When we hear the name Disney, a lot of things come to mind. We think of dancing mice, princesses, and fairytales. Rarely do we ponder the man behind it all, Walt Disney, and appreciate what a courageous dreamer he really was. He encouraged his fans to be as brave as he was in following their dreams. Though there are examples that may challenge Walt Disney’s claim that “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”, it is a well qualified and valid point that can inspire others to follow their dream.

Many revolutionaries we admire have had ideas and dreams originally thought impossible or insane, but with courage they were able to achieve them. Just look at the American Revolution. I wouldn’t be writing this essay, and you wouldn’t be reading it, had it not been for a bunch of farmers who thought they could overthrow the most powerful monarch in the world. Men like George Washington, who headed the army, and Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence, knew that failure meant execution. However, they pursued their dreams anyways and founded a free country. Had they been too afraid, would America ever have gained its freedom? Additionally, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins features another brave revolutionary who exemplifies courage: Katniss Everdeen. A figure of pop culture, Katniss also has a dream to be free of their oppressive government and becomes the poster-child for the revolution. Similar to the founding fathers, she was a walking target who faced death if she failed, and despite this, she pursues her dream anyways. Through courage and strength she succeeds. While these examples may seem extreme, and you may not be looking to overthrow governments, the same principle still applies. No matter how crazy the dream, if you place your courage and bravery into it, you are going to succeed with perseverance. As proved by these examples, fulfilling your dreams will not always be easy. It might even dangerous, but if it truly is your dream, in the end the struggle will be worth it.

Courage in pursuit of dreams is not only shown in radical or revolutionary ideas, rather, it can be seen in everyday life too. I want you to call to mind an entrepreneur that you may know or have heard of. Do you think their business could have taken off without the courage to risk everything, to risk failure? I see examples of this in my own life through my father and through my aunt, both entrepreneurs. When my dad felt he wasn’t receiving proper pay or credit at the law firm employing him, he quit. He then started his own bankruptcy law firm, with the knowledge that it could fail and he would lose loads of money and wasted time. However, his business didn’t fail. It thrived out of Milwaukee to be a greatly successful company, earning my dad several local and national awards for his work. He may not have fulfilled this potential had he not had the courage to pursue his dream. My Aunt Holly followed a similar storyline. She worked in several jobs she wasn’t happy in, just trying to support her family. As soon as she had the stability and the support, she followed her dream of opening a wedding planning company. She has found great happiness and success through her bravery and fulfillment of her dream. While these are more personal examples, look at charities you may know of and the courage their founders. Those from Wisconsin may be familiar with the G9 Project, a charity founded by Annie Bartosz, who has a dream to cure childhood cancer. While she is just a child herself, she began a organization that fundraises and creates awareness for childhood cancer by advocating for Golden September, and through the years she has met great success. We can all learn from the courage of children and how they dare to dream. Annie had a goal, and she did something about it. Fulfilling your dreams is simply a leap of courage, as shown through entrepreneurs and founders of charities, who do not know the outcome but can only trust that they will succeed.

As shown, Walt Disney’s claim that, “All dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” is well supported to be true. It is shown in as extreme examples as revolutions against government, and as simple examples as starting a new business. Whatever you dream may be, be courageous, be brave, weather the storm and your dream has every chance of coming true.