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Keep Positive

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Article from ADMIN 62/2021

By ADMIN Magazine

The road to success is paved with negative commentary.

I still remember telling one of my computer consulting clients that I was quitting my business and going back to a regular job, while also pursuing my dream of being a technology writer. He responded, "Oh, that's very competitive, are you sure you're doing the right thing?" Fast forward to now, almost 20 years later, and my answer is still, "Yes. Yes, I am." I heard pretty much the same thing from everyone I told. Everyone told me that writing, especially writing for a living, was too competitive and unrealistic. I'm glad I didn't listen to the naysayers.

You see, people will take every opportunity to discourage you from exploring your dreams. Sure, there's some rejection associated with writing, acting, filmmaking, or really doing anything you want to do, but it doesn't stop there. If you proclaim your innermost desires to do anything that's difficult, risky, or time-consuming, you don't have to look far to find someone who'll attempt to dissuade you from going further. My best advice is – spoiler alert – don't listen to them.

My son is a good example of someone who listened to the naysayers. He worked in a retail environment and wanted to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and he told a few people that he had enrolled in the EMT class. His manager discouraged him and disparaged the field as competitive, low paid, and not worth his time. His manager had attempted the class and exam a few years earlier himself and failed. My son quit the class a few days later. My response to him was, "Don't listen to someone who's unsuccessful at something. Of course, they're going to discourage you. They don't want you to be successful at something that they failed at." By then, of course, it was too late.

If you want to know something about a job or creative pursuit, don't listen to naysayers. Chances are very good that they aren't successful at anything, much less whatever it is that you want to do.

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