My last few days have been interesting – in ways that perhaps I didn’t realise.
Last weekend, we travelled to London to see the Disney 100 exhibition at the Excel Centre (which I would highly recommend – as a Disney nerd, I LOVED seeing the first ever known drawing of Mickey Mouse and the original script to Mary Poppins!).
You may wonder what this has to do with copywriting and PR.
But throughout the exhibition were quotes attributed to Walt Disney, many of which highlighted the importance of great storytelling – something which is essential for any copywriter to know.
Within the exhibition book, there’s a great quote: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”, which is something I think we can all agree we relate to!
In a business context, how many times do we spend procrastinating and putting something off rather than just getting it done?
What else inspired me?
Another interesting moment this week was at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday night.
He said a few things that really resonated with me.
I bought tickets to see “An Evening with Arnold Schwarzenegger” for my husband as a surprise. It was absolutely brilliant to listen to the Terminator himself talking about how he became a success in three very different sectors: bodybuilding, movies and politics. (In case anyone is baffled by why Arnie was talking, he was promoting his new book, Be Useful, and I can’t wait to read it!)
Firstly, he said he didn’t see himself as an actor/politician.
He sees himself as a salesman first and foremost.
He talked about how, without being able to sell yourself or communicate what you do, you’ll never be a success. He rightly pointed out that you could have the best product or best service in the world, but if no one knows about it, then you’re fighting against a brick wall. (Again, this is further proof that you need to invest in your content strategies and make the most of any PR opportunities that may come your way).
Then, when he was asked a question about what he learned from failure, he said that this is where you grow stronger.
He said that his bodybuilding training (carrying on doing reps until literal failure is the way to strengthen your muscles) is something that he takes with him in life. He embraces things that “fail” because he can then grow stronger and learn how to make things bigger and better.
This is something that I think we can all relate to, and it ties back to Walt Disney’s quote – essentially, we should all be brave enough to try new things and give new ideas a go. After all, what’s the worst that can happen?
Are you ready to be inspired and kick off your marketing plans?
I love the fact that I was so inspired by Walt Disney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. I really wasn’t expecting to, and I’m definitely going to remind myself of this and give myself a trick to try something new!
If you’re ready to try something new, why not think about your content and PR plans and drop me a message?
As Arnold says, without telling people who you are and what you do, how else can you succeed?
