Success Story with Scott D. Clary: "Lessons – The Abundance Mindset That Changes Everything"

Guest: Saul Blinkoff (Disney & DreamWorks Animator)
Episode Date: December 22, 2025

Episode Overview

This special "Lessons" episode of the Success Story podcast, hosted by Scott D. Clary, delves into the evolution of success and leadership beyond personal achievement. Renowned animator Saul Blinkoff (Disney/DreamWorks) shares how reaching his career dreams forced him to re-examine what fulfillment truly means. Together, they explore the transformative power of responsibility, adopting an abundance (giving) mindset, and how awareness of mortality sharpens our values and impact.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Redefining Success After Achieving Your Dream

• Saul’s Disney Journey:

  • Saul shares his early career at Disney, working on "Pocahontas," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and four years on "Mulan."
  • Despite living his dream (“actually living the dream” – [02:17] Scott), something still felt missing.

• The Awakening:

  • During a period of “downtime” at Disney, Saul recounts how he had the chance to reflect away from work, leading to a pivotal trip to Israel to learn about his Jewish identity.
  • In Israel, he grappled with a bigger question: "What makes us unique, and what are our responsibilities once we achieve what we once desired?" ([02:20]-[03:53])

2. Responsibility and Service as Fulfillment

• From Getting to Giving:

  • Saul explains: “I always saw my life as like, if I get to Disney, I’ll be happy… But something felt like it was missing… What changed? It was really that one word. Responsibility.” ([02:20]-[03:20])
  • He criticizes the commonly used “abundance” buzzword as a self-centered pursuit of “more,” and instead stresses the importance of serving others ([03:39]-[04:05]).

• Values in Creative Work:

  • Saul now turns down projects not aligned with his values and focuses on work with a positive impact (e.g., producing "Doc McStuffins," which helped children feel comfortable going to the doctor – [05:41]-[06:05]).
  • “Now, I didn’t just see myself as a filmmaker making whatever movies. It was like, well, what are the values that I’m putting in the projects that I work on?” ([05:03])

3. Rethinking Abundance – A Mindset of Service

• Challenging the Typical Notion:
  • Saul: “You hear [abundance] all the time now, don’t you?...You can have more. Of what?...Is that what life is about?” ([03:39])
• Scott’s Definition:
  • Scott reframes abundance as “a mindset of giving as much as you can...there’ll always be more” ([04:18]-[04:29]), suggesting abundance is truly about generosity, not accumulation.
  • Saul: “I love that. Well, I wish I had your definition back when I was starting, because I needed that.” ([05:03])

4. Mortality and the Clarity of Values

• The Jewish Lesson – Why Choose a Funeral:

  • Saul recounts a Jewish teaching: “If you have to choose to go to a wedding or a funeral, choose the funeral,” because funerals prompt us to reflect on our limited time and what truly matters ([06:05]-[07:40]).
  • “When you go to a funeral, every single one of us stands there, and for at least a moment, we have a realization that someday that’s going to be me...” ([06:05])
  • Saul emphasizes that this clarity shifts us towards urgency and purpose.

• Stoicism and the Reminder of Death:

  • Scott introduces Stoicism’s “memento mori” concept ([07:40]-[08:34]):
    • “There was somebody in the chariot that would always be whispering in the general’s ear like you’re human, you’re going to die. To make sure they didn’t think they were gods.”

• Steve Jobs’ Wisdom:

  • Saul references Steve Jobs’ Stanford speech:
    • “One of the greatest gifts to humanity is having the awareness that one day we’re gonna die...that should give us the clarity that we need to not wait.” ([10:51]-[11:06])

5. Legacy and the Ability to Respond

• Personal Legacy Over Public Achievement:
  • Saul recounts interviewing George Foreman and asking about legacy ([12:08]-[13:47]). Foreman replied,
    • “There’s one thing I want people to remember about me...That I loved humanity. That I loved human beings. That when I walked down the street, I had the mindset that I wanted to smile at a person and make their day just a little bit better.” ([12:08])
  • Saul reflects: “Responsibility is really the ability to respond. Response-ability is the ability to respond. And wherever in life we have the ability to respond, we should. We’re responsible.” ([13:36])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Living the Dream:

  • Scott: “Living the dream. Living the dream, actually living the dream.” ([02:17])

• On the Realization of Responsibility:

  • Saul: “I always saw my life as like, if I get to Disney, I’ll be happy...but something felt like it was missing...What changed? It was really that one word. Responsibility.” ([03:20])

• On the Abundance Mindset:

  • Saul: “You hear [abundance] all the time now, don’t you?... You can have more. Of what?...Is that what life is about?” ([03:39])
  • Scott: “It's a mindset of giving as much as you can…there’ll always be more.” ([04:29])

• On Mortality and Urgency:

  • Saul: “When you go to a funeral, every single one of us stands there, and for at least a moment, we have a realization that someday that’s going to be me… What am I waiting for? What else do I want to accomplish?” ([06:05]-[07:40])
  • Scott (on Stoicism): “There was somebody in the chariot that would always be whispering in the general’s ear like you’re human, you’re going to die.” ([08:34])

• On Legacy:

  • George Foreman (as retold by Saul): “There’s one thing I want people to remember about me...That I loved humanity. That I loved human beings.” ([12:08])
  • Saul: “Responsibility is really the ability to respond...wherever in life we have the ability to respond, we should. We’re responsible.” ([13:36])

Key Timestamps

• [01:51] Saul starts recounting Disney “downtime” and reflection
• [02:20] Realization of “missing” piece after achieving dream; importance of responsibility
• [03:39] Critiquing popular abundance narratives
• [04:18] Scott redefines abundance as generosity
• [05:03] Saul: using creative work to serve, not just create
• [06:05] Jewish wisdom: funerals as moments of clarity; mortality brings urgency
• [07:40] Introduction to Stoicism and memento mori
• [10:51] Steve Jobs’ philosophy on mortality and life’s urgency
• [12:08] George Foreman’s legacy: love for humanity
• [13:36] The true meaning of responsibility: ability to respond

Tone & Style

The conversation is reflective, honest, and inspiring, mixing humor (Disney anecdotes, playful banter about age and millennial references) with deep philosophical exploration about meaning, mortality, legacy, and what it means to truly live an “abundant” life.

Summary Takeaway

True abundance isn’t about accumulating more, but giving more. Success is redefined not by what you achieve, but by how you use your talents and time to serve others – especially in the face of life’s impermanence.