inspiration

Oct

2020

Life-Changing Lessons from Walt Disney

Reading Time: 4 minutes

If you can dream it, you can do it.
– Walt Disney

Have you ever been to any Disneyland park around the world? If you have been there, you will probably agree that there is something magical about the place. A Disney experience is such an emotional experience. It is like being in a world of imagination where everything is joyful and blissful. It magnifies all your senses. Minus the crowd and the long lines, Disneyland will make you feel like a child again, full of laughter and dreams. Disneyland truly deserves the title as the “happiest place on earth”. But did you know that everything that you see and feel in the Disney parks all started in the imagination of one man? Yes, millions of people around the world can feel and experience the Disney magic today because one man was able to dream it and visualize it. It’s all thanks to Walt Disney. Take some inspiration on some life-changing lessons from Walt Disney.

The Story of Walt Disney

Walter Elias Disney, popularly known as Walt Disney, was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of five children. At a tender age of seven, he already started working. To help his family make ends meet, he worked as a newspaper boy. While in high school, he attended the night classes of the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. At 16 years of age, he joined the American Red Cross as an ambulance driver in France, after being rejected by the army for being underage during the first World War.

After the war, he became a night watchman. While working he began drawing animals at night. Although he wanted to become an actor at first because of his love for Charlie Chaplin, he opted to become a newspaper cartoonist instead. After his own cartoon “Laugh-O-Gram” became popular, he was able to acquire his own studio that produced a seven-minute live action and animation called Alice in Cartoonland. However, the studio went bankrupt after a few years in operation.

After some time, Walt, and his brother Roy decided to move to Hollywood to start anew. There, they created a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit together with cartoonist, Ub Iwerks. They were then able to strike a deal to have their cartoons distributed. Unfortunately, the rights to their cartoons were stolen by the New York Distributor.

The Birth Of Mickey Mouse

Out of desperation, they produced a new cartoon based on a character named Mickey Mouse. The audience was not impressed but the team did not give up. On the third animated film, Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse became an instant hit!

Video Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios

In 1929, Disney introduced Mickey’s friends – Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto. In 1937, the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was shown in movie theatres. The movie earned $8 million dollars despite the Great Depression happening at that time. The film made Walt Disney a millionaire.

The Birth of Disneyland

Despite the financial success brought about by the film production company, in Walt Disney’s mind, he still envisions an imaginary world of fairy tales. Unfortunately, investors were wary. Even his brother Roy, did not support him with his new idea. Still, Walt Disney persisted. After being turned down 302 times, he finally got financing for his dream in creating the Walt Disney World.

In 1955, the first Disneyland Theme Park opened in Anaheim, California. Today, there are 14 Disney Theme Parks around the world: 2 in California, 4 Disney parks and 2 water parks in Florida, 2 in Tokyo, 2 in Paris, 1 in Hong Kong and 1 in Shanghai. As of 2018, about 726 million accumulated visitors were recorded to have visited the Disney parks since they opened.

Life-Changing Lessons from Walt Disney

Walt Disney’s life story is so inspiring that there are so many life-changing lessons the we can learn and apply in our lives:

1.Nothing is Impossible

Walt Disney grew up in poverty but this did not stopped him from reaching his dreams. If he just accepted his circumstances back then, then he would have not been able to inspire millions of people around the world today.

If you are born poor, it’s not your mistake, but if you die poor it’s your mistake.
– Bill Gates

2.Stand Up After Failure

Walt Disney did not just fail once or twice. He failed multiple times on his businesses. He also was rejected 302 times before he was able to secure funding for Disneyland. What is inspiring is how he was able to stand up despite all the failures and rejections. How about you? Did you give up the first time? The second time? How about after 50 failures and rejections? How about 100? 200? Will you be able to go on? It takes a lot of courage and perseverance to be able to do what he did.

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.
– Confucius

3. Do What You Love

One of the reasons why Walt Disney stayed motivated and did not give up was because he followed his passion. It will be very difficult to continue doing what you are doing if you do not love what you are doing. Passion is your key to success. Why do you think the likes of Bill Gates, Kobe Bryant and BTS are so successful in their own fields? What’s the rule of success that these people followed?

4. Believe in Yourself

Although the odds were not on his favor, Walt Disney believed that he can do it. During that time, the first world war had just ended. And remember that it was also the time of the Great Depression. It is quite similar to what is happening right now. People lost their jobs and the world economy was in recession. They just emerged from the flu pandemic that affected one third of the world’s population. Yet, he believed in the power of his dreams.

