5 Super Achievers who were once dismissed as hopeless failures

You’re not alone in facing a chorus of doubters. So did Steve Jobs, Oprah, and other superstars.

“If people aren’t laughing at your dreams, your dreams aren’t big enough,” some guru once said (the internet can’t seem to decide which). It makes an awesome meme, but I wonder if just hearing this sort of uplifting but generic encouragement is enough to help people persevere when they’re surrounded by doubters.

Thanks for the sentiment, you might think, but perhaps the universe is trying to tell me something with this chorus of derisive laughter. Maybe all these people smirking at my dreams are right and I really am wasting my time.

If that’s you and the usual rah-rah quotes aren’t cutting it, you need some stiffer medicine to help you persevere, I suggest a recent campaign from British insurance marketplace Go Compare (yes, this is totally an unlikely source of inspiration).

To buck up those who feel beaten down by their detractors, the company gathered up incredibly harsh burns superstars received early in their careers. If even these icons faced such incredibly negative feedback, maybe there really is a pretty poor correlation between random other people’s opinions and eventual success.