Go Rogue in 2017

Categories: Blog Jan 01, 2017

“What will you become?” This has to be one of the most famous quotes from the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One. And the funny thing is, it wasn’t even in the movie. It was, however, in every movie trailer released for Rogue One. In the trailers, this quote, and the scene it appears in, build wonderful anticipation of what is going to happen in the movie. It looks epic! In the movie, well, it didn’t make the final cut. Somewhere along the way, this scene was found to be not good enough to make the final product. Which is a shame, because it was certainly good enough to sale the movie and build excitement. How could it not add to the movie? Right?

Sometimes things just don’t add up the way we think they should. Sometimes our own best efforts come up short and we just don’t make the cut. This can happen anywhere in life; with a sport tryout, a job interview, a romantic interest, a product we’ve created, an article we’ve written, or whatever. Sometimes we just fall short. And, like the quote referenced above, sometimes we are good enough for the minors, but we just don’t have what it takes for the majors – in someone’s eyes…

Has this happened to you? If it hasn’t, it will. So, what do you do when you miss the mark in someone else’s eyes? Do you accept their opinion or believe what they say? Or, do you reject their judgement and use it as a springboard for greatness?

You see, we have but a couple of choices when we come up short with others. We can take what they say and maybe settle for something we don’t want to have or settle for something we don’t want to believe; though we will, because after all, “I didn’t make the team.” Or, we can say “No. I’m going to achieve, xyz,” or, “I hear what you are saying, but I have something inside of me that I’m not willing to let go of. I believe in my ability to do this….”

How we face disappointment will determine our future. Disappointment can be a blessing if we learn to rise from it, and it can be a death sentence if we learn to accept it. For example, Michael Jordan was rejected and cut from the middle school basketball team. Yet, he became arguably the best basketball player to ever set foot on a court. Heck, he created Nike! Well, he certainly built Nike.

Look at Tom Brady. Most NFL teams didn’t want him – at all! He was not an impressive athlete. He was “too slow.” He was passed up by most teams, but good enough for one team to make the backup position. Yet Tom believed he was good enough. And Tom had a work ethic like no one else in the league. Today, he is sure to go down in history as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.

What if these two guys had said, “Ok, I’m not good enough.” That would have been a tragic loss – for everyone.

2017 is here. You will face ups and downs, highs and lows. You will come across disappointments and disappointments will hunt you down. And when they do, you will have some tough choices to make. And the biggest choice, or the biggest question you must answer is, “What will you become?”
Don’t settle for what others think you to be. If you have something to give the world, if you know you have something to achieve or someone to become, keep your head up, your eyes on the horizon and keep moving towards your mark. Learn to use your disappointments as RESETs, not “game overs.” Go rogue. Give the world your greatness. Even if the world thinks you can’t.

Happy New Years!

---