If it is meant to be, it is up to me…

One of my core values is to be ‘a little dog with a big dog attitude’ – which means standing up for yourself and being heard.

If it is meant to be, it is up to me…

I have used this phrase for years – always believing that I was the starting point for my own destiny. A friend recently asked me to read Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill, and I liked this poem written in the book but there is no reference as to who wrote it originally.

If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a person’s will –
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man
But soon or late the one who wins
Is the one WHO THINKS HE CAN!

One of our values at RedBalloon is “being a little dog with a big dog attitude”, which means to be nimble and courageous, standing up for yourself and being heard.

Persistence and having a thick skin also helps. My mother used to say I had my head in the clouds and I was a dreamer, but to dream is to create reality.

My son asked me at dinner the other night about all the jobs I had ever had. My first was in a toy shop ($5 pay for six hours work) but I was fired when they discovered I lied about my age (I was 13). I was fired from a dress shop because I couldn’t fold clothes neatly, fired from a pub because I couldn’t pour beers. In fact as I shared my story with my son I realised that I was fired from eight out of my first 10 jobs. These were all holiday jobs or part time – but still one develops a thick skin.

Even with this very average start to my “brilliant career” I still thought I was going to be the CEO of a major blue chip company. I always believed in myself (and I have friends, and family around me too who support me amazingly) – even if on face value I did not appear to have such great prospects. My career did look much brighter when I got a “real” job. I managed to keep all those jobs – but by then I could see the value in what I did – and I had a purpose.