Using "No" as Motivation
Recently, I applied for a position at a new local startup as Director of Development. I figured that because I already work in a rather similar capacity for myself, that it would be a fairly obvious overlap. After all, I'm quite sure of my desire to make business development and strategic operations the main focus of my waking hours, so why bother staying at a job that is currently just a check? Plus I figured that running an actual business would be proof enough of my executive abilities.
As it turns out, HR didn't exactly share the vision.
Most of their questions revolved around my "ability to prioritize" my responsibilities with them. Which basically meant that they thought I would be too busy running my own business to actually do my job.
This is not my first time hearing this.
Currently, the (professional) world is stuck in a relatively outdated thought process, almost as if it still runs on analog, when the rest of reality has advanced to 1080p digital. The prospect of someone being able to excel at more than one thing simultaneously is still somehow inconceivable. Never mind the fact that I had been doing it for over a year already under far more extenuating circumstances. Never mind the fact that the new "job" in question would have an easier schedule, and virtually unlimited vacation time, should I ever need it.
Many of us begin our journey of self-belief and forget that others may not share the same viewpoint. If we can somehow muster the strength to wake up everyday, feed and nourish ourselves (and others), work a full day, workout, and then clock-in to our own futures, then surely that work ethic will be just as plain to others as it is to ourselves, right?
Wrong.
People are slow to learn, and even slower to see what is outside of their desired field of vision. Walt Disney was fired for a "lack of imagination", Thomas Edison was spent most of his academic career being told he was "too stupid to learn," and fired from his first two jobs for not being "suitably productive." Those are just two examples of how the vast majority of people will almost ALWAYS miss the point. Show up, and show out anyway.
Learn to use "no" as fuel. Your job is to be great, not be acknowledged.
So... Can I kick it? (Yes. Yes, I can!).
Supporting links:
https://www.fastcompany.com/3022985/10-famous-creative-minds-that-didnt-quit-their-day-jobs
https://artrepreneur.com/artists-who-failed/
http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-people-who-failed-at-first-2015-7