One of the paradoxes of life is that
being "reasonable"
often means settling for ordinary
results, while success
requires us to step outside our
normal routines, be
different and, sometimes,
uncomfortable. Highly successful
people are, by definition, unusual
people!
All of us have been pressured to conform
at one time or
another. We've been told to
"sit still" in school, to "stop
interrupting" or "not make
a scene." We've been criticized
for dressing, speaking, acting or
thinking "different." The
subtle and not-so-subtle pressures
to accept conventional
norms are powerful. "To get
along, you have to go along."
Well. Madame Currie, Florence
Nightingale, Helen Keller,
Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt,
and Oprah Winfrey are
not admired because they were
"average" people! Thomas
Jefferson, Thomas Edison, Charles
Lindbergh, Franklin
Roosevelt and Bill Gates were not
"conventional" people.
Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded
as the greatest American
president, yet the thing he was most
known for among his
friends was his stubborn refusal to
quit running for
office, even after he lost
thirty-two elections! That is
not normal!
One of the things that has made
America, and capitalism
great, is our love of individuality.
We have always admired
our "mad inventors." The
Wright brothers thought they could
fly! Henry Ford thought he could put
a car in every garage.
Ben Franklin flew a kite in a
thunder storm (didn't his
mother tell him to come in out of
the rain?). Mary Kay
thought she could make a living
selling make-up, while Mrs.
Field tried to support her family
selling cookies! That's
just nuts!
Now, we need to tell the truth here.
A lot of crazy ideas
really are pretty crazy. We've all
had brilliant ideas in
the middle of the night, only to
find that in the clear
light of day they weren't worth
pursuing. I've made many
fortunes while taking my shower,
only to see them go down
the drain when I tried to tell my
partners about them. Just
because an idea is weird doesn't mean
it's wonderful.
But many great ideas (and the
fortunes) have been lost
because the genius who thought it up
was shy. Or lacked
courage. Or got intimidated by a
casual comment that, "You
can't do that!"
All great ideas were crazy before
they were brilliant.
Alexander Bell thought he could talk
over copper wires, and
even worse, Marconi thought he could
send messages through
thin air! When David Sarnoff wanted
to launch the first
radio network (now NBC), one
investor ridiculed him by
asking, "Who would pay to send
a message to no one in
particular?" Jules Verne
thought people might one day
travel under the ocean or, even more
ridiculous, fly in
outer space. How crazy was that!?
If you can read this, you are a
genius. You have had
thousands of wonderful, creative,
brilliant ideas--most of
which you've never pursued. And
that's a shame.
Success is not achieved by being
"ordinary." Nor is it
achieved merely by being
"different." Success is about
following your own path and having
the courage to
intelligently pursue your dreams.
One of my heroes, Henry Thoreau,
recommended "marching to
beat of your own drummer."
To achieve your unique version of
success, follow your
heart. Yes, you'll want to learn
from others. Yes, you'll
want to obey the law and applicable
regulations, but aside
from those things, you become great
by being exactly and
uniquely yourself. This is a call
for more eccentrics, more
individuals, more creative,
unrepentant adventurers. Go
where you heart and your instincts
lead you. Follow your
dream. Instead of following the
safe, "normal" highway,
blaze a new path and leave a trail
for others to follow.
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