The best of the best have been booed a one time or another Imagine if everyone who was ever booed, laughed at, or worse yet, rejected because their idea was stupid, quit pursuing their passion. We wouldn’t have so many great musicians, authors, products, and services. Anyone who is working towards something bigger than what small minds can conceptualize will at some point in their journey be booed. Believe it or not, some of the most iconic stars of all time have failed auditions, had terrible shows and received bad reviews. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard of Jimi Hendrix. One of the most renowned guitarists of all time, Hendrix was a pivotal influence in 20th-century music. His impact on popular rock music is unmatched. And yet, in 1967 when he was on tour with the Monkees, the audience didn’t even want to hear him play! They cheered for the pop sensation, the Monkees, instead. In 1982, Stevie Ray Vaughan played an incredible live rendition of Texas Flood at a music festival in Switzerland. Vaughan is an impressive guitarist, and his ten-minute performance was astounding and raw. But he was repeatedly booed by members of the audience! He has gone down in history as one of the most well-known guitarists of his day, and even he was booed. Likely because he wasn’t interested in sticking to conventions and playing soft, acoustic tunes. He knew how to shake things up! It wasn’t just musicians whose work didn’t go over well. Coco Chanel was a renowned fashion designer who had a drastic impact on women’s fashion. She turned women’s fashion on its head, introducing masculine elements to her clothing and accessories that were totally unheard of before then. And how do you think that went over with the other designers at first? Not well! But she powered through and clearly, it worked in her favor. Even Beatrix Potter, author of the beloved Peter Rabbit books, was rejected. Countless times! She was rejected by so many publishers that she eventually gave up and self-published 250 copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Now, a century later, her stories are still popular and that rejected book has sold half a billion copies. What all these examples have in common is this: they all faced rejection. And they were all massively successful in their fields. No matter how good you are, there are going to people who don’t support you. People will tell you that you aren’t good enough, you don’t have what it takes, you can’t make it. It’s inevitable. But just think what the world would be like if Jimi Hendrix or Coco Chanel had listened to those people? Great works of music would never be heard, and women might still be walking around in completely impractical full-length dresses. The sound of rock and roll, the look of fashion, and even children’s literature would be forever changed without these gutsy game changers. Whatever it is you want to do, you have to believe in it passionately. And you can’t let the naysayers convince you that you can’t do it. No matter how many times you face rejection, you have to get back up and show the world what you’ve got. Because, what the hell…you could become the next Jimi Hendrix! And that’s something worth pursuing.
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