___________________
By: Shane Snow, Chief Creative
Officer of Contently. He writes about media and
technology for Wired, Fast Company, Ad Age, and more.
I don't like Superman. He can't
lose. Whenever I'm watching a Superman movie all I can think about is He's
invincible. I'm not
worried and I'm not impressed when he inevitably wins. To me, that's not
inspiring.
The
fact that you're able to read this — and I'm able to write it — on a computer
with Internet means we've all hit humanity's jackpot in some regard. We're
literate. We live in a time where technology has improved the quality of life
dramatically over any other period in history. And we can afford to instantly
access the greatest trove of information that ever was.
At a
high level, we're all outrageously lucky. But despite our great fortune, we're
all unlucky at times. We've all got problems.
Personally,
I'm inspired by people who overcome bad fortune or circumstance to fulfill
their dreams. Professionally, I'm inspired by people and businesses that do
incredible things despite glaring flaws or environmental disadvantages. These people remind me that, despite the things I complain about
(setbacks, bills, stress, whatever) and what I consider personal setbacks
(growing up relatively poor in a small town, my wife becoming mentally ill, being 5'9" not 6'2" (as superficial as that sounds),
infuriating neuroses, etc.), someone else has had things worse and still became
massively successful. That's why I like flawed people and underdogs. They can't just
work hard to overcome their obstacles, they have to work hard and smart. And
that leads to amazing things.
None of
us are Superman, and that's ok. Batman had his demons, and he was mortal. And
he became awesome. Here are some of my favorite flawed people and underdogs who
inspire me in my work as a journalist and entrepreneur:
If you want to be inspired that you can overcome your problems,
just look at this list of incredible people who have Major
Depressive Disorder.
Say what
you like about their personal lives or politics or mistakes, people like the
above remind me that when life gives you lemons, you can stuff them in your
pockets (with help, if necessary), get back out there, and change the world.
