Do you ever wonder how much more advanced our world could be without all the naysayers and pessimists?

Imagine if Christopher Columbus would have listened to all the expert geographers of his day who were convinced the world was absolutely flat, and merely continued to work in the family business as a simple cheesemaker.

What if Wilbur and Orville Wright would have actually agreed with the famous British physicist and scientist, Lord William Thomson Kelvin, who declared in 1895: “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” Chances are The Wright Brothers would have continued maintaining the small printing press they owned and passed on without ever inventing the airplane as we know it.

Consider how technology today would look had Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple concurred with the opinion of Ken Olson, CEO of the world’s largest computer mainframe company, who in 1977 stated, “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.” Bill Gates would have become a lawyer in accordance with his parent’s wishes and Steve Jobs probably would have embarked on a career in art, as evidenced by the many calligraphy courses he took in college.

In all, had the aforementioned trailblazers gone along with what the masses thought and not risked their lives or careers on what many so-called experts considered to be impossible, what type of primitive world would we be living in today?

If you look throughout history – most particularly in the area of business and commerce – it’s absolutely astounding at how many times prominent people of the century made statements that are absolutely laughable. With the exception of a few brave souls who had the temerity to challenge the prevailing thought of the time, the world remained complacent with the status quo.
Which leads us to this article.

When embarking on a new business career or while attempting to take your company to the next level, there will always be people out there questioning your abilities and ideas. They are not necessarily doing it to be cruel or to discourage you from succeeding. Rather, due to their myopic viewpoint they genuinely believe your business idea has no merit and will never succeed.

Do keep in mind that it is very important to accept feedback from others and utilize that information to help strengthen your business foundation – just don’t let others discourage you from pursuing a business idea or concept that you strongly believe in.

Recently, I came across an article explaining the mindsets of successful entrepreneurs and the goals that they set down before embarking on a new project. These goals are actually quite simple – yet immensely profound as well.

* Remain steadfast and focused on what you want to achieve.
* Know deep down that you will achieve your goals. Believing in yourself before you get started will help you develop drive and take action.
* Focus on the end result and keep that image in your mind the entire time – allow it to help guide you in your quest for success.
* Write down what you have accomplished in business already – even if it’s only small achievements. List them in order and review it from time to time for encouragement and support.

So as you embark on your next business project, keep in mind that you’re not alone on the obstacle-ridden journey – so many others have trekked along that lonely route before they encountered success.

Don’t let the naysayers and doomsday experts blow out your entrepreneurial spark before it has a chance to ignite.

And above all, to those who tell you things will never work out and not to bother – triumph over their pessimistic predictions by saying: “Never!”
Onwards and upwards,
Meny Hoffman