How Walt Disney Method Can Change Your Dreams Into Reality
This article has everything you need to know about walt disney method.
Walt Disney was one of the most distinguished and successful business leaders.
He is known to practically everybody. He was an awesome visionary, entrepreneur, film producer, director, screenwriter, dubbing actor, animator and philanthropist.
He created animated characters with whom many of us spent our childhood, such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck or Pluto Dog.
Disney is a real legend of the history of animation and film. He knew how to turn dreams into reality. He was gifted with incredible imagination and had an unconventional approach to solving problems.
What was the secret to Walt Disney’s creativity?
Robert Dilts, trainer, coach and expert in the field of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) decided to answer this question.
On the basis of interviews with friends and colleagues, Disney developed and described Walt Disney’s strategies in a model form.
They can be used to plan and implement numerous projects and to search for creative solutions. Transforming your visions and dreams into reality.
The technique used by Walt Disney is an awesome way to organize your thinking in a way that will help you fulfill your dreams and achieve your goals.
It can be used in business in addition to in personal development or coaching. We can use it as a single person or as a team.
So let’s have a look at what Walt Disney’s strategy is all about.
How Walt Disney Method Can Change Your Life
The model developed by Robert Dilts, based on the work of Walt Disney, is based on the belief that in the process of planning, moving from idea to solution, we should look from three perspectives: Dreamer, Realist and Critic.
Dreamer
Each of us has something of a dreamer.
The dreamer has visions, creative thoughts and is ready to come up with new ideas. Regardless of whether or not they are realistic or not.
There aren’t any impossible things for dreamers. Without dreamers there would be no progress and innovation. Dreamers are pushing the world forward.
Realist
A realist is a planner, he has the ability to turn a dream into a concrete plan. He looks objectively and soberly at the entire situation.
He knows how to process a given I’m going to make it possible.
Critic
The critic looks at the plan from the standpoint of what might fail. He analyzes and indicates the obstacles and risks that may arise. He tries to catch the wrong assumptions.
Each of the perspectives is a person’s stage of development.
Each of these perspectives should be a separate planning stage. Walt Disney used three types of thinking – dreams (dreaming, fantasizing), planning and constructive criticism.
He used each of these three styles one by one, not at the same time.
Therefore, to make the differences between the three approaches clear, Walt Disney worked in three different rooms to create new projects that identified each of them.
In the so-called dream room, imagination was the most significant tool.
In the room of history, ideas were given a logical meaning. And in the room of grind all projects were subject to harsh criticism.
The mistake we frequently make in the planning process is that we mix these three perspectives. In this way we frequently kill the creativity of the dreamer by instantly engaging the critic.
Either we are still in the fantasy phase without an action plan or an analysis of the risks related to our project.
Mixing these three phases creates unclear, confusing and confused thinking that generally leads to the rejection of great ideas.
It is therefore important to separate these stages from one another.
First of all, when working on a new idea, we must adopt the Dreamer’s perspective, then look at the ideas from the Realist’s standpoint, and then verify their value by adopting the Critic’s attitude.
The dreamer creates visions.
A realist translates visions into a plan and real steps to be taken. The critic, on the other hand, identifies the restrictions and potential difficulties we may encounter when implementing our plan.
For reinforcement and better anchoring in a given state and perspective, it’s worth choosing a different location and environment for each stage.
We can even adopt a different body posture. This will allow for a further clear separation between the three other ways of thinking.
Stage 1 – Dreamer – What do I want to do?
The Dreamer’s attitude is: “Anything is possible”. In this phase of planning we don’t have to consider whether our idea is feasible to implement, nor do we must look for limitations.
The goal of the first stage is to create a dream! It can be all you want. Something you would like to accomplish.
A change you would like to make in your personal, professional or business life. Make sure it’s something you truly want, ambitious, that needs to expand your comfort zone.
At this stage, you let your imagination act (1). You activate your imagination. You create your vision and the benefits of attaining it.
Key questions: “what I dream of”, “what I want”, “what my goal is”, “what I want to do”, “who I want to be”, “what benefits I will gain”, “who else will benefit”.
Examples of supportive questions:
- What is the purpose? What do you want to do?
The goal is:…
- Why do you want to do it?
The reason is:….
- What are the benefits?
The beneficial effects of this will be as follows:….
- How will you know that you have benefited?
Proof of benefit will be:….
- When can you expect benefits?
Benefits can be expected when:….
- What will the future look like?
This idea will lead to:….
