"As a kid I was dyslexic and had bad eyesight. That
meant I often couldn't see the writing on the blackboard and even when I could,
I still couldn't read it.
Unfortunately it took a long time before either problem was
recognized. Before that I was simply labeled lazy, unwilling or stupid. By the
time I was fifteen I was three years behind and very unhappy. Then one day I
decided to drop out of school and apply to the circus school. Officially I was
too young but I was determined and had talent for juggling so my parents
supported my decision.
The teachers at my school weren't so supportive. They took
turns trying to persuade me to stay and all said the same thing: "If you
drop out now you will never amount to anything."
They tried to persuade me by threatening me but their
strategy had the opposite effect: I felt liberated and even more determined to
choose my own destiny. I figured if leaving meant starting from zero and being
labeled as an outcast, than everything I would accomplish from now would be to
my own credit. I felt empowered and excited at the opportunity to design my own
life without someone else telling what I could and couldn't do.
For me that was a defining moment. I've always felt like the
rules didn't apply to me and I could do what I wanted. After I graduated circus
school I applied to an art academy, graduated cum laude, and then started my
first Internet business, one I sold three years later.
Although you never start a company alone and I had many
partners to thank, I did feel I truly earned my success as a self-made man when
we signed those contracts, and I definitely thought back to those teachers who
told me I would never amount to anything."
(taken from http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden)
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