stones…
The power in our words is often underestimated. We need to discount that old adage that says “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We all have been hurt by the words of others, be they parents, partners, teachers, bosses, friends. And we all have hurt someone else, even our loved ones, by […]
What is a Dad?
What is a Dad? A dad is someone who wants to catch you before you fall but instead picks you up, brushes you off, and lets you try again. A dad is someone who wants to keep you from making mistakes but instead lets you find your own way, even though his heart breaks in […]
Any rocks in your path?
Do you know this story? Once there was a very wise king who spared no effort to teach his people good habits of being industrious and careful. He felt that nothing good can come to a nation whose people complain and expect others to fix their problems for them. One night while everyone else slept, he […]
7 truisms to chuckle over!
Some stuff that’s true is also funny. Here are seven thoughts for you to mull over! Do you have a favorite to add to this list?
Two “easies”
One of the simple philosophical principles in life is: Easy to do is also easy NOT to do! It’s super easy to turn off the computer and the phone when I want some thinking time. It’s not particularly hard to reach out and unplug. Doing that is SUPER easy. But…it’s also REALLY easy not to […]