5. Visualization Works

Everything that you see and experience in Disneyland today started on Walt Disney’s imagination. He was able to imagine a whole new world on his mind. In fact, every man-made thing that you see around you started on one’s person’s imagination. That’s how powerful the mind is. As what Walt Disney believed, if you can see it in your mind, you can do it. Pursue your dreams and turn them into reality.

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
-Walt Disney

Updated version. First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 09.06.2018.

Feature Image by Aline Dassel from Pixabay

Sep

2020

How to Rise Above Difficult Circumstances

Reading Time: 4 minutes

You are in pain. You are having a tough time. Nothing seems to be going your way. You just want everything to end. Unfortunately, no matter how miserable you are; life will go on. If it is any consolation, think that you are not alone. All of us, at several points in our lives have to go through challenges.No one is exempted even if you are the smartest and wealthiest person in the world. That’s just the way life is. The good news is that if you feel like you have already reached the lowest point in your life, then there is nowhere to go but up. Take inspiration and some lessons on how to rise above difficult circumstances in life.

Life always waits for some crisis to occur before revealing itself at its most brilliant.
– Paulo Coelho

Low points are the turning points in life. What you make out of them will define who you are and what you will become in the future.

An Inspiring Story

Here is an inspiring story of how a woman overcame her lowest point in life. She was a wife and a mother. Her day-to-day activities revolved around her family. She was financially dependent on her husband. She was also too much emotionally invested into the relationship. Her whole world crumbled when she got separated from her husband after being together for over a decade. It was not just one aspect of her life that ended, it was practically her whole life – her relationship, her dreams, her financial support and worst of all her self-worth. It was devastating.

Today, she is an investor and an entrepreneur who manages several businesses. She employs people especially women who underwent the same experience as her. Her free time is spent helping some marginalized people in society. She is also active in her spiritual community.

It is easier to just give up. Instead, this lady fought back and rose to the challenge that life has to offer. She succeeded in making her greatest crisis as the starting point in turning her life around.

How To Rise Above Difficult Circumstances

She shared with me the steps and some lessons on how to rise above difficult circumstances in life:

1. Embrace the Negative Emotions

The first step to healing is to embrace the negative emotions. Yes, it’s okay to not be okay, at least at first. Anger, frustration, fear and helplessness are all part of life. Avoiding, denying, ignoring and keeping them inside will only make matters worse. Pain demands our attention. Whether it is a loss of a love one, the end of a relationship, business failure, or whatever painful experience it is; we need to acknowledge them first before we can move on. Avoiding these emotions in the short-term will only lead to stress and long-term pain. Escaping the negative emotions through alcohol and drugs are never a solution, it will only lead to self-destruction.

2. Acceptance

Acceptance is understanding and realizing the reality of your situation. There are just some things that are beyond your control. There is no point to continue blaming yourself or other people for the things that happened. Know that things happen for a reason.Just let go. It is difficult to understand why it had to happen to you at that particular moment but later on as you look back in life, you will understand why certain events turned out that way. Just accept the fact that there are things that we need to experience in order to grow as a person.

You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that somehow the dots will connect in your future.
– Steve Jobs

3. Self-Searching

In order to get back in track, you need to start your journey towards self-discovery. Self-discovery means finding yourself again. Meditate and ask yourself, who are you? What makes you happy? Think about your hobbies and interests. Then, ask yourself, what are you good at? Look for the genius within you. It involves recalling your childhood days and remembering past events and experiences in your life that shaped you as a person. It is about knowing who you really are and what you want to accomplish in your life.

As part of your journey in figuring out who you are and who you can be, it is important to not just look into your heart but also to include God in your journey towards self-discovery. Pray. Read God’s word. Meditate. Include God in your plans. And then, surrender.

4. Set Goals

Once you have decided what you want to do in life, it is now time to set some goals. Goals are your stepping stone towards a new version of you. Having goals will give you a sense of meaning and purpose in life. You are done crying over your past. It is now time to look at the future and plan the direction of your life. In order to succeed, you need to make SMART goals.

5. Reconnect with Friends and Make New Ones

Being alone at the beginning is necessary in your journey towards self-discovery. However, long periods of isolation is no longer healthy. Once you have set your goals, it is now time to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. There are people that you need in your life . Extend your social circle. Join support groups. Attend trainings and seminars to help you meet new people in your chosen field of interest. But remember, choose the people that you hang out with. Stay away from toxic individuals. Instead, hang out with people that will motivate you to achieve your goals for you are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.

6. Serve Others

Serving others will lead to deeper healing. When you serve others, you don’t think about our own pain. Instead, you think about other people’s situations. Once you think about the needs of others, you begin the process of healing. Thus, you end up actually helping yourself. It will also help you identify all the blessings in your life and feel grateful. The fact is even at your lowest point, there will be others who are in a worse state than you. Spending time with them will help you realize how blessed you are.

