Sheeping is defined as the process of mindlessly following the crowd, pleasing others, doing as you're told in return for feeling a false sense of comfort. At least in my definition. This world is not built on sheeping but on bold, giant personal leadership. Once in a while somebody decides to stand out from the crowd, to stand up for herself and not only live her dreams but actually change the world in the process.
Let me tell you a story.
Mae Jemison is the first African American woman astronaut to fly with NASA. As a young girl growing up in Chicago, she always knew one day she will fly into space. Jemison graduated from Stanford University. She recognized that majoring in engineering as a black woman was difficult because race had always been an issue in the United States: "Some professors would just pretend I wasn't there. I would ask a question and a professor would act as if it was just so dumb, the dumbest question he had ever heard. Then, when a white guy would ask the same question, the professor would say, 'That's a very astute observation." That's always painful. Her youthful arrogance and her extraordinary personal leadership became her protection against all the blows given by the unfair world we live in.
"I am going to do this and I don't give a crap"
- Dr. Mae Jemison, NASA
When bold people walk in faith and work hard to make their dreams come true, the faithless crowd perceives arrogance. Sometimes arrogance is just faith. But the crowd doesn't live its dreams, the crowd doesn't build a business that will impact the world and the crowd doesn't live an extraordinary life.
"When bold people walk in faith and work hard to make their dreams come true, the faithless crowd perceives arrogance. Sometimes arrogance is just faith."
- Dr. Dragos
Mae applied to the astronaut corps and years later flew on NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavor. It was much easier to apply and be a shuttle astronaut "rather than waiting around in a cornfield, waiting for ET to pick me up" she said. It took decades but she did it. She's a beautiful woman, isn't she?
The very first thing she saw from space was her home town Chicago. Can you imagine the enthusiasm, the joy and the beauty of stepping now into the reality of your dream fulfilled?
Give your dream a chance. Set yourself free. It's never the extraordinary people who do the extraordinary. It's the ordinary people like you and me who decide to step out and take the journey. Because they complete the journey, ordinary people become extraordinary.
Your friend,
Dr. Dragos
PS: If you had just a little bit more faith today, if you were just a little bit more arrogant, if you got up off your knees and stood for what you believe - would you do with your life? Leave your answer below.
