You can spend much of your life having people tell you that you will never accomplish anything, that you will never amount to much, and that you are too full of yourself with your big goals.
Prove them wrong.
You can start out by ignoring rejection. After all, Elvis Presley was told by a music producer, right after his first audition, that his future was probably best found working as a truck driver. Steven Spielberg was rejected from film school three times. The Beatles? Multiple record label rejections. Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper job because he was told was lacking in ideas and didn't display much creativity. Stephen King got dozens of rejections for his first book before finding success. Albert Einstein was told he was lazy and would never be able to do much. Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, was rejected by over 1,000 restaurants when he was trying to sell his unique fried chicken recipe.
And famously, Steve Jobs was fired from the company he co-founded, only to return later and turn it into the most valuable company in the world.
These are the stories and the people who should inspire you to never give up. Stories that should tell you to ignore the advice that you will never achieve your goals. To discount those who might tell you that you will never make it. When they say that you will never amount to much, take it as an indication that you can actually amount to everything.
How do you do this?
Reject their rejection! James Dyson did - he was turned down by every single manufacturer that he approached with his revolutionary vacuum design. So he decided to go it alone.
Ignore your potential shortcomings. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, failed to make his high school's varsity team during his sophomore year because he was deemed to be too short. That didn't hold him back - it caused him to double down on his efforts.
Do it yourself. Jay Z, the rapper, and entrepreneur today worth billions, was turned down by every single record label he approached with his demo tape, and had to start his own label to release his music. Do what he did - n today's world, it is easy to self-publish, self-perform, and self-create. It's a DIY world, and you are the YOU in it.
Turn your perceived weakness into an asset. Oprah Winfrey was told that she was too emotional and involved with her interview style, and yet that became the focus of her personal brand with one of the most famous TV shows in history.
What can we learn from all this? Recognize that at any given point in time, you are a bundle of unrealized potential.
When they tell you that you won't be able to do it, set out to do it. Banish rejection - turn it into a personal motivator. Ignore early failure - you aren't doing things wrong, you are learning how to do them right. Take on their negativity as your challenge - let it inspire you into working harder. Accept that this type of criticism from others is just the nature of some people - their motivational DNA limits their future but it should not limit yours.
Ignore them.
Recognize yourself.
Move forward!
Futurist Jim Carroll was told by a good friend that his first book would never amount to much and that he would never really find success as a speaker. He went on to write 39 books that sold over 1 million copies and has been on stages around the world speaking about the future, creativity, and innovation, at more than 1,500 events in front of 2 million people. He proved them wrong.
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