Jill here.
I recently returned from a family vacation to California. We lived there for nine years before moving to Oregon, so it’s always nice to go back and see old friends. This time, my husband had earned a tour of Disney Studios. It’s funny. Disney Studios is in Burbank, California, the same city we lived in for nine years. It’s not that big of a place. Our kids were both born in the hospital across the street from Disney Studios, the same hospital Walt Disney died in. But in all the years we lived in Burbank, we had never been able to tour the studio, since it’s a closed lot. So this was a treat for us.
I took over a hundred pictures, many more exciting than this one. (I got to hold a real Oscar!) But our fabulous tour guide, Lisa, who, by the way, sang in the Tangled choir (how cool is that?), told us about the Frank G. Wells building, which holds the Disney Archives. And she told us about Frank G. Wells himself. And I wanted to share a bit of that with you.
Frank G. Wells was the president of the Walt Disney Company for ten years, from from 1984 until his death in 1994. The Frank G. Wells building opened in 1998 and was dedicated in his memory. Beside the entrance to the building is a plaque with the quote that Frank carried on a slip of paper inside his pocket for thirty years: “Humility is the final achievement.” It was in his pocket the day he died.
I love that. Here is a successful businessman who understood the power of true humility. That success isn’t about getting, it’s about giving. Humility doesn’t mean doubting your ability or worth. Be confident in your skills. But you need both. Confidence without humility is nothing but ego. And humility without confidence is, well, kind of sad.
And if you find success, that doesn’t mean you get to throw out humility. We will always need this trait. Humility motivates us to keep learning. It teaches us to care about others, to look beyond ourselves and our own agendas. Humility keeps us human.
Any thoughts on this quote? Can you share an example of someone you know who practices humility?