Where’d You Grow Wednesday?
March 28, 2012
I grew to think of Walt Disney as an awe-inspiring farmer.
The Big Picture
Walt Disney was a man of vision. He had imagination, creativity, and guts. But what he had most of all was BELIEF.
He believed that progress was not only possible…it was happening. He believed lakes could exist where the ground was dry and a magical city could be built…straight from imagination. He believed in the power of people. And he believed in the world that finally emerged in Orlando, Florida.
Just because he didn’t see it all happen before he died, didn’t change his belief that it was possible.
There is a lot to learn from someone like Walt Disney.
In the Magic Kingdom, it is hard not to be blown away by his legacy. The mouse for sure, but then everything that comes with him. There are quotes scattered on walls throughout the park and…Walt is there. He’s in the magic of the kingdom and the innovation of Epcot.
He knew it would keep growing long after he had gone. He said:
Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.
That’s what I took away from our time in those parks. There were the family memories for sure, but I couldn’t help thinking about how grand Walt’s plan was from the beginning, and how amazing it is that the tens of thousands of people who work to make that dream a reality hold the same beliefs he did. It’s not about the money that place makes (which is almost unfathomable) but it’s more about the experience it creates. It’s inspiring…and on a bigger scale than any other man-made place I’ve ever seen.
The Really Big Picture
As part of our week in Florida, we attended mass at a little Catholic church called
St. Faustina. The Haitian priest started his homily telling the older congregation that he was going to talk about dying. I was impressed by his comfort, and I was enthralled with his delivery.
“Wheat cannot produce unless it dies,” he said.
He was referring to the verse in John;
Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. (John 12: 23-24)
It was impossible for me not to think about Walt Disney.
It got me thinking about my own compulsion to create for the here and now. It’s how we’re supposed to think, right? We are only relevant if people know about us now…if our creations are important TODAY.
But what about a legacy? What about dying to self so that we can help others? Lots of others…for a really long time? What about a vision that is too big to be completed in one lifetime, but that is rooted in love and belief at such a level that it will exist… and fluorish… long after we’re gone.
Does anyone think like that anymore?
Well, I want to start.
Maybe we can all find motivation in the magic of fireworks… and by two more quotes of Walt Disney:
When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.
AND
I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.
Well, Walt, I was thoroughly entertained, and you taught me plenty. Your dreams have come true. Your wheat has provided nourishment 100-times over, and we would all be lucky to have an opportunity to pursue such passion in our lives.
I feel as though I am safely tucked in my hull, and I want to do whatever I need to do to start the germinating process for that next crop to be harvested.
Where are you in the growing process? Have you shed the hull and found a way to “die” to produce much fruit?
If you are growing, I’d love to hear about the ways you choose to grow.
Happy Growing!
Copyright 2012 Meagan Frank Choosing to Grow
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Meagan Frank 
I remember back in my hospitality management days, using a training video about Disney and there was an aspect of the Walt Disney experience that has stayed with me forwever: everyone played a part in Walt’s dream… right down the the street sweepers that kept the parks so clean. No one was allowed to be ‘out of character’ until behind the scenes (i.e. off duty and out of sight). I have no idea what they’re pay, benefits, or rewards are like but to have everyone on board with this ‘character’ thing… truly magical!
That’s right! Yes, all the employees are called Cast members…no matter what their role in the park. I don’t know the entire package of pay and benefits, but I met two retired cast members (one in maintenance and the other in the 400-person call center) who worked for Disney 15 and 13 years respectively. You have to imagine they were satisfied with their jobs…plus, they have annual passes to the park for life now. Brilliant business plan! MMF