THE STRENGTH OF AN IDEA

Today, Disney is an entertainment giant of nearly unfathomable scale. It holds hundreds of properties, including Marvel Studios and the Star Wars franchise, and continues producing record-setting films and operating theme parks around the globe. Behind the initial company was the innovative, imaginative genius of Walt Disney himself. While many people recognize his earliest successful films, few know the difficulties he faced prior to making them. Disney's first animation studio was dissolved, and Disney could not afford to pay his rent. Even after the successful premiere of Snow White, many of Disney's early movies--classics like Pinocchio and Fantasia--were financial failures.

The strength of an idea cannot be objectively measured by its relative success or failure. Most of Disney's earliest films are considered masterpieces, even though commercially, they were objective failures. Even Disney's first studio, which went under, likely produced some amazingly high-quality work.

The next time you experience failure, on a small or large scale, remind yourself that you're in good company. In your own life, ask anyone you feel has been successful in achieving their goals or living their dream if they've ever experienced failure. The answer is, invariably, yes. Failure is never the end of the road--it is only a small step in the greater journey. Pick yourself up, learn what you can from the experience, and force yourself to move on.