Tag: Walt Disney

St Thomas Aquinas Said….

St Thomas Aquinas said….:

“We must love them both – those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject.  For both have labored in search for truth, and both have helped us in the finding of it”.

Great quote. Great thought.  Great perspective.

To a point, then I must agree to disagree.

Following the status quo, or “That’s the way we’ve always done it”, doesn’t seem to require as much laboring as does challenging the status quo.

Challenging the status quo is a lonely place.  A very lonely place.

Take exercise.  And to my dismay, we don’t see pictures of or hear stories of Walt Disney making exercise a priority. Sure, he played polo as far as we know.

However, Disney has taught me to eat, drink, sleep and breath excellence. Take Alfred Prokschin.  At age 100, he won a Gold medal two weeks ago at the WMA Masters Tarck & Field World Championships in Lahti, Finland:

If not you, who? If not today, when?  Carpe diem, jungle jeff 🙂

Apple Computer Ad 1997

What was an Apple Computer ad like, a dozen years ago?

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes – the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing that you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things.”  — Apple Computer ad, 1997

Anyone in advertising will tell you, “An ad should make you think”!

By the way, after all these years, Apple still only has roughly 6-7% market share for computers.  They dominate music players with their iPod products.  Their iPhone product is arguably the best phone on planet earth.

And the answer to my infamous, “So what”?

If you can’t see this coming, maybe you should think about getting your eyes checked.  If I was a PC, I’d be seriously concerned.

Napster completely destroyed the Music industry’s financial paradigm. Digital media completely destroyed film cameras.  Apple, and their ability to change the status quo paradigm should be keeping the PC world up at night.

Why do you think I just bought my second Macbook Pro in less than four months?  Why do you think I just bought an iPhone?

Heck yes, it’s a very expensive investment.  And that’s another gem I’ve learned from Disney.  Invest in the best.  Why do you think Bob Iger got the Pixar deal done?

Carpe diem, jungle jeff noel 🙂

jungle jeff Double Shot Sunday

jungle jeff Double Shot Sunday.  This is jungle jeff’s second post today on this particular blog, and sixth post overall today.  Google is your friend….

Thanks to Richard Fernandez, a new friend on Twitter, he posted this Chinese Proverb.

Talk about timing.  It’s a brilliant proverb.

So when you are frustrated that others think what you do doesn’t matter, or that people think you’re nuts because you think differently, remember this:

“A Man Who Says It Cannot Be Done, Should Not Interrupt The Man Doing It” – Chinese Proverb

Go for it.  Be strong.  Live strong.  Take the hill!

Carpe diem, jungle jeff noel  🙂

If you want, follow me on Twitter @jeffnoeldisney

Turn The Page

Effective August 1, 2009, I tweaked jungle jeff’s focus.

Jungle Jeff began over 200 posts ago, with a single. solitary purpose – to drive hopeful business professionals to Disney Institute’s website.

jungle jeff has always been my personal site.  From day one, key people appreciated the transparency.

Working desperately hard, jungle jeff became an informal and organic place to create interest in Disney Institute.

I kept my big ideas and big goals in check.  Yet still managed to have great fun – the way Walt Disney himself would have exuded a childlike excitement about pushing the boundaries to traditional methods.

When I started, there were few, if any, rules written about corporate social media policy, and jungle jeff began, and operated for many months without official policy or guidelines.

Along the way, very few invisible lines were crossed, and with eager adaptation, jungle jeff kept going. All in the name of progress and the pursuit of something Walt Disney made famous – excellence.

Progress, pursuing excellence, and staying ahead of competition in these tough economic times does not come risk free.

It’s been the equivalent, for me, to getting an MBA.  World class effort, time and worry invested that will always remain invisible.  It’s the price that had to be paid.

Thank you to the people who believed in this idea, and provided feedback and support.

While I will no longer talk directly about Disney Institute, I will continue to share valuable insights on how Walt Disney, the man, and a hero, has made me a better person.

And who doesn’t want to be a better person?  Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

Excellence Is Not A Risk Free Journey

Excellence is not a risk free journey.  Nor is excellence guaranteed, even if you work desperately hard.

I know first hand.

And what I have learned, and in many cases, relearned, is that the road to excellence has no finish line.

We are never at a place where we are finished.

These are lessons Walt Disney learned and worked to his advantage.

Now, I’m teaching our son the key insights of a brilliant man – Walt Disney.

Walt Disney’s ideology taught me how to go from one push up a day ten years ago to the 2009 WMA Masters Track and Field World Championships last week.

My son has seen me apply so many Disney strategies to getting and staying healthy, that he is also inspired to be excellent.

Who wouldn’t want that for a child?

Carpe diem, jungle jeff 🙂

PS.  Tomorrow, an insight on the recent change in direction here at jungle jeff.  Some of you have commented and I’ll share a sneak peek tomorrow.