wHaT’s yOuR bAcKuP pLan?

Tangents Vol.4 : Welcome to my TED Talk

Sick and tired of hearing this. This notion that we should have a “plan b” anytime we have a dream or goal that is remotely outside the boundaries of a typical 9–5 or doesn’t align with a normative job description is destroying creativity and ambition.

As a 12-year-old, I wanted to be a basketball player, but I was told that wasn’t possible and that I should be realistic. After being told that, I never took the sport as seriously as I wished I had because I was told what my limits were. I look back at that moment and decision as a reminder to never let something like that happen again. No one is going to tell me what my limits are or what I can and can’t do. Only I will decide.

I say this because reality can be anything we want it to be. Doesn’t mean it will be easy or handed to us. It will be difficult, and maybe our path is more challenging than others. Yet, that is OUR path. We will achieve what we want our way. If we put in the work and truly believe, anything — and I mean anything — is possible.

And again, that last part: work. Making sacrifices, being efficient with time, being ok with being misunderstood, etc. all these things must happen while on the path to greatness. The line between failure and success is much smaller than we think. A few decisions can change everything: Do we stay in and work? Or go out? Should I spend less time on my passion since that’s not what pays the bills? These moments and decisions will shape who and what we become.

“But what if? — Or how about?” Shut up. Just shut up. Spend less time addressing all that self-doubt and spend more time building self-belief. Someone is going to be the next Kobe Bryant. Someone is going to be the next president. Someone is going to be the next Steve Jobs. Someone is going to be the next Kanye West. Why can’t it be us? Why wouldn’t it be us? It can be us. It will be us.

Thanks for attending my TED Talk…if you made it this far.