Being Human is Hard. But Not Impossible.
Being Human is hard. I’m sure this is not new information to anyone. We’ve all felt it at one point or another. How we deal with it is different. How we deal with it makes or breaks us.
If you looked at me and heard where I am in life, you would probably think I’m pretty stellar at this thing we call life. At least people who hear my story tell me this. But trust me, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. No matter who you are, being human is hard. It’s universal.
But wait. Some people are naturally “beautiful”, some have lots of money and do nothing all day and others are naturally talented and do amazing things. How is it possible that even for the successful, being human is hard?
Well let’s go back to the title. Like I said. Being human is HARD. But NOT impossible. What do I mean by this? Many people who seem to be living the life, didn’t always have it.
While I’m not a billionaire yet, I can tell you one day I will be and I can tell you it’s not easy. Every successful person out there has been tested. Tried. Failed. Told to quit. And so have I. I’ve had friends and family try to talk me out of the risks I’ve taken. Even today, as the COO of a rapidly growing once start-up company, I’m still told to quit. That I’m not good enough. That I’m going to fail.
You know what I have to say about that? #HatersGonnaHate.
If I listened to this negativity in my life, I would be sitting on the side of the street, begging for food and work. Political preferences aside, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have been told by countless people they should not be running for president. Same with countless Entrepreneurs, Billionaires, Actors/Actresses, Musicians, Artists and anyone else who has reached a level of success. So, why should I stop? Why should you stop?
Just because being human is hard doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
I learn this everyday. I wake up thinking that I know the day will be 100% flawless, nothing can ruin my day. And then 5 disasters later my positivity is wearing thin. My patients (and I have a lot) are being tested. People start to say rude and unkind things to me. Repeat. By the afternoon I struggle to remain positive. And this is coming from someone who in middle school, high school, college and in my first job after college, was always given ‘awards’ for being the most positive.
It’s important to remember that even the rich, famous and successful people have hardships. They are often ‘attacked’ more than anyone else because of their success. They find being human hard at times. Business is hard. Life is hard. Being human is hard. But none of those things are impossible. Successful people make the choice not to let tough times stop them.
I was bullied as a child. I was quiet and grew up with little money on a dairy farm in a wealthy town. Easy target. I never told anyone until last year. I was 23 when I first told someone any of this. Everyday I smiled. Everyday I went to school with the drive to do well. Every time I was made fun of I laughed it off and worked hard. It doesn’t mean it didn’t impact me. I just chose, even as a child, to brush it off and put myself on the path to success.
Now, at 24 I’m the founder and Chief Operating Officer of a fast growing company. We have three offices and more on the way by the end of 2016. I left my small town and live in South Florida on the beach. I have equity in 6 investment properties. I work hard. I work nonstop. I brush off those who still tell me I suck and I’m a failure. Little do they know, I don’t take their comments personally, I use them to fuel myself, as so many successful people do. I look at Facebook and LinkedIn at all my middle school and HS classmates, I see many them working jobs not in their fields or complaining about their jobs. I see many of them living at home with no clue what they want to do with their lives. Not living up to their potential. These same people that made fun of me.
But you know what? In business when I was lied to, cheated out of, manipulated and pushed around, I could handle it. I make the choice every day not to let others write my story. I write it. And only me. That’s how I know I will be successful. That’s what makes me different.
There’s no reason you can’t do it too. There’s no reason you can’t master this thing we call life. You write your own story. Don’t let others dictate it.
So rather than cry about what other people say about me and my company, rather than quit, rather than let what they say bother me, I use it to fuel me. I pick myself back up. And I Conquer this being human thing.
And you can too.
