So you have always had a passion, something you love. It is a very unique strength, but everyone has told you that you will never make it and that this particular passion requires a lot more talent than you possess. “There is no future in this” they told you. “You shouldn’t get your hopes up. It is really hard to make it in this business, and you will end up losing everything. Just keep doing it as a hobby; face reality like everyone else.”
I will start by letting you all in on something. There are two main types of people who have convinced you of this.
Family, Friends and Colleagues
The first group includes people you interact with on a daily basis: family, friends, and colleagues. Listen to what I am about to say very carefully! What the hell do they know about how hard it is to make it? How are they qualified to tell you whether or not you are talented enough? You know what makes them think they are right in what they have told you? The fact that you chose to believe them is the only thing that has proven them right!
They know NOTHING about this stuff.
Most people spend less than ten minutes a year planning their life and asking themselves if they’re on the right track in pursuing something they find meaningful.
It’s not their fault. Their knowledge comes from a buildup of beliefs. Their negativity represents their own fears talking. If your passion is strong enough, if you refuse to believe them, and if you instead believe that you can make it happen, it WILL happen.
Experts
The second group comprises people you encounter that have some sort of position or status or expertise in a certain field. Let’s take your school teachers, for example. They represent the image of an expert. You have had teachers telling you that you will never make it in your field of preference. They told you to forget about pursuing a dream. They said it was not in your future, and you should take a more productive path. Another example might be a desire to start your own business (cooking, fashion, training, etc). You go to the experts, and they tell you that your idea is never going to work. They say that it’s not what people are looking for, you do not have the budget to market yourself, and it will never succeed. Guess What? They could be wrong!
Please, listen carefully! You need to realize that these people are human beings; they are basing their comments on what they have learned in one particular field.
Have you ever noticed your boss making a decision that is obviously wrong, or choose the wrong solution for a given problem? It may be because he or she has been so caught up in a subject that at some point his or her mind loses creativity. Well, the same goes for other experts. Something that may not have worked in the past may work in the future. If you are creative enough to visualize it happening, then there’s a strong possibility that it will work.
Did you know that Beethoven was told by his music teacher that he would never make it as a composer?
Did you know that they actually met with his parents and the teacher told them not to have high expectations for him?
Good thing he did not listen to the experts!
I want to share what is probably my favorite example, one that I have used many times. A young boy had a passion, a desire to skate and play hockey. He started playing at the age of three. He was on the ice every time he had the opportunity. His dream? To play in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The experts told him that he would never make it as a professional hockey player in the NHL.
This boy was not gifted physically; he was too skinny and weak, and he was not a fast enough skater. So, what did he do? He used his unique strength, the value that no one else had. He had what they call field sense or “vision,” the ability to calculate the movement of every player on the ice and know exactly where the puck was going.
He not only got to play in the NHL, he went on to become the best hockey player who ever played.
That young boy was Wayne Gretzky, better known as “The Great One.”
It’s a really good thing that Wayne did not listen to the experts!
Do you see what I am saying? These are just two examples of people who proved the experts wrong. They believed they could make it happen, and they did. Had they listened to the experts, they would have proven them right. They are no different than you; the only thing they did differently is that they did not listen to any of the people who believed they were wrong, and they worked really hard at making it happen.
They saw the rejections, the lack of encouragement from others, and the put downs as exactly what they were: a mirror of those people’s fears, lack of creativity, and lack of knowledge; they weren’t to be taken seriously.
Stop hiding and discover yourself; don’t accept other’s definition of your life. Believe in yourself and challenge yourself. You will be amazed at what you can do!
Taking the first step is the hardest. This article is taken from “Stop Hiding and Discover Yourself”, a book I wrote to guide you in breaking free from your emotional barriers and start living the life you want. If you want to learn more, check it out and get your kindle version of “Stop Hiding and Discover Yourself! Secrets to Strengthen Your Personal Value” on Amazon.
