The Disney Channel has launched and it looks pretty amazing!  You may be questioning why this would feature in my blog? Well, for one, many of us reading this are either mummies or caregivers. This generally (to spell it out) means there are children in the mix, and Disney never seems far removed from the playground whether it is a show they are watching or a t-shirt they are wearing with a Disney character on it or a themed party someone is throwing. Disney is massive! Which is what inspired me.  

I am going to admit it upfront. I am a huge Disney fan. I have been to Disneyland many times and I plan to go back many more. It is just something I love, I guess because it wasn’t something I was able to experience as a little girl. But I am also fascinated by the magnitude of Disney and it’s popularity. It isn’t just a fun park, it is not just a cartoon about a mouse, it is movies, cruise ships, merchandise.. and the largest entertainment empire in the world. 

There were some major fails along the way though. Walt himself hit rock bottom quite a few times before making it big. He is quite well known for being fired from a newspaper company for having ‘no new ideas’. He also set up various companies and a studio which ended up closing because they were not profitable. Walt and his brother then formed Walt Disney Studio, a name we all know but this, again, almost came to nothing. They were hired to produce an animated character for Universal Pictures. This obviously went well but resulted in Universal hiring every employer on the Walt Disney team leaving Walt and his brother with no animators most likely employed to do the same kind of work for a better price. They were in debt and without jobs as a result of being let down by people they trusted.  

Most of us would have given up by then. But this is where the vision grew, and Mickey was born. Walt decided he wanted to produce films himself, selling them directly to companies rather than being hired to produce the visuals for someone else’s vision. Once again there was a failure at the start with the first two films sinking. But the third is where the vision finally caught some wind.   

There are many other pieces to the puzzle and some very smart people behind how and why Disney is what it is today. But this was all formed out of total tenacity and a refusal to give up.  

Many of us, with the end of the year coming up and increasing load of work (or lack of work) are feeling like giving up. But maybe it is just a little change of direction you need or a new idea. Or perhaps it is just a pat on the back or a ‘well done’, ‘you are doing a great job and you are getting there!’ Whatever it is don’t give up. There may be an answer, or a kind word or praise just around the corner. It ain’t going to be easy but the lows and the failures will make you stronger, and one day will make a great story. But whatever place you are in, you are doing a great job!