Book Jeff

Building Resilience to Power Through Challenging Times.

It’s been more than 50 years since Walt Disney’s death, and what most people remember are his many successes: the world’s most popular cartoon character, Mickey Mouse; the world’s first full-length animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; and his dream, a dream called Disneyland.

What most don’t often acknowledge is that Walt, like most great visionaries, dealt with a lot of challenges along the way.

It was Walt’s unwavering resilience that helped him through the many setbacks, disappointments, and transitional times that interrupted his journey to success.

Your Greatest Obstacles Can Lead to Your Biggest Success.

In business and in life, obstacles are an inevitable part of the process of achieving anything worthwhile. While we have limited control over what happens next, we can accept responsibility for the actions that we take today.

According to Walt, “It is good to have a failure while you’re young because it teaches you so much.  For one thing, it makes you aware that such a thing can happen to anybody, and once you’ve lived through the worst, you’re never quite as vulnerable afterward.”

In this powerful and inspiring keynote, Jeff focuses on the power of resiliency, especially during times of transition. Using lesser-known stories of Walt’s challenges and failures, your audience will see that sometimes your greatest obstacles can actually lead to the biggest success.

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Takeaways

Walt survived an impoverished childhood, and he lived through the Spanish Flu, World War I, and the Great Depression. Despite everything, he still managed to build “The Happiest Place on Earth.” He also bounced back from Disneyland’s opening day disaster to welcoming one million guests in less than 7 weeks.

Learn how Walt turned his troubles and (many) obstacles into opportunities, and how you can do the same!

In this keynote, your audience will:
  • Learn how to do the “Next Right Thing.”
  • Know-how, in the midst of a crisis, to pivot, innovate, and be resourceful.
  • Be like Walt, “Never be beaten at anything.”
  • Find focus, seek solutions & take responsibility.
  • Rely on themselves and rely on their network.
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About Jeff

JEFFREY A. BARNES is a best-selling author, Disney motivational speaker, higher education administrator, university professor, and leadership/success coach.

He has more than thirty-five years of professional speaking experience and twenty years experience leading teams and teaching college courses.

Jeff believes Disneyland’s story teaches us some of life’s greatest lessons—as long as you know its history, know what to look for, and you are willing to connect it all to your own story.

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