Saturday, December 11, 2010

Prove Your Haters Wrong!




I love that movie. Happy Saturday everyone! Today's post is about naysayers, pessimists, downers, prophets of doom, kill-joys, and defeatists. So to all the haters out there listen up because you may learn something!

I chose this clip to lead off the post for a few reasons. Yes, Land of the Lost is a hilarious movie. But beyond all of the comedy, there is an important message to be gained from the movie. Don't let anyone, I mean anyone, tell you what you can't achieve in life. I hope my conviction is seeping into my writing because you must understand that the biggest obstacle for most people achieving their dreams, is the fear of what somebody else might think.

Haters come in all shapes and sizes. There are people out there that hate you just for being you. These people will not change their opinion of you no matter what you do. You will always be the object of their ridicule no matter what. There are people that just hate everyone and feel they are God's gift to the world. These people are generally easy to ignore. However, there is a type of hater that is not so easy to ignore...





I know this may be a bit hard to swallow but its true. Your family and friends can be your biggest haters. I'm not saying that they are the enemy. In fact these people don't actually hate you at all. They may "hate" your ideas though. Let's face it, conformist living is popular. So popular in fact, that mom, dad, sisters, brothers, cousins, and friends all live conformist lifestyles. So when you come up with an idea that goes against that, peoples reactions tend to change. So in "your best interests", your own loved ones try to steer you away from your dream into something "safer".

My dad had many people that told him he was crazy whenever he set a goal for himself. When he said he was going to one of the best vocational high schools in Chicago, everyone said he couldn't do it, but he did and eventually was inducted into the Hall of Fame. When he went to the Marine Corps, people said he couldn't hack it, but he did. When he wanted to work in television, people said he couldn't do it... He won an Emmy. My dad always followed his dreams and never let anyone stop him.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was a bodybuilder before anything else. After winning all sorts of bodybuilding competitions, an interviewer asked him what was next. He stated he wanted to go into acting and the interviewer laughed at him. 20 plus blockbuster hits later he stated he wanted to go into politics. Many thought he could not do it. To date, Mr. Schwarzenegger has been Governor of California for 7 years and has been re-elected once.

Some may recall the story of  Oscar Pistorius a.k.a. "Blade Runner" or "the fastest man with no legs" (if you watch Katt Williams you may know him better as "po' little Tink Tink"). Jokes aside, Oscar had both legs amputated at 11 years old. He went on to play high school rugby, tennis, water polo and Olympic style wrestling. After a rugby injury, he went into running. He went on to set a world record in the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, running the 100 meter dash in 21.97 seconds and beating single amputees. Did I mention he had no legs?

When you cease in listening to critics, you have taken a major step in achieving what you want in life. Stop letting other people dictate your life, even if they mean well. At the end of the day, they will have to live with their decisions and you will have to live with yours.

Make a promise to yourself today and for the rest of your life to prove your haters wrong. Wipe the smirks from their faces. Use their taunts as a pedestal to step upon. Make your enemies your footstool. In the end you will be able to look back and say "I did it, even when no one thought I could". Don't let anyone steal your dream, mock your passion, or put out your fire. Remember for every person that gives up, another keeps going, and that person will wind up living your dream.

I was going to only quote a portion of this song, but I realized that the entire song is appropriate:


"And now, the end is near,
And so I face the final curtain.
My friends, I'll say it clear;
I'll state my case of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full -
I've traveled each and every highway.
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets? I've had a few,
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.

I planned each charted course -
Each careful step along the byway,
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew,
When I bit off more than I could chew,
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up and spit it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried,
I've had my fill - my share of losing.
But now, as tears subside,
I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that,
And may I say, not in a shy way -
Oh no. Oh no, not me.
I did it my way.

For what is a man? What has he got?
If not himself - Then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way.

Yes, it was my way. "

-Frank Sinatra

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