I can only imagine what people first thought of Orville and Wilbur Wright, who invented the precursor to the modern airplane in 1903. The duo, who owned a bicycle shop in their native North Carolina, were probably laughed at when they told people they were going to invent a machine that could fly. The mocking must have been ferocious.
Unfortunately, Wilbur only lived another decade after their invention, but Orville survived until 1948. By then, the airplane was a key to countries winning wars and had been a commercial alternative to traveling to Europe without taking the time a ship demanded.
I hope there were a few “told-you-so” moments along the way for Orville.
What was one of the biggest contributing factors to why the Wright Brothers invented what became our modern airplane? They didn’t listen to anybody who told them it couldn’t be done, and they were crazy enough to believe such a machine could be created.
If anybody tells you that you can’t do what you believe you can, smile, nod, be glad you’re not the pessimist they are — then go ahead and prove them wrong.
Learning Who NOT to Follow
I grew up in Haiti. While it is a beautiful country with wonderful people that will always hold a special place in my heart, the poverty and corruption seen on television is also very real. Children are raised knowing that if they want to have a good life, they’re going to need to leave for America or Europe.
When I came to America as a young adult, still a boy at heart, really, with almost no English, it could have been easy to doubt myself and think I was limited in what I would accomplish. Even years later, when I was attending college and working full-time, there were men I worked with who told me I was wasting my time in school. I’m guessing most of them are still punching a time clock at that hotel security office because they don’t believe they can do better, or that somebody told them they couldn’t amount to more.
Nearly a decade ago, as I was finishing my master’s degree in health administration, I created a plan to open a nursing home. I still stand by that plan, but I allowed a few people to rattle my confidence and eventually talk me out of it. It’s one of the biggest regrets I have.
In the future, I have big plans to help underprivileged boys. For now, I’m making a difference in people’s lives as a career coach. I still have both dreams, and whether or not I am supported in pursuing them, I will not let anyone talk me out of accomplishing what I want to achieve in life. You shouldn’t let anyone talk you out of accomplishing what you want, either.
Ignoring the naysayers
While there are many ways to ignore the naysayers, the following techniques seem to work well with almost all people.
1. Define and Understand the Dream
Know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish and why you’re trying to accomplish it. Your knowledge will go a long way toward building up the armor against anyone who tries to tear you down.
2. Take Small, Identifiable Steps Toward the Dream
If your dream is to be rich, the only way that happens overnight is by winning the lottery or having a rich relative die and leave you an inheritance. However, there are many paths to becoming rich, and most take years and years of travel before you finally arrive. However — if you don’t start with that first step, you’ll never get to the second and so on.
3. Anticipate Setbacks and Resistance
Just because you have a plan doesn’t mean it’s the one that will ultimately work. You’ve got to anticipate failure because it happens to everybody. If you expect failures to be part of your journey, they will be easier to cope with when they happen.
4. Don’t Listen to Your Inner Naysayer
It takes someone else to plant the seed, but it takes you to nurture it. Try to keep company with positive people. When some people try to poke holes in your dreams, it’s best not to listen to them. Their dreams are likely already shattered, and you want to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.