Walt Disney’s Four "It is" – Curiosity, Confidence, Courage and Constancy

There has never been anyone in the motion picture industry, or the entertainment industry in general, who has had the same impact as Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966). But what many people don’t realize is that his formula for success can be easily replicated. In fact, he gave us the keys:

“Somehow, I can’t believe there are heights a man who knows the secrets to making dreams come true can’t scale. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summed up in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage and Constancy, and the greatest of all is trust. When you believe in a thing, believe in it to the end, implicitly and unquestioningly.” -Walt Disney.

Curiosity

Curiosity keeps us moving forward, which is the crux of another Disney quote. It helps us persist when the chips are low. It transforms our perceptions of the world from negative reality to positive possibilities. Curiosity makes things possible because it negates the procrastinator in each of us. It is thrust and resistance.

Confidence

Goethe famously said that “boldness has genius, power and magic.” Trust allows us to do almost anything, especially in our relationships.

Courage

All of these C’s are intrinsically linked. Courage and trust are so intimately aligned; one does not appear without the other seems. How many times have we failed simply because of a lack of courage due to a lack of faith in ourselves and in what we are doing? Courage gives us the ability to do seemingly all things.

Constancy

There is nothing that will stand the test of time better than constancy of purpose if we are on the right path. If we are doing the right thing in the right way, we will reap at the right time if we don’t give up (see Galatians 6:9).

The Common Thread – Faith

The common thread of the four C’s is faith. Each of these words means something related to faith. The greatest expression of faith is perhaps the trust that returns us to the starting point of Disney.

We are often the only ones standing in the way of our own progress. Even when there are blocks to our goals, it is often the way we view these blocks that further limits our potential.

Resilience is the key. This is another attribute that requires a firm foundation of faith.

Copyright © 2009, SJ Wickham. All rights reserved throughout the world.