Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/xEh4hvxRKXM
People thought I was crazy when:
I left my stable job working for the government;
I bought a condo as a poor student;
I dropped out of university to start my own business;
I decided to gain 6kg of mass in one month;
I left Canada to travel the world for a year;
I left another awesome high-paying job to become a nomad;
I applied for a grant competing against big names in the video game industry;
I decided to write one article a day on Medium or Quora.
You get the point.
I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences when people thought you were doing something crazy. Something that’s out of the norms of the society we live in. Something they thought you would fail because the odds were against you.
Sometimes you gave in, sometimes you persevered.
Which times do you regret the most? I’m willing to bet it’s the times you listened to them and gave in.
Of the things above that people said I was crazy for, I succeed at all of them.
Every time I “quit” something, I got something better in return.
The condo I bought, I sold for 28% more than what I paid for, after one year only.
I started four companies. Some were “successful”, some “failed”. The lessons I learned from both made me a better person and a better entrepreneur.
Not only did I gain 6.9kg of mass, I lost 3% body fat. I’m doing that again this month.
Traveling the world for a year changed me in so many good ways. I always considered myself an introvert. That’s definitely not how people see me today. I’m not afraid to approach people anymore. I’m more confident and I’m more proficient at speaking. In multiple languages now. And I used to be a much pickier eater. Now I eat many more things.
The grant I applied for, I got it two years in row, beating some of the best Canadian video game studios. My studio has no track record, and I was competing against much larger and successful game studios.
In my very short journey as a writer (7 days to be precise), I got a top answer on Quora and 3 articles published by The Startup.
And I’m not saying any of this to brag. I’m saying to make you believe in your crazy ideas, because they can work.
Think about times when people said you were crazy.
Make a list. I’m sure it didn’t only happen once.
Were they right?
How has not listening to them changed you? For better? For worse?
Do that same exercise I did above.
Can you see that you’re on the right track?
Conclusion
Dare do things out of your comfort zone — out of any normal person’s comfort zone. Be special. Be on the right track. The right track for you!
Leaving on you on a very powerful quote from Steve Jobs:
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things — they push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. — Steve Jobs
If that doesn’t inspire you to be crazy, you’re crazy(?).
Stay crazy my friends.
Feel free to leave a comment about what people thought you were crazy for and why they were wrong.
Thanks for reading! :)