I was listening to an interview with Jim Korkis. Jim Korkis is a well-respected Disney historian, author of ‘The Vault of Walt’, which has a foreword written by Walt Disney’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller.

When Jim was 12 years old, he was interested in animation, so he would watch the old ‘Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color’ TV series, then write down the names in the end credits. He would then look up the names in the Glendale/Burbank telephone book, and call them, asking for an interview.

His first interview was with Jack Hannah, who worked on Donald Duck and Chip & Dale cartoons. Jack took a liking to the young writer, and referred him on to interview other Disney animators. Jim wrote articles for his high school newspaper, some of which were also published in the local newspapers.

Later, Jim moved to Florida and worked at Walt Disney World, performing as Merlin and other roles. He also taught classes about animation, computer animation and animation history at the Disney Institute. In 2008, Jim was let go in a massive company-wide layoff, and he wondered what he could do next, his career at Disney seemed to be at a definite end.

Taking stock of himself, Jim asked himself, “What do I like to do?” and “What can I do that no one else can do?” He realized that it was writing about Disney. So he went back to all his old interviews and started writing his first book about Disney history. He has also written many articles for Mouseplanet.com and JimHillMedia.com, among others.

Jim Korkis asked the important question, “What can I do that no one else can do?” Everyone has a special talent that no one else can do in quite the same way. If you want your dream job, you have to discover what that talent is, and what makes it special.

There is one thing I noticed when I read about Fred Baybarz. He loves a challenge, and when one challenge was met, he was ready for the next one. Another way you could say it was that he faced problems with positive anticipation.

When you face a problem with positive anticipation, you are more open to see solutions. If you face a problem with negative dread, you’ve already kind of given up because your mind has already shut down because you think you can’t do it. If you love the challenge, it means that you believe you can solve that challenge.

When I was a struggling freelance artist, I can’t say that I woke up every morning thinking, “I love a challenge!” At best I was probably neutral about whatever problems I faced. But now I realize that the more positive you are, the more likely you are to solve your problems and achieve your goals, even if they seem hard or impossible to get. If you are negative about your problems or goals, you are more likely to get stuck or give up.

Here is the entire newspaper article about our neighbor, Fred Baybarz. I think it’s helpful to analyze the subtle details of how he became successful. I don’t know the exact date of the article, but I believe it’s from the 1970s, and I believe it was published in the Lodi News Sentinel newspaper.

Lodi Industrialist is a Business Builder

First it was the Baybarz Binder plant. He sold it. Then it was Valley Tow Rite, started with a handful of workers and built up to 250 employees. He sold it. Then came Lodi Fab, started with a small force that grew to 300 full-time employees. He sold it. Now it’s Lodi Metal Technology, started in 1971, and in its first expansion. He hasn’t sold it yet.

He is Fred L. Baybarz, a dynamic, handsome man of 64 who probably singlehandedly has done more for Lodi’s economy than any other person in the past two decades. Baybarz, whose earliest trade was carpentry, loves a challenge. And when that is met, he is ready for another.

His record in Lodi industry proves it. His first little venture, Baybarz Binder, was successful, so he sold. And he followed the same procedure in his other plants. Each is still a thriving Lodi business. And each was built by meeting a need in the industrial field – supplying a product in demand. And this takes an uncanny sense and knowledge of what is going on. Baybarz has both.

He admits he could have retired after selling Lodi Fab, “But I like a challenge. And I like giving employment to people.” He likes Lodi, and he likes the people.

Baybarz’s success is built upon supplying needed items to industrial users. He has never produced for the retail market. His Valley Tow Rite, a tow hitch manufacturing firm, was built upon the growing trailer and mobile home business. Lodi Fab built metal industrial racks, pallets, and shelving. And his customers included some of the state’s biggest firms – Lockheed, Breuners, Sears, to name a few.

Some of his ideas for improving the products have been patented. He and his key associates have met the challenge of new materials and new industrial needs. At Lodi Metal Tech, steel is the primary material. Among its products are the custom trailer beds upon which big mobile homes are constructed. And a key item now is steel components for relocatable classrooms and for buildings that are constructed on the site with component parts. Lodi Metal Tech is the largest independent producer of the steel components now used in building. Equipment includes a huge 600 ton ‘brake’ which can mold a 52-foot piece of steel 1/4 of an inch thick.

Working with Baybarz in his venture is Les La Maie, who comes from San Francisco with experience in the steel industry. Lodi Metal Tech developed when the two men merged their thinking on market needs using steel to the best advantage, and using only prime structural grade steel delivered in carload lots.