Imagineer Your Future: How to Discover Your Core Passions
What does it mean to Imagineer your future?
The word "Imagineer" blends imagination with engineering. It's the act of dreaming boldly and then building deliberately. Walt Disney coined the term for the creative engineers who built Disneyland. I've adopted it as a life philosophy.
In 1996, I had nothing but $14 and a vision. With overwhelming odds against me, I launched Xtra Lite Displays — a company that would eventually generate over $14 million in revenue, produce 25 patented products, and reach markets in 36 countries. None of that happened by accident. It happened because I learned to imagine first, then engineer.
Here are the three core steps I teach in my book and from the stage:
Step 1: Identify Your Core Passions Not your hobbies. Not what you're good at. Your core passions — the things that make you come alive. For me, it was music, design, and helping people discover their potential. What makes you lose track of time?
Step 2: Align Your Passions with Purpose Passion without purpose is just entertainment. Purpose without passion is just obligation. The sweet spot — where passion meets purpose — is where Imagineers live. Ask yourself: how can my passions serve others?
Step 3: Engineer the Path Dreams don't build themselves. Once you know your passions and your purpose, you need a plan. Break it down. Take one step today. Then another tomorrow. The path reveals itself as you walk it.
You were designed for more than you're currently living. The question isn't whether you have what it takes — it's whether you're willing to Imagineer your way there.