1. “You’ll never make it”
That’s normally said to your face. And it’s often by well-meaning people. For me, I heard this from my father who told me growing up to “get those big ideas out of your head”. Don’t listen to them. We can’t let the ignorance of other people steal our big dreams just because they have small ones. Your success will eventually show them that they were wrong, and it’s likely that many of those doubters will decide to join you.
2. “He or she thinks they’re special”
People will say this behind your back in most cases. But I remember meeting for breakfast with one of my best friends who I grew up with and he told me “you’ve changed, you think you’re so special now,” when all I did was say I was going to start a business. There’s nothing wrong with having a vision and a plan to improve our lives.
3. “All you care about is money”
That’s an effort to diminish your character. They’ll point out that you don’t complain all the time about real hardships, or that you don’t think about the important things in life. Money is not the most important thing in the world, of course, but you have to have some resources if you want to do the most good. Of course, donating time and encouragement is helpful, but money will help you do that on a bigger scale. Money also allows us to do the things that will take care of our health.
4. “He or she got lucky”
They act like your hard work, goals, and improving yourself doesn’t count. That’s a way for them to justify their poverty mindset and sometimes their lack of effort. Success takes hard work. I find it interesting these days how I have many people warning me that “you better slow down at your age.” But the fact is that I love working and I never want to stop because NeoLife is my passion and I know it’s what I’m called to do. I think we can help people to realize that it’s not luck. We make success happen when we get out there, take chances, set our goals and work towards them. When we put that consistent energy into getting where we want to go, we create the success that people consider “luck.” It’s not a lottery ticket. I’m not special and I didn’t get any special breaks, besides God’s grace, but I did work very hard to create success. Don’t let people take your accomplishments away from you.
5. “I always knew you would make it”
This is what people say when they run into you. When they start seeing the success and positive impact you’re making. I’ve had so many people tell me this over the years. I remember not that long ago I ran into a man I went to high school with. He said “remember me? I wish you would have included me back when you first started. My life would be different now.” And I reminded him that I did try. I invited him to join me. He then said, “well, you should have tried harder!”
The lesson here is to just be prepared and know that these things are coming so you aren’t surprised by them. Surround yourselves with people who will counteract this and who bring encouragement and positivity into your life. We also need to be that positive encourager for others. We have to control our environment as much as possible. We have to control the input that comes into our lives. Whether it’s the people we spend time with, or what movies and TV we watch, and what books we read. There’s going to be a few people that are negative influences that we will need to minimize in our lives because of the thoughts we generate as a result of being around them. As entrepreneurs who are called to make a positive impact on people’s lives, we need to stay on the positive side, control the inputs on our lives, control our thoughts, and no matter what happens, don’t lose sight of where you’re headed because it’s going to be an incredible journey. Thank you for being a member of the NeoLife family, and together we are making the world a healthier and happier place.
God Bless,
Jerry Brassfield
NeoLife Founder