Reflections:" So what if no one believes in you? You don’t need approval to be successful."

Stop Making Excuses for Who and Where You Are

Because a lot of small choices can make a big difference.  

What you do matters.

Everything. The big stuff. The little stuff. Even the annoying stuff.

It matters that you waste time.

It matters that you blame others for your failures.

It matters that you are lazy at times.

It matters because achieving your goals matters.

And eliminating excuses is the pathway that takes you there.

It’s the same path that every great achiever has followed. 

Sigmund Freud was booed off the stage the first time he presented his theories to a group of scientists in Europe.

He went on to win the Goethe Award for his work in psychology.

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade and lost every public election he ran for until he was elected Prime Minister of England at the age of 62.

Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was 4 years old, couldn’t read basic words until he was 7 and was expelled from school.

He eventually revolutionized physics with his Theory of Relativity.

Henry Ford failed at farming, at being an apprentice and as a machinist, and went bankrupt five times.

He modernized mass production.

Stan Smith was rejected as a ball boy for a Davis Cup tennis match because he was “too clumsy.”

He won eight Davis Cup championships and is considered one of the greatest doubles tennis players of all time.

Charles Schultz had every cartoon rejected that he submitted to his high school yearbook.

He was rejected by Walt Disney.

He went on to create the most popular cartoon series ever: Peanuts.

Van Gogh only sold one painting his entire life—to a friend’s sister for about $50.

He painted over 800 masterpieces, seven of which are cumulatively worth almost $1 billion. 

Living excuse free is about taking responsibility for every aspect of your life.  

It’s about creating a future you’re proud of.

So what if it hasn’t been done before?

Be the first.

So what if you get it wrong a few times?

Reinvent yourself. 

So what if you don’t have a university degree?

Be curious. Learn more. 

So what if no one believes in you?

You don’t need approval to be successful. 

So what if it gets hard?

All big things require pain and loss. 

So what if you keep trying and never get it right?

Audacity is always the right move. 

So what if people aren’t following you?

They will follow once you do something amazing. 

So what if you get hurt?

That’s the price of boldness. 

So what if you’re under-appreciated?

Ego would only make you complacent. 

So what if everything you thought was right turns out to be wrong?

Make up new rules. 

So what if the experts disagree with you?

The experts might be wrong. 

So what if you give more than you get?

You might just be happier. 

So what? So what? So what?

The rest of the what-ifs are just excuses. 

You have to look within yourself and challenge the demons that hold you back from being successful.

You’ll never rise to be a champion until you can look past the fear and the failure and the excuses holding you back.

That starts with believing that you can be amazing regardless of who or where you are in life right now.