Your idea is terrible. It will not work. You will fail.
An executive director at a large school, so a seemingly important person, said this to me in 2002. I looked at him and thought, “How do you know?”
I can’t stand when people tell me I’m going to fail. All I want to do is prove them wrong.
A lot of times people tell us we’re going to fail because they’re trying to drive us for excellence. Well, his words gave me the motivation to examine and change my business. Because I knew it wasn’t going to fail. I believed in myself.
The first thing you must do when someone says you’re going to fail? Dig deep down inside and understand what it’s going to take for you to succeed. Be humble and willing to change. Get ready to fight.
More than eight years after being told I would fail, after I started this business and sold it, the words of Toby Keith did come into my head: How do you like me now?!
I didn’t go back and sing that song to him, but it was empowering to know that his words didn’t come true.
Let the negative words of others drive you. Build something greater than you ever anticipated. Show your doubters that they need to believe more.