“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.” -Mahatma Gandhi

There are many incredible people out there. They are those driven individuals who inspire, and change the world for good every day. They are idea people. They push the limits. They test the boundaries. They make change.

I will be one of them.

I’ve been told my whole life by parents, teachers and religious leaders that I was meant for great things. Most of the time I shrugged it off as one of those things that everyone is told through their youth. “You can do anything you want if you just put your mind to it.” Lately, I’ve started to believe it.

I know there are people out there who think I’m arrogant to say will do great things with my life. For example, half of the PR program (over 1,000 students) at my college hates me right now, because I’m the only non-PR major (out of 40 applicants) to apply to go to New York in March to network and score myself a job after graduation… and I was selected. In their minds, I don’t deserve it.

They haven’t seen the years of work I’ve put in to get myself where I am today. They haven’t seen me giving up countless weekends just so I can attend a meeting to shake hands with a few business professionals. They haven’t seen the library of books I have read and re-read by thought leaders in their industry… thought leaders that they’ve never heard of. They haven’t witnessed the hundreds of blog posts, articles and columns I’ve written in an attempt to hone my writing skills.

In their minds I’m like them.

I’m not like them.

I’m not like 99% of the world out there.

I aspire to greatness, not mediocrity. I am a mover and a shaker. I am not afraid to take responsibility for my ideas and my actions. I create change… if you can’t handle that, well, then ignore me, laugh at me, fight me. We’ll see who wins.

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” -Albert Einstein