Here’s to the innovators:
Here’s to the innovators.
The outsiders.
The trendsetters.
The pioneers.
The ones who walk the road with no path.
The ones who are ridiculed every step of the way.
The ones who persevere in the face of criticism.
The ones who challenge conventional thinking.
The ones who challenge the establishment.
History is written by those who challenged dogma.
They didn’t believe everything they were told.
They didn’t listen to the mob tell them how they were wrong.
They continued to work on their craft and pushed through all the hardship.
They were told ‘No’ many times.
People told them they were crazy.
People didn’t believe their vision.
So they went out and showed them.
They proved it.
But that road is lonely.
There’s no one there next to them.
In the face of criticism, most people jump.
They conform.
It takes a real innovator to say no.
To not let other people control your gift.
The best innovators listen to everyone but maintain their convictions.
Their belief is so strong.
They want to build the world they envision.
They want to show the world what’s in their heads.
But they have to do it over a long career.
Even then, they’ll get ridiculed every step of the way.
People won’t believe in their ideas.
They still have to keep pushing.
Even when their own head is telling them to listen to everyone.
Because other people know better right?
No!
No one knows anything.
We’re all making it up as we go.
People are always pushing their bias on you.
They don’t believe you because you haven’t done it.
So do it.
Show them.
Put in the time.
Put in the hours of silence where it’s just you, your mind and a blank page.
That’s where the innovations are really made.
The dark time alone.
Thinking. Planning. Strategizing. Then executing.
Doing the work, even when it’s challenging.
Thought about all of this after I went to a Monet exhibit today.
He was a pioneer in impressionist art.
He wanted to show people how he felt using techniques that felt right to him.
He refused to listen to the critics and kept painting.
Ultimately history was the best judge and Monet did alright for himself.
Remember, none of the critics ever make history.
Only the innovators do.
Here’s to the innovators.
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