First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 10.2.2019.

Feature Image by Posted by A.L. Jonas in Emotional, 0 comments

Apr

2020

Korean Dramas About Overcoming Challenges

Reading Time: 4 minutes

These past few weeks have been very difficult for most of us because of the pandemic. It is not yet over. It may still get worse before it gets better but that is just how life is. There will always be challenges in one form or another. We go through them because challenges are important for our growth and success. What is paramount is that we overcome and we rise above the storm. It is not going to be easy but it is doable. If you are looking for some inspiration, here are some Korean Dramas with lessons about overcoming challenges in life:

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links.  We earn a small incentive at no additional cost to you when you follow the link to make a purchase. 
This will help us be able to continue creating valuable content or you.

1.Dream High (2011)

Youtube Video Source: http://KBS World

Popular among students and teens, Dream High is a school life drama about six aspiring arts students who entered a prestigious art school to pursue their dreams of becoming famous. It is a story about love, friendship, family and other issues related to school life. It also shows how the leads overcome challenges to achieve their goals.

2.Dr. Romantic Season 1 (2016) and Season 2 (2020)

Dr. Romantic is about a genius surgeon who lives his life in seclusion and works in a remote provincial hospital. He became a life mentor to young doctors who have problems in their careers and personal lives. It is an inspiring drama for those who are experiencing a slump in their careers. It shows lessons on not giving up and having the strength to move on.

3.Empress Ki (2013-2014)

Youtube Video Source: http://elen Xtz

Empress Ki is a true story of a woman from Goryeo (Korea) who was sent to the Yuan dynasty (China) as a human tribute. From a palace servant, she eventually rose to the ranks to become the last empress of the Yuan dynasty. To be able to rise from being a human tribute to becoming the most powerful woman in the Yuan dynasty is truly an inspiring story of a woman’s strength and determination.

4.Fight for My Way (2017)

Fight for My Way is about friends who started out with big dreams yet got caught up in life trying to make ends meet. It is about their journey from being miserable with their current jobs to finding their passion and fighting for their dreams. With little education and training, the way towards their goals was not easy. They had to overcome a lot of obstacles along the way. It is a good drama to watch if you want motivation to keep on going.

5.Good Doctor (2013)

Youtube Video Source: http://KBS World

Good Doctor is about a genius who suffered from autism. It is about his personal journey in overcoming his disability and his traumatic past. His father abused him and his mother abandoned him. He also suffered from bullying and hostility from others because of his disability. Yet despite all of it, he was able to rise above the storms in his life.

6.Itaewon Class (2020)

Youtube Video Source: http://Netflix Philippines

Itaewon Class is not just your typical revenge or chasing dreams story. It is actually a story of underdogs who are given second chances in life. An ex-convict, a transgender, and an orphan are just some of the characters in the story who are considered outcasts of today’s society. It tackles social issues such as gender and race discrimination and social injustices. It is a story about starting over in life amid all the adversities and taking small steps towards the achievement of goals.

7.Misaeng (2014)

Misaeng is a story about the everyday life of ordinary office workers who work at a multinational company. It talks about the realities of working in the corporate world from demanding bosses to long-work hours, incommensurate pay, power struggles and unfair practices. Misaeng is an inspiring drama to watch especially for those people who are struggling with their jobs. It is about persevering despite the hurdles in finding your own place not only in your work but life as well.

8.Search WWW (2019)

If you are looking for a story that celebrates women empowerment, independence and strength, then Search WWW is the drama for you. The story revolves around three women in their late 30s who are independent, witty, competitive and successful. It is about women being on top of their careers and their journey to attain happiness in their work, love and life.

9.She Was Pretty (2015)

Youtube Video Source: http://Dimsum Entertainment

She Was Pretty is a romantic love story about two childhood friends who met again after twenty years. The lead character who was once a beautiful girl from a rich family grew up not so pretty anymore. What’s worse, her family is now bankrupt. On the other hand, the once unattractive little boy is now a handsome and successful editor. It is a light comedy yet it has deep lessons about inner beauty and judging people based on appearances. The female lead is such a strong and inspiring character. She lives life with much courage and enthusiasm despite all the trials that she has encountered in the past.

10.Strongest Deliveryman (2017)

Strongest Deliveryman is a story about a noodle house delivery guy who later becomes the owner of his own company. The male lead is an example of a responsible and hardworking individual who remains true to his principles. It is about navigating and finding one’s purpose despite all the challenges and setbacks that life throws.

Feature Image by

Are you a Korean drama fan? Do you want to meet people who share the same interest? Join our Korean drama Facebook group.