The Christmas / New Year holiday this year was filled with lots of family time, and during that time my family had watched several movies together. One movie that really “grabbed me” was Disney / Pixar’s Meet the Robinsons. For those of you who have not seen it, here’s the spoiler: it’s about an orphaned boy, Lewis, who is abducted after a failed experiment in a science fair by a kid from the future. To make a long story short, the boy who kidnapped Lewis turns out to be Lewis’ future son, and Lewis (who later, after being adopted by eccentric scientists, changes his name to Cornelius) becomes the mind that builds the technologically advanced utopian future.
There’s the story in a nutshell. Besides some very funny moments and some really heart-string-tugging scenes, one recurring theme really resounded. The motto in the future (as coined by Lewis / Cornelius) is, “Keep Moving Forward.”
What a powerful concept! So simple, yet it says so much about success. What inspired me more was that, at the very end of the movie, there is a quote from the great Walt Disney: “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things – because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We’re always exploring and experimenting.”
It’s a cartoon, so what?
Few people know, but after my college days at the University of Chicago where I studied art, I attempted to send my portfolio to Disney Studios to be considered for a position as an animator. I was turned down. Frankly, I was absolutely heartbroken. This was the job I wanted for as long as I could remember. Was I naive? Possibly, but I pursued the dream. When that dream failed, I moved forward, took a job in retail management, and climbed the ladder in a very short amount of time.
Fast forward to today: after another job change, pursuing a Master’s degree, and now my first failed business attempt, I found myself feeling this holiday like I did as when I received that letter with the Disney Studios letterhead.
Then I saw this movie. I have been coached and trained, counseled and educated, yet it took this animated tale to really inspire me and allow that concept to really sink in—“Keep Moving Forward!”
You may have read an article similar to this before years ago when the movie was fresh. However, I must resound that I think that Meet the Robinson’s had it right. Progress is made from failure, looking at what went wrong and moving forward—always forward.
Looking Back, Learning, and Moving On
In 2009, let’s face it; many of us had one hell of a year. I read a newsletter article from one of my business associates, Kevin Clark from Quintessential Retirement Services who did an outstanding job recapping the news highlights, celebrity moments, government faux pauxs, and financial upsets throughout the year. Reading it made me want to essentially move on, leave 2009 behind, and move forward.
The mind is an incredible energetic power, capable of anything we can imagine. The book The Secret talks about this in great detail. What we think will manifest in time. If we think “bad” thoughts, “bad” things will happen, even if we don’t want them to. If we are positive and really own in our minds that which we seek before we have it physically, we will attain it. This has been proven over and over again! We must keep exploring new horizons, always looking ahead, and always keeping our thoughts positive.
At a seminar called “Shredding the Past” I attended on Wednesday, we talked about eliminating the garbage in our lives from days gone by. We then discussed creating a vision for the future—writing it down or, better yet, creating a pictorial vision board. Furthermore, we said that, like emperor penguins that travel non-stop for three months to achieve their goal, we must continue to always press on… always move forward.
Don’t we learn from the past?
I’m not saying that reminiscing about the past isn’t important. Embrace your past. After all, it is those past experiences compounded over our lifetime that has made us who we are today. In fact, for the most part, ImpresivoPrints is in the business of creating and sharing memories by immortalizing a moment in time caught on camera on canvas.
But canvas, being an artistic medium, can be what you, the artist, make of it. It can be used to portray your wants and desires in the future (like a vision board), giving you a tangible visible goal of where you wish to be. Part of the beauty of art is its timeless, and its being what you will it to be.
Our offering
In 2010, we came up with a new piece that we wanted to share with the world. It is a special print made from one of my compositions. We took some photos, some digital effects, some original artwork, and some personalization and came up with a print all about the phrase “Keep Moving Forward.” My hope is that this print will serve as a reminder to all who acquire it to continue to move forward, without putting limiting beliefs and the obstacles of false truths in the way of your moving forward.
Visit http://www.impresivoprints.com/KeepMovingForward.html for our special promotion on the “Keep Moving Forward” print on canvas. Our most popular size, by far, is the 16” X 20” print on canvas stretched on stretcher bars. You can also have this inspiring print on a rugged and comfortable cotton t-shirt with, on the back, the phrase, “…don’t look backwards for very long.”
Conclusion
In 2010 and beyond, I hope that you will purchase a canvas print and/or a t-shirt and look at this piece of art with all of the hope and faith in God and yourself that you will succeed. You will prevail over all of the mire of the past. You will “Keep Moving Forward.”