It Will Never Work!

"It will never work."

That's what Nick Swinmurn heard about selling women's shoes exclusively online.

He silently founded Zappos.com and sold it to Amazon.com years later for$1.2billion.

"It will never work. There's no money in children's books."

That's what J.K. Rowling heard when she floated her idea to write and publish a series of children's books-thick books, no less-about wizardry and dark magic.

Can you say "Harry Potter"?

"It will never work. Guitar groups are on the way out."

That's what a shaggy-haired, guitar-based singing group from Great Britain heard when they asked about recording and touring with their music around the world.

Anyone heard a Beatles song or remix lately?

Have you shared an idea with your family, friends, or colleagues and heard the same, "It will never work" as admonition? I have.

I used to get discouraged and, at times, drop my idea before starting to work on it. Then one day I realized that people typically say these words to me because they are either jealous, or they care about me. Choosing to believe the later I decided that they say these words because they don't want me to be hurt by failure. This realization-or rationalization-changed my entire perspective on the statement. Rather than get angry, I now say, "Thank you for caring about my success". Then I move on to implement my ideas or examine more thoroughly whether my idea will work or not.

The next time you hear, "It will never work", consider the intent of the words. If you feel the words are spoken through a caring lens, say "Thank you for caring about my success". Even if the intention of the admonisher is less than altruistic, when you respond with the same "Thank you" response imagine how nicely you'll throw them off their game! Then move on to ensure you achieve the success your idea may garner.