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In 1937, Walt Disney released the animated movie Snow White.
He had been working on it going 4 years.
At the start of the project, Walt estimated it would cost about $250,000 to make.
By the time of its release, he had spent over $1.4 million dollars.
This was before venture capital funding was a thing.
To raise the money to complete the film, Walt had to mortgage his house and take out bank loans.
On release, Snow White was the most expensive animated film ever made.
Critics were sure Disney had made a terrible mistake.
And they began to call Snow White “Disney’s Folly“.
Executives at the company, like his brother Roy Disney.
Tried to get Walt to scale down as he made it.
But Disney had no intention to do that.
He had risked everything for Snow White.
More money than anyone had ever spent to make a cartoon.
His coworkers wondered why he couldn’t stay on budget.
Industry experts wondered how he would ever make a profit on the film.
In 1937, 100s of cartoons were released.
How many of them have you seen?
Most likely, just one, Snow White.
I’ve watched it at least 4 times.
It’s 2023, now 85 years later and people still watch Snow White.
Disney knew he had a hit from its first public showing. After he got a standing ovation from the audience.
Snow White, the most expensive animated film soon became the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Even now, if you adjust for inflation.
Snow White is still at the top of that list.
A year after the film’s release Walt won an honorary Oscar.
As evidence of the uniqueness of what he had created.
He was presented with a first of its kind award.
The regular trophy is accompanied by seven smaller ones.
The movie that could have killed Disney made it into an entertainment powerhouse.
Disney is what it is today because of Snow White.
While most of the studios existing at the same time as Disney have long since vanished.
Soul Binding
The point of this story is that when Walt was making Snow White he could have just done what everyone else in the industry was doing at the time.
He could have made something affordable and quick.
It would have saved him and the people around him a great amount of stress.
But Disney couldn’t do this.
Because he does what I will now refer to as Soul Binding.
Which is to say he put every fiber of his being.
All mental, physical, and spiritual components into what he makes.
I’ve had moments in my life when I’ve had to work really really hard.
And one thing I’ve realized is that you can’t really pay people to work this hard.
At least not in any meaningful way.
What I mean by hard work isn’t the visible signs of hard work.
So called “busyness” people display to their bosses so they can clock out.
This is shallow work no matter how strenuous it is.
I’ve done both and I know the difference.
What I mean by working hard and more specifically Soul Binding.
Is to use every available resource you have and can acquire to make sure what you’re working on is the best it can be.
This is a domain of excellence few people ever reach.
Simply because it’s difficult.
You will understand that death is much easier than the work you do.
You will smash against your own limitations.
You will be called crazy.
You will lose friends.
Your entire being will scream for relief you know you cannot give it.
Because to do anything less is unthinkable.
This is Soul Binding.
It doesn’t mean that your work will be the best ever made.
But it will mean that it was the best you could have possibly made at this time.
Every Last Drop
I used to take online fitness classes a while back.
And there was a Coach Kozak, who had a saying every time he started a really difficult routine and knew most people wanted to quit:
“Don’t hold anything back. Give every last drop!”
This is the mentality of Soul Binding.
To give so much of yourself to what you make that your literal soul enters your work.
It’s human to not want to do too much work.
We’re evolutionarily designed to avoid anything that burns calories.
So it’s normal to want to leave something in the tank.
Whether it’s personal savings or calories.
We’re afraid to give everything we have.
We want a safety net.
Something to fall back on—just in case.
But you have to go past this safety net to reach new heights.
That tank has to go dry for you to realize you can fill it up on the go.
And what’s amazing is that the more you give, the more you can give.
It’s like every time you drain the tank—the tank gets bigger.
We All Want Your Soul
When you put your soul into something people can always tell.
They might not be able to point out specifically what’s different— yet they feel it.
This is what the world wants!
We all want to feel.
We all want your soul.
And we can tell when it’s not there.
This is most things in life.
Most people don’t put their souls into what they make.
We live in a world where most products are devoid of a soul.
So when we do find that magic.
The thing that lives and breathes with the life force of its creator.
It leaves an imprint on us.
I once made a list of my favorite Movies/TV shows.
And my criteria for favorite was simply the shows I had rewatched multiple times.
Because say what you might like, what really matters is what you do:
I’ve seen hundreds of shows and movies.
But I always wondered why these few stood out enough to rewatch.
Now I think I understand at least part of it.
Behind any work of importance—someone, a group of people poured their fucking souls into it.
You should make your own list.
What things—it can be movies, music, or software do you go to again and again?
What can you not get enough of?
If you want to make things that are great.
Do things that are great.
That people come back to repeatedly.
You have to get in touch with your soul.
And you can start by noticing moments in your life when a thing touches you deeply.
When something separates itself from the regular “meh“ of life and suddenly becomes important to you.
If you can start to notice when you feel this connection.
Then you can tell when it’s there in your own work.
Conclusion
Soul Binding isn’t about creating something that makes a truckload of money or outlives you.
Although if you want these things you’ll need to Soul Bind.
Rather Soul Binding is about doing things that are important to you.
With every intention to surpass your limits and do the very best you can.
For yourself, your family, society, and the universe at large.
The reward isn’t praise and no one can pay you enough to do this much fucking work.
You do it because of the knowledge of surpassing all your previous limits and becoming someone capable of much more than you ever realized.
You do it because the world is so much better when you do it.
Crucially, you do it because you love it.
For my part, every time you read any of my articles.
I hope you can feel my soul through the words.
Until next time friend ✌