Whatever your ultimate dream maybe, it can be frustrating when someone overlooked you and didn’t give you a chance. The challenge is, most believe in “luck” giving them an opportunity. They look for a sponsor, a mentor, or an investor – to help them achieve their dreams. My advice: Stop thinking like that. I have always been a believer that – you create your own luck. Don’t wait for people to give you the chance, because success does not come as a handout.
As one opportunity shuts, another will open – so long as you don’t give up.
As cliché as this may sound, it’s true. Everything does happens for a reason. Even if you don’t want to believe it when in the thick of the storm, in hindsight, you will realize that event or decision was for the better. There are so many opportunities for success out there for you. Just because you did not get one to fruition, should not stop you from pursuing another. So move on from self-pity and find the next opportunity to work on. Remember: Failure is just part of the journey. So, long as you don’t make it your destination!
Success is the ultimate revenge.
Oprah said the above to me on her show. After we are rejected, we may begin to feel contempt. But, you don’t need to prove anything to anyone in this world. There is beauty in everything we try to strive for. So, to those who did not believe you were worthy of their time, let them be. You are not here to satisfy this world. There is over 7 billion of them to please. You are here to strive toward the pursuit of happiness for yourself – only. And, that will only happen when you deliver on that ultimate prize, to see your dream come true. Strive for success and happiness, and when you are successful and happy, you will figure out your purpose in life. Like my grandmother used to say to me, “This world was made for you. You were not made as an accessory for this world.”
Don’t try to be the “Next” Someone
I despise it when people say, ‘oh that’s the next Steve Jobs, or the next Michael Jackson’. No, they’re not. Because those people already made their mark in this world and their positions are already taken. You are unique. You are yourself. Being unique is a bliss. Everyone is different. In diversity lies our strength. Some people decide to hide their identity or strengths to conform to those of the society; others disregard societal norms and stand for what they believe in, even if they are standing alone. Regardless, keep calm and carry on. Don’t be ashamed for staying true to yourself. Always be YOU.
Every story is written differently.
Many things happen behind closed doors. People don’t realize there is so much more to a person than what he or she conveys. Many times, people may act a certain way, as a defense mechanism to hide their insecurities when they deny you the chance. Odds are, this reflects the other person’s self-doubt – towards their own success. Don’t get me started on how many times I got rejected by people who have accomplished far less. It happened to me when I started ClickAgents, BlueLithium, RadiumOne, and even RedLotus. But, I persevered because deep down inside, I chose to believe in me. Don’t ever lose that feeling.
You don’t need people to tell you how great you are.
Far too many times people rely on their surroundings for validation. And, usually when you’re looking for that, you are insecure. You may be looking for people around you who are the “yes” people. Often this false sense of agreement comes at a price – as chances are these people want something from you. You don’t need these sponges in your life. There are far too less “real” people in this world as is. When you find the ones who are true to you, regardless of the situation, surround yourself around them. They will tell you when you are wrong and be your anchor of support when you are down. If you’re lucky to have these people in your life, the real truth comes from these – that are honest to you. You may not like what they want to say. But, deep down inside, do ask yourself, ‘what do they have to gain from me?’ If the answer is nothing. Then, listen to them. “Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.”
Without Risk, There is no Reward.
Most successful people are risk-takers. Every successful idea usually comes with many tribulations. Be it even our human evolution. Even modern day, science, entertainment and technology, we use products that were once an unrealistic or impractical of a thought. If the risk-taking people had given up on those ideas or their dreams, where would we be now? As one wrote, “The world would sleep if things were run, by men who say, it can’t be done.” Be a dreamer. Don’t give up when you hear the word “no.” As they say, no one remembers the losers. They only remember the winners. And, sometimes success may be right around the corner – just a step away from when you’re about to quit.
Keep your Dream Alive
Everyone, and I mean everyone, has something to contribute to this world. It takes strength, confidence and compassion to see the value in something or even someone. It takes that same kind of person to make an exception and give another person their chance. Should a person not extend you an opportunity, they are the ones losing. Maybe one day they will look back and regret not taking a chance on you. It’s even happened to me various times throughout my career.