Stage 2 – Realist – How to do it?
The attitude of a realist is: “An idea is possible to implement”.
Do not look for limitations in this phase of planning. Act as if the error was fully possible and achievable.
Come up with a plan to make it occur. Do it in a practical and realistic way. The aim is to develop a detailed and manageable action plan.
You act as if the plan is utterly possible. Your task is to search for tactics to accomplish this.
Key questions: “how will I do it”, “what resources do I have”, “what resources do I need”, “who will be involved in the project besides me”, “how much will it cost”, ” how long will it take”, “how long will it take”, ” how will I know that I have achieved my goal”.
Examples of supportive questions:
- When will the objective be achieved?
The planned target date for the success of the target is:….
- Who will be involved? (assign responsibility for each task)
The main actors:…
- How will the idea be implemented in concrete terms?
The first step will be:….
The second step will be:….
The third step will be:…
- What resources will I need (time, people, money, etc.) to realize this idea?
Resources that I will need:….
- What will provide ongoing feedback so that I know whether I’m moving towards or away from the goal?
An effective source of ongoing feedback will be:….
- How will I know that the goal has been achieved?
I know that the goal was achieved when:….
Stage 3 – Critic – What can go wrong?
The attitude of criticism is to consider: “What problems can occur; what can go wrong?
Here you are looking for errors and gaps in the plan. Act as a constructive critic.
In the role of a Critic you only interact with a Realist – not a Dreamer. Try to find weaknesses, prevent problems and ensure the success of the plan, but leave the solution to these potential weaknesses to the Realist.
Key questions: “what will not succeed”, “what can surprise me”, “what traps are waiting for me”, “who will lose something if they achieve their goal”, “who will oppose”.
Examples of supportive questions:
- Who will be affected by this new idea?
The people most affected by this plan are:….
- What are their needs?
Their needs are:….
- Why can someone oppose this plan or idea?
Someone can oppose the plan if:….
- What can thwart our plans?
The threat to the project is:….
- What are the benefits of the current way of doing things?
The current mode of action has the following positive effects:….
- How can you preserve these benefits when you implement a new idea?
These positive effects will be preserved through:….
- When and where would you NOT like to implement this new idea?
I wouldn’t like to implement this plan if:….
- What is currently needed or missing from the plan?
What is missing from the plan at the moment is:….
There is still a need for:….
Step 4: Going through the cycle again
If this is a very big dream and an innovative idea, you will likely need to undergo a few cycles from Dreamer to Critic. That’s a good thing, it means that your idea is actually ambitious and noteworthy.
This is how to undergo such a cycle:
After completing the critical stage, return from Critic to Realist. Now change the plan (but not the dream) based on the comments of the Critic.
Then return to the Critic and rate the changed plan.
Continue this cycle between the Realist and the Critic until you have a solid, workable plan (2). For large projects it can be useful to run the entire process daily for a few days.
If you can’t come up with a plan that the Critic will “approve”, you can return to the Dreamer and modify the “dream” based on the cycle you have completed so far.
However, remember that you only change the “dream” when you’re absolutely sure that you can’t complete the plan.
Do a few cycles until you are contented with the results.
Usually, after several such rounds, the original goal is split into possible steps. You can repeat this cycle until the Critic has no significant objections.
If the biggest critic says “Do it!”, you know that your plan has a real chance of success. Then there’s nothing else to do but to act in order to fulfill your dream.
Summary
Walt Disney’s strategy is a ready-made recipe to turn your dreams into reality.
Disney’s method gives us the opportunity to look at a given idea or problem from several different perspectives.
It provides a clear separation between the three styles of thinking: Dreamer, Realist and Critic, so we can get the most out of each of them.
Disney’s strategy is a wonderful technique for self-realization, in addition to it works well in coaching and teamwork.
Disney’s approach gives us a scientific way to turn dreams into workable plans.
It enables us to find creative solutions, identify potential threats and develop a selected action plan to accomplish it. It can even be used to assess the truth of ideas.
With this method, Walt Disney has moved from vision and dreams to reality.
He transformed his visionary ideas into unique and unforgettable animated films. He created the Disney Empire and was an unquestionable success.
The achievements of Walt Disney, who used this method is the best recommendation to start using it himself. It’s time to apply the Disney Strategy to your goals. Good luck!
What do you think of Walt Disney’s method? Maybe you know other effective ways to turn dreams into reality?
I want to thank you for taking the time to read my article about the disney method. I sincerely hope its contents have been a good help to you.