Researching Walt

12:50 AM...WIDE AWAKE!!!!! Like Bon, I'm a total night owl. I love the quietness of night, the lack of distraction.

Picture from here

I have used this evening to catch up on some reading. As the description of me in the "About Me" section states, I am a lover of Disney. I hold the upmost respect for Mr. Walt Disney and his imagniative masterpieces. I like to say that Walt and his team created pieces of art that would make people smile, perhaps shed a tear, but most importantly, that would leave them feeling right with the world, and perhaps, right with God.

I have been reading a fantastic book about Mr. Disney entitled How to Be Like Walt by Pat Williams. It is incredible!!

The character trait that I have discovered I admire most in Mr. Disney is his ability to see potential in people, even those who didn't see potential in themselves. As I was reading Pat Williams' book this evening, quote after quote jumped off the page from people who worked directly with Mr. Disney recounting the exact attribute I had found so extraordinary in this brilliant leader. It was amazing...that feeling that the one thing you noted about someone you've never met before was noted by countless other people as well! I'm discovering so many new things about Mr. Disney. Each time I read something new, my respect soars higher and higher for him. That's the kind of legacy I want to leave behind...that's the kind of legacy we all we're created to leave behind....Bravo Walt!!!

Here are just a few quotes I read tonight that I highlighted immediately! They're beautiful!!-liz

John Kimball, son of Disney animator Ward Kimball, and Disney employee:
"Walt could talk to artists and get their juices flowing so that they could produce beyond their capabilities. He would have some wildly impossible idea, and he'd tell and artist, 'I know you can do it. Take this project and get it done.' And the artist would think, 'I never dreamed I could do something like that, but if Walt says I can do it, maybe I can. And usually, Walt turned out to be right. He inspired people to do the impossible, and he did it just by talking to people."

Tony Baxter, senior vice president of Creative Development at Walt Disney Imagineering
"That's why the things Walt accomplished are bigger than life. He could take these creative geniuses, all brilliant in their own way, and get them to fly in formation. With his ability to communicate and inspire, Walt orchestrated hundreds of creative talents to achieve something beautiful and lasting. And no one ever felt used by Walt-they felt honored to have a part in realizing his vision." Tony Baxter

Richard Sherman, composer for Disney films such as Mary Poppins and Happiest Millionaire; worked alongside his brother Robert:
"Walt had a way of communicating that was just magical. Simple, but magical. He would give you a challenge and say, 'I know you can do this.' He made you believe anything was possible. He made you proud to be on his team. And it really was a team effort-Walt would roll up his sleeves and go to work alongside the rest of us. He saw potential in people who had never really done anything great. My brother Robert and I really had no track record in the music industry, but Walt heard a few of our songs, and he gave us an opportunity and inspired us to keep topping ourselves. Without Walt to inspire us, I don't know where we'd be today. Walt always wanted you to find something wonderful in yourself, to believe in it and consider it God's gift to you. God gives you the gift, and the rest is up to you. Walt taught me that what you do with that gift is your gift back to God."

Picture from here