Thread by @mijustin

I'm reading the Walt Disney biography, and what's most striking is how long it took him to get any traction at all.

The Disney brothers start their company in 1923, and basically eat shit for 10 years.

Year after year of failed attempts, bad deals, and projects gone bad.

And suddenly, around 1933, everything starts to change for Disney.

They get their first real hit ("The three pigs"). Mickey Mouse gets popular. They invent Donald Duck and people go crazy for him.

For years, Disney was knocking on every door, desperate for meetings. People ignored him and treated him badly.

And now, a decade later, he's the toast of Hollywood. Everyone wants to meet him.

Suddenly, he doesn't need to bang on doors; they're just opening for him.

It got me thinking again about this concept of: "Gradually, and then suddenly."

For years and years, the Disney brothers are gradually clawing their way forward. It's slow and painful.

And then, suddenly, all those years start to pay off. Everything seems to improve at once.

Disney is one of America's most iconic companies.

It took them 10 years to achieve even a baseline of success.

10 years!

Are we willing to put forward that kind of effort, in a single direction, for that long?

Are we willing to take our knocks, and keep going?

Lots of folks asking which Disney biography I'm reading. It's this one:

Warning: it's long! Took me until chapter 2 before I really got into it.

amazon.com/Walt-Disney-Tr…