Success comes only to those who make it possible. Some of the most successful people were rejected, refused and failed; yet, they went against the opinions of others and triumphed to become our role models. They took their rejection or lack of consideration from their peers as a constructive criticism. When you aren’t given a chance, it’s okay; your chance will come and it will be exceptionally rewarding. J.K. Rowling was rejected 7 times before given a chance to write her first novel in the Harry Potter series, making her the the first billionaire author. Google was rejected by Yahoo to be acquired for $1 million during their first year, now their worth $600 billion. Even, I, was continuously rejected throughout my four companies, despite my successful track record. Consider their rejection as a piece of noise, and consider your triumph to be as Beethoven’s symphony.
Impossibilities don’t exist because of Imagination
Almost every technological advancement was believed, at one point, to be impossible. But impossibility exists only when we believe it to be so. Don’t get me wrong, there are limitations on a few things. For example, mortality is a limitation. The impossibility of success we seek as humans doesn’t refer to bending the laws of nature. But sometimes we think our dream is impossible because we’re underestimating the power of our imagination. We create our own impossibilities. We are to blame for the limitations we accept due to fear. In reality, we’re all capable of making huge, positive impacts. Together we can change the world. I aspire to make a dent on this universe and continue to make an impact on the lives of others. I continue to strive to achieve this aspect of my dream by creating thousands of jobs from my entrepreneurial efforts and helping those in need through my foundation’s philanthropic efforts. No one is pushing me to bring about this change, rather this sheer ability to endeavor this brings tremendous feeling of accomplishment of happiness. To see myself be part of the change I seek in this world, it fuels my sense of purpose and empowers my desire to wake up with excitement, day after day. As I said before, live a life with with purpose, and you’ll never be bored.
I do believe most individuals want to see their dreams become reality – or DID want it. When we’re younger, before we’re taught to believe that things are impossible, we’re aware of our potential. We may not be aware of the necessary steps or sacrifices required to make the changes toward ultimate success, but we have the sense to accomplish anything we set our minds to. What happened to those people or to that ‘6th sense’? Some say, when we were young, we are naive. Regardless, I say to those who have lost hope for a better future, or a pleasant existence, you are setting your own limits. If there is one way to fail at life, well – this belief will certainly be it. If you limit your accomplishments, your experiences, and lower the level of wisdom you can achieve, I guarantee you will get exactly that – an unfulfilled existence.
As they say, Rome also wasn’t built in one day. Don’t get caught believing that anything worth accomplishing will be easy; otherwise everyone would be doing it.
The Pursuit of Happiness
Pursuing your dreams requires sacrifice and perseverance. We all have limited time and energy in our lives. Accept that you can only do so much. Every goal requires a minimum number of steps. Some things are more easily accomplished than others. But that’s not always the case. Don’t worry about the number of steps; concern yourself with maintaining the right amount of focus. Some things will require more focus than others.
We are not born brilliant, we learn and continue to evolve our intellect. Some of us have a slower processing speed; others have higher – and it is ok. At the end of the day, if you want to be brilliant, you must strive towards it. Unless you are accustomed to hard work, any task is never fun. Aim to experience life. Otherwise, you may miss out on some popular experiences in life, as I shared in my book. The tradeoff was worth it. Do it right. And, more importantly, do it for the right reasons.
Live that life that you want to live — one that delivers purpose. Don’t expect support from others. Maybe they will support you; maybe they won’t. They may even tell you to not bother chasing your dream. They may even give you 99 reasons why you shouldn’t do it.
Ignore negativity. Don’t allow them to pull you away and lose your focus. Mark these people as the “debbie downers” of your life. They’re the ones who anchor you to an existence you don’t want to be a part of. The only reason they are telling you that your goals are “impossible” is because they don’t have the guts to achieve their own dreams. Perhaps, in a way, they’re right; it is impossible. But only for them.
Not for you.
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