I’m not sure what it is about human nature, but there seems to be a tendency to talk negatively about people who try hard to rise above the norm.
It happens to new entrepreneurs.
It happens to people who leave Corporate America for jobs in food service, the outdoors, and other less-buttoned-up (e.g., less boring) industries.
It happens to people who leave one job for the next every few years — common in tech, yet frowned upon by those who don’t understand.
In my experience, there are at least two characteristics common among the types of people listed above:
- Courage
- The desire to make a difference
It takes courage to want to do something we deem to be outside of the norm.
Collectively, we have a tendency to celebrate those who’ve successfully blazed these types of trails. People like Steve Jobs, Steve Irwin, and Gary Vaynerchuk.
Yet we also have a tendency to talk down to our friends and acquaintances who set out to follow in their footsteps.
It’s ridiculous.
It can also be immensely discouraging if you’re on the receiving end.
I’ve found it’s best to surround myself with like-minded people, as well as those who, while not following the same path, have words of encouragement to offer. And I minimize contact with those with negative mindsets.
Do the same. It sounds selfish, but it’s not.
The detractors are the selfish ones. If they’re content with mediocrity, that’s cool. What’s not cool is their desire to force you into mediocrity as well.
At the end of the day, I expect my results to so far outpace those detractors that I just can’t hear them anymore.
You can do it, too.
