There are a lot of motivational quotes out there, but here’s one that doesn’t get enough love:
“Never tell me the odds.” —Han Solo
The man is saying it while he is flying into an astroid field. He admits he is in trouble, but uses the logic that his opponents would be crazy to follow him. He trusts his skills and jumps to hyper-speed. BALLER.
Why? Because, the odds do not exist yet! Odds do not exist in uncharted territory. They only begin when a trend materializes.
Your limits do not exist!
This concept applies even more-so to my generation: millennials. Our generation has seen major changes. The recession hit us back in 2008, and while many buckled, some of us rose. And we rose in ways no one could have expected. Many house names are millennial-brain children. Lyft, Spotify, Wordpress, Snapchat, Firefox, Asana, Airbnb, Instagram, Mashable, Quora, Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook, Groupon, and even Tinder wouldn’t exist without us. The way we search, where we stay, how we travel, the websites we launch, the way we date…millennials have taken adversity and turned it into a challenge-accepted life manifesto.
I too have, to a lesser extent, accepted the challenge issued to my generation. No, I haven’t started a company, but I have created roles for myself that never existed before. For instance, after talking my way into the marketing agency world (quite a feat for a BFA Photography graduate…) I landed in the most entry-level role ever other than Intern; Advertising Account Coordinator. Now, I know a “Coordinator” doesn’t mean entry-level in all industries (in fact, in higher education it often requires a master’s degree), but in pure agency marketing, oh yes, yes it does.
Anyhow, because I respect all roles I’ve been given including ones from my past in retail and face painting, I worked hard in that one. I did that until I saw an opportunity to create something new: the position of Creative Content Manager. The agency I was at during that period had never had someone focused on social media, writing blogs, and strategy, but I saw a growing need and I pounced. There were a few more details, but the long and short of it is this…the next day, my dream role was a reality.
I realize not everyone feels comfortable jumping into the unknown, but trust me, sometimes it’s invigorating. I am at an inflection point in my career. I have full confidence that the future, while not quite materialized yet, is there and I am ready to snatch it. Here’s to the impossible becoming more and more possible with every passing moment.
Do you have a possibility I should be aware of? Email me. Let’s make dreams happen.