Walt Disney’s Four “C’s” - Curiosity, Confidence, Courage and Constancy

There’s never been anybody in the motion picture industry, or the entertainment industry as a whole, who has had quite the same impact as Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966). But what a lot of people don’t realise is his formula for success can easily be replicated. In fact, he gave us the keys:

“Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”

–Walt Disney.

Curiosity

Curiosity keeps us moving forward, which is the crux of another Disney quote. It helps us persist when the chips are down. It transforms our perceptions of the world from the negative reality to the positive possibilities. Curiosity makes things possible because it negates the procrastinator in each of us. It is drive and stamina.

Confidence

Goethe famously said that ‘boldness has genius, power and magic’ about it. Confidence enables us to do almost anything, especially in our relationships.

Courage

All these C’s are intrinsically linked. Courage and confidence are so closely aligned; one doesn’t appear without the other it seems. How often have we failed due simply to a lack of courage through a lack of faith in ourselves and what we’re doing? Courage gives us the ability to do seemingly all things.

Constancy

There’s nothing that will stand the test of time better than constancy of purpose if we’re on the right track. If we’re doing the right thing in the right ways we will reap a harvest at the appropriate time if we don’t give up (see Galatians 6:9).

The Common Thread - Faith

The common thread with the four C’s is faith. Each of these words means something connected to faith. The greatest expression of faith is perhaps confidence which gets us back to Disney’s initial point.

We’re often the only ones in the way of our own progress. Even when there are blocks to our goals, it is often the way we view these blockages that further limits our potential.

Resilience is the key. This is another attribute that requires a firm base of faith.

Copyright © 2009, S. J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.