The Influence of Walt Disney on My 12 Year-Old Self

First Look at Magic Kingdom

I love to travel.  Last week, I was in Disney World with my family.  I had been to the theme parks twice before-   once in 2003 with friends and then for the first time in 1986, when I was 12 years old on a 2-week family vacation to Florida.

The trip in 1986 inspired me.  I felt at that time that I could do anything, be anything.  I remember walking through Epcot, reading the quotes of Walt Disney that are posted all over the place, the peppy music, the fireworks.

So this time around, I wanted my small children to experience this same sense of wonder, empowerment.  Although they seemed laser focused on buying toys and candy and riding buzz light year rides, I do hope that some of the wonder of the place rubbed off on them.

Since I pal around with so many entrepreneurs and out of the box thinkers, I wanted to share this quote to which I can relate; I read it on a wall in Magic Kingdom.

“I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination.” —Walt Disney

Has a vacation or trip ever profoundly change you as a person, a parent, a business owner, a student?