The Secret Of Success Against All Odds
“Great ideas are always met with fierce resistance.”
Unknown
“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”
Ferdinand Foch
You’re always going to struggle through moments when you’re on the path to greatness.
Walt Disney was laughed at and rejected more than 200 times on his proposal for Disneyland.
Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks was refused by 224 banks when he approached them for funding.
Billionaire Oprah Winfrey, was once classified as “unfit for TV” and fired from multiple jobs.
Award-winning film director and producer Steven Spielberg applied to get in the University of Southern California’s film school three times, and was rejected each time.
When Tom Brady played football in college he wasn’t even a starter on his team. In his pre-draft evaluation videos, the Scouts said they saw limited athleticism, an average throwing arm and just a mediocre all-around player. Brady has gone on to win the most Superbowls of any quarterback in NFL history.
To Achieve Great Things, It Takes Great Persistence – And Resilience.
When I was fourteen I was told I would fail high school math.
It was a fair comment as I despised math more than anything else and was cutting corners every possible way.
But I was outraged the teacher was forecasting my future failure. My fragile ego was severely bruised.
So I got up early every morning to study.
I got a math tutor.
I took every extra class I could find.
And I ended up graduating with an A in my two advanced math classes.
If I hadn’t been given that cold slap in the face, I would have never known what I was capable of.
The same applied when real estate agents told me I would never sell my upside down house in Los Angeles during the last recession. One marketing campaign and an open-house-that attracted-over-200-people-in-a single-weekend later, - we found our buyer (who happily paid full price - more about this story in my book The Client Stampede).
I’m sure you can think of many times where you’ve triumphed despite the odds. It’s a good reminder to look how far you’ve already come.
Great Leaders, Lead
What ever great thing you’re working on – a new product launch, a new idea, a new brand identity or digital presence for your company – be prepared to face massive resistance.
Often the greatest resistance comes from inside your own ranks.
Don’t be swayed from your vision.
Great leaders lead.
They don’t wait until everyone agrees to move forward.
They tell their team “this is the path we’re taking, now let’s get moving”.
Your job is to trailblaze new paths which are invisible to everyone else. That’s how big breakthroughs are achieved.
Yes, it can be lonely at the top, but you’re not alone.
