"Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future."

Walt Disney said that over sixty years ago. He could have said it today. To think, just a few months ago we were obsessing about impeachment and the death of Kobi Bryant. Now, so sadly, we’ve got a lot more dead to mourn. I think many of us hope we can get back to normal sometime soon. But there probably is no normal, just the here and now.

Focusing on what has been the norm is how most people think. Not creatives. They often thrive on turbulence. They know that the future, unknown as it is, is teeming with opportunity … if you know where to find it. Here’s a model that can help you survive the ride.

CREATIVE

Challenge Assumptions – The amygdala, deep in the human brain, has one primary function: to protect its owners, us, by keeping us safely within preexisting assumptions. But when the situation is new, as it is today, assumptions become an anti-creativity trap that must be aggressively challenged. Disney, for example constantly challenged assumptions. They told him he would fail at Snow White, the Disneyland TV show and Disneyland itself. They were trapped in their assumptions. They were wrong.

Refocus Energy – Negativity, spurred on by our amygdala, traps us in inaction. To escape, think positively. Walt’s times were difficult: a breakdown, serious health issues and the loss of his Oswald character. Disney team member Adolph Kloepper explained, "Walt declared bankruptcy. Throughout it all, I never heard Walt say anything that would sound like defeat." Walt added, "I never felt sorry for myself. It never bothered me. I mean, I’d get disappointed. I’d get mad. I’d get discouraged. But I never felt sorry for myself."

Explore Alternatives – Less rigid thinking opens the door to alternative ideas. Creatives explore every angle. Their motto could be stated as, “What else?” Disney was famous for its aggressive exploration of every angle. Walt explained, “When we consider a project, we really study it–not just the surface idea, but everything about it."

Accentuate Strengths – Once all the alternatives have been explored, the next step is to determine if the problem is one where your specific abilities are applicable. Creatives know what they are creative at and seek out opportunities to do more of those things. Failures that result from accentuating weaknesses builds doubt. Successes that result from accentuating strengths builds confidence. If you think about the situations in which Disney failed Disney California Adventure, Pleasure Island, and Mickey’s Kitchen, it was usually because they did not accentuate their strengths.

Think Metaphorically – Many people absorb the specifics of an experience rather than the commonalities between experiences. Creatives seek out deeper relationships between seemingly incompatible experiences and intentionally look for ways to interrelate them. Those relationships lead directly to new discoveries. Disney was always applying new technologies to its storytelling strength. From adding sound and color to cartoons, expanding cartoons to feature length, bringing cartoons to 3D life in Disneyland, developing and the new Disney+, Disney has continually pushed the envelope of what technology can do.

Investigate Unknowns – Making these kinds of connections requires a depth and breath of knowledge about a wide range of subjects. Creatives are amazingly, annoyingly, curious. That curiosity leads to questions and those questions lead to new creations. Most people will accept things at face value. Creatives want to know why something is true, why it works, or what would prevent it from working. When the mouse house was animating Bambi, for instance, the artists took art classes where their models were real life deer. They learned everything they could about how deer looked, ate and moved. They even paid special attention to the muscles under the deer skin so that they could capture realistic movements.

Visualize Results – Visualizing something made it easier to comprehend. Visuals aren’t bogged down in facts and negativity. The images exist separate from the current reality. Because of this, a visualized result is not restricted by logistics. The result just is. And, by starting with the desired end result, you can move backward through all the steps required to make that vision a reality. When building Disneyland, for example, the Disney team created scaled models so they could envision what the actual park would look like.

So, ask yourself these questions:

• Challenge assumptions – What are my underlying assumptions? Are they wrong?
• Refocus energy – How can I stop feeling sorry for myself and get my a-- in gear?
• Explore alternatives – What are some other ways I can get the results I actually need?
• Accentuate strengths – What do I do really, really well? How can I do much more of that?
• Think metaphorically – What can I relate my situation to? How was that situation solved?
• Investigate unknowns – To get the result I want, what more do I need to learn?
• Visualize results – What does the result I want look like?

If you have done all those things, you can then …

Enjoy Life – Two Disney quotes come to mind.

Quote One – "All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles have strengthened me."

You'll get through this and it will strengthen you too.

Quote Two – "Happiness is a state of mind. It’s just according to the way you look at things.”

Whatever else this present time is, it is to quote Big Thunder Mountain Railroad snapped athe “wildest ride in the universe.” It takes extreme effort, but let’s try, as best we can, to enjoy the ride.