Some years ago, while looking for a new apartment, I was met with several rejections from landlords. One hung up the phone one me when he learned I was a business man. Another wouldn’t accept me because I was single at the time and worked at my own business. It has become almost a norm for residential property owners to not offer their apartments to business owners. They would rather you told them you are employed as a professional at some company.
Just think about it. These landlords would prefer to give their home to an employee than a business owner. Their reason is that a job is more secure than a business. There is more predictable income for an employee than there is for an entrepreneur. So they prefer to deal with someone who has a job than someone who creates jobs.
Isn’t that ridiculous? These supposed enlightened adults would rather take in someone that works in a company than take in the owner of the company. How did we get to this level of irrationality? I will tell you how we got here. And why this is an important reason you should never give up on your dream because of the reception you get from people and society.
Before we get to it, tell us in the comment below, the most ridiculous and irrational experience you have had with people while chasing after your dreams. While at it, subscribe to After School TV for more insightful videos like this.
Most people are pessimists
Almost everyone will want to think of themselves as being optimistic about life. But in reality, most people are pessimists. Most people believe the best things have already been done. The best businesses have already been built. The best days are long gone. The best leaders, creators, and inventors are in the past. In fact, an article on World Economic Forum that is based on a scientific study found that ‘Most people around the world are overly pessimistic’.
If you ask the average American what they thought about their country, they’ll have nasty things to say about America. Yet, it is a dream destination for most people around the world.
When you tell people you are starting a business, their default thought is that you are more likely to fail than to succeed. They cannot believe the possibility that they are experiencing the beginning of something big. How would it possibly be that you that they know or just met would succeed at something so grandiose?
When you tell people that you are building a business, by default they see someone who is likely to fail rather than someone with a high possibility to succeed. Failure is easier than success; failure is more likely than success. If you believe someone was going to fail with their idea, there is a higher chance that you would be right.
I have been told many discouraging things, even ridiculed for my decision to become an entrepreneur despite having an impressive academic track record. Someone once told me that I didn’t have what it takes to succeed at business; another told me running an errand for her was more important than whatever I was doing. These were people I loved and cared about.
You see when you take the unconventional path with your life; the path that very few succeed at, it’s hard for people who know or run into you, to believe that you will be among those few that succeed. So if you expect to get your encouragement from how people react to your ideas and aspiration, you are going to be very disappointed. People are most pessimistic. So the less you depend on people for validation, the better decision you will make for your life.
Most people Project Inferiority Complex
Most people have so many low expectations of themselves that they don’t believe they could be associated with someone destined for greatness at their beginner stage. They unconsciously believe that if you could meet their acquaintance, then you are definitely not cut out for much. If there was going to be someone to do it; it couldn’t possibly be someone they know.
You’ll often see this among poor parents who tell their kids to know their place and where they come from. But it’s also common among people you meet daily. You will notice this with how people start treating you differently when they notice you are worth more than they had thought. That is why people idolize celebrities and public personalities; a projected image of something they can never attain or be associated with someone who attains it.
Understand that when people criticize you or talk down on your big ideas and dreams, it’s often not about you; it’s about them and their insecurities. They are simply trying to project their inferiority to you. Shake it off and keep pursuing your dream.
People are impatient with you
Most Christian parents want their kids to be like Jesus. But how many parents will have put with Jesus’ excesses? People admire what’s ideal, but when it comes to the painful process of reaching that ideal, they are impatient to deal with it.
They fail to understand that it takes time and painful sacrifices to achieve anything great in life. To achieve what most people do not achieve, you are going to pay the price and make a lot of mistakes. No one plants a seed and expects to find a tree the next year.
But people are quick to ridicule the person on the scene who is making the mistakes and learning. They will mock and jest about your failure. People want to meet everything ready and offer little room for benefit of the doubt. That’s why the first impression is given so much importance, despite that first impression is most deceptive.
When Elon Musk was building Tesla, journalists and reports filled the media with pessimism and mockery of his many failures. They also did the same with his rocket company SpaceX. Now that he has achieved many successes, the same people are analyzing and telling us why he succeeded.
Listen to this; the silliest mistake you will ever make in your life is to listen to naysayers and never-do-wells. These people are up to no good. Take them seriously to your own detriment. If you have an idea you want to share with the world, don’t hesitate; go ahead and share it.
Choose your association wisely
Despite all of these, there are people out there who are supportive. There are people who will push you to improve and do better. There are people who believe that everyone deserves a chance. There are people who will identify your potential and offer their hand of support. These people will examine your dreams and help you see the flaws in your strategy.
If you don’t have this type of people around you, you have to start evaluating the people you associate with and start weeding out the naysayers and cynics. You are better off with fewer friends than having negative people around you. When you start associating with positive-minded, supportive and doing people, you will begin to realize that your dream is possible.
So before you give up on your dream, understand that negative the reception you get from people and the crowd, is not as important as you think it is because most people don’t get it.
Until next time, YOUR SUCCESS MATTERS!
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