The Road To Success.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about how the road to success is unknown.

If you were to ask successful people how they became so successful, they would tell you the sequence of their story. They would describe their struggles and victories, as well as their breakthroughs and breakdowns. As you listen to their story, you may notice a linear thread which seemed to lead them through a maze of trials and errors and brought them into the golden city where they now reside. That thread, however, didn't lead them anywhere, but rather, unraveled behind them, leaving a trail. It is only after they've passed through each phase in their journey that they were able to stitch their story together and tie it in a bow for you.

I am spending a week in Walt Disney World with my family. Last night after dinner, my 12-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter wanted to go back to Disney's Hollywood Studios. So, I agreed to take them, while my wife and 19-year-old daughter relaxed in the resort. We had a terrific time! By 11 p.m., many of the rides and attractions had closed down for the day and the park had pretty much emptied out. As we ventured out of the Pixar area, we stumbled upon a sleepy attraction called "One Man's Dream." So, we went inside.

The attraction was set up like a gallery, with some of Walt's first sketches of Mickey, a reproduction of his office and desk, his original models of Disneyland, Disney World, and many other elements from whatever he let his imagination conceive. As we were wandering around the exhibit, a vintage movie voice came over the loudspeaker, inviting us to enter the theater. As we took our seats in what was a surprisingly large auditorium, I looked around and noticed that other than the elderly couple behind us, we were nearly alone.

What I did not expect, but perhaps should have always known, was how Walt Disney came from meager beginnings. His father didn't approve of his interest in drawing and so he left Kansas City for Hollywood with nothing but a few drawing materials and $40 in his pocket. Pooling his resources with his brother Roy, they soon began their production operation in the rear of a Hollywood real estate office.

Eventually, Mickey, a character Walt created on the train ride to Hollywood, made his screen debut in "Steamboat Willie," the world's first fully synchronized sound cartoon. Walt followed it with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the first full-length animated musical feature, and over the next five years, completed other animated classics such as "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," "Dumbo," and "Bambi." If you follow the thread of his story, however, you'll see there were many times when Walt floundered. In fact, he had worked so hard at one point that Walt even suffered a breakdown.

If you were to try and shortcut your way to success by following the steps of a successful person, you will likely miss the failures. These may be the most important steps of all. As Walt Disney once said, “I think it’s important to have a good hard failure when you're young. I learned a lot out of that. Because it makes you kind of aware of what can happen to you. Because of it, I’ve never had any fear in my whole life when we’ve been near collapse and all of that. I’ve never been afraid. I’ve never had the feeling I couldn’t walk out and get a job doing something.”

As the lights warmed again to a subtle golden glow in the theater, my children and I just sat quietly for a moment, still facing forward. I let the impact of Walt's story wash over me, and I noticed that both of my children were wiping tears from their eyes. They had felt it too. As we quietly stood to exit the theater, I put my arms around both of them, and no one had the need of breaking the moment we shared by saying anything whatsoever.

Although Walt's story brought into perspective the magnitude of the enterprise he has created, it also became evident that the road to success remains a mystery. It is only after you've arrived that you'll realize which steps in your journey were the ones to lead you there. It is for you, as it was for Walt Disney, and is just as today's fortune says, "Life is like playing the violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on."