Steve Jobs said “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” They trust their own madness. They refuse to give up. It doesn’t matter how many times their ideas are rejected, or their bank loan is denied. They find other ways to reach their goals.
What you believe about your own abilities is your only limit. If you have enough nerve to keep showing up and keep trying, anything is possible.
When you lose faith of what is possible, remind yourself of these people who kept on going, even when it felt impossible:
- Thomas Edison – He was told by his teachers that he was ‘too stupid to learn anything’. He went on to hold more than 1,000 patents, including the phonograph and practical electric lamp.
- Steven Spielberg – He was rejected twice by University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. He went on to win five Academy Awards.
- Albert Einstein – He didn’t speak until age four and couldn’t read until age seven. He was considered to be mentally handicapped. He not only changed the way we perceive physics; he won a Nobel Prize.
- Stephen King – His first book, Carrie, was rejected by publishers 30 times. Frustrated, he threw the manuscript into the trash. His wife retrieved it, asking him to try one more time. He did and it was his first book deal.
- Sylvester Stallone – He was rejected by talent scouts over 1,500 times. When he was writing Rocky, he was so broke he had to sell his dog to keep the electricity on.
- Oprah – She was told she was unfit for television and fired from her first job.
- Katy Perry – Her first album sold a mere 200 copies before the record label went out of business. After that she was dropped by two record labels. Ten years later she released I Kissed a Girl, and her career took off.
- Michael Jordan – He was cut from his high school basketball team for lack of talent.
- Howard Schultz – When developing Starbucks, he was turned down by banks 242 times.
- Walt Disney – His idea for a theme park was trashed 302 times.
