Owning Your Development

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." -Dr. Seuss

Mistake after mistake. Failure after failure. So why not just give up and quit? You know, after everything you've gone through in your life, you're still here, ready for the next challenge and reading this article I've published, possibly curious about what I wrote, possibly interested in wanting to master a certain skill set. This very thing that I'm talking about starts when you're born and goes on throughout your childhood, your teen years, and finally adulthood. Can you guess what it is? Well, let me tell you. I'm talking about your development!

Funny enough, you may not know this, but you’re always developing each and every single day whether it be personally or professionally! Every mistake, experience, accomplishment, etc. is part of your development and you have to own every bit of it, both the good and the bad. If you look at the definition of development, it’s described as; “The process of developing or being developed.” This is an ongoing process that you’ll learn how to master in your lifetime. I want to introduce you all to the two types of development that I’ve coined as the “Natural Ongoing Process of Development” or (NOPD) and “Selective Ongoing Process of Development or (SOPD). I’m going to highlight the differences between the two and show you how you can master your development in no time and really take control of the things that matter the most to you.

NOPD & SOPD

So with that being said, let me ask you a question. Have you ever experienced something so moving that it changed the way you felt about certain things in your life? It's happened to several of us including myself and has really shaped the person we are today and that's what the "Natural Ongoing Process of Development" looks like! This process involves being able to look back at what has influenced your life in both a positive and negative way and how it's developed you as the person you are now. There are always going to be factors outside of your control, but it's about how we are able to pivot, how we're able to keep moving, and being no one other than ourselves and that's what really makes you shine, especially when faced with obstacles and adversity.

"To me success can be achieved only through repeated failure and introspection. In fact, success represents 1 percent of your work which results only from the 99 percent that is called failure." -Soichiro Honda

Now I want you to take a good look at the picture above because what I'm about to tell you about this man, may shock you to your core. This is someone who faced extreme adversity at a young age, failed several times and despite these challenges, he used those experiences to his advantage to learn from and own his development to become a world-renowned public figure and innovator. I want to introduce you all to Soichiro Honda, founder of the Honda Motor Company.

I want you to put yourself in Honda's shoes. Just imagine, you're a young, bright individual who has a dream of selling your Piston Ring Design to Toyota. You spend countless hours working on this design and even sell your partner's wedding ring to make ends meet. Finally, you take your design to Toyota to sell to them, and they say this; "I'm sorry, but your work is not up to our standards." So you go back to school where other engineers laugh at your design. However, you push forward and continue to focus on your dream of getting a contract with Toyota, and guess what? After years of perseverance and hard work, you finally get it and have a happy ending right? Nope, not exactly.

The first factory you build to make the Piston Rings for Toyota get's bombed during WWII, and the second factory you build gets leveled by an earthquake. With all the setbacks and failures, it's finally time to give in and give up and just live out your life normally and settle...Absolutely not, that's bullsh*t. Instead, you come up with an idea to attach a motor to a bicycle which catches the attention of several hundred people and you write letters to thousands of bike shop owners asking them to believe and support your invention. In return, you get the necessary resources to re-design your invention several times and end up coming up with something special. That something special is the "Honda Super Cub," which would then become the top-selling brand of motorcycles in the U.S. in the 1960s.

"You meet the nicest people on a Honda." -1960's U.S Advertising Campaign

You see, here's how Honda was able to own his development. When he got turned down by Toyota for his first Piston Ring Design, he went back to school to become a better engineer. Honda used his setbacks and failures to keep innovating and redesigning his inventions. Lastly, Honda was not afraid to reach out to several thousand different bike shop owners to ask for their help, their support, and their feedback on how he could not only master his craft but also how he could create something that would benefit the lives of millions today. So, now that you know Honda's story, I want you to remember that and not be afraid to reach out to different people for help or feedback on what you're developing towards. That's part of it! If you're always afraid of what feedback you're going to receive or afraid to reach out for guidance, it's going to be so difficult to own your development. Honda's story is a perfect example of the NOPD and SOPD that I mentioned earlier.

“[Humans] don’t just survive; they discover; they create. … I mean, just look at what they do with food!” – Remy

NOPD

I now want to give you an example of how something has directly affected my development naturally. Above is a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time, "Ratatouille." This movie believe it or not has had a huge impact on my life and has changed my perspective on many things including my goals, dreams, and ambitions. Ratatouille was, and still is a movie that not only inspires me but has also altered the way I think and feel when it comes down to what I'm truly capable of. (Believe me, I know that sound's crazy, but it's true!) Now you're probably thinking; "How can a movie make someone feel that way and have that much of an impact on someone?" Well, I'm here to tell you it's possible and it's allowed me to develop into a person where I now know my self-worth, my value, and how I can be a positive influence for others, no matter who that person is, or where they're from. If you've seen this movie, and look closely at what the rat "Remy" goes through to pursue his dreams of becoming a chef, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. As I stated earlier, this is what I call the "Natural Ongoing Process of Development" based upon the feelings, emotions, drive, and the willingness you discover when least expected.

Besides NOPD there's also SOPD or the "Selective Ongoing Process of Development" that I'll be breaking down more directly now.

SOPD

What do you think SOPD or "The Selective Ongoing Process of Development" means? I've made this term to show you how the process of being able to choose the direction of your own development works. To explain this better, this is the part where you choose the people to talk to that will help you along the way, use various resources and tools to your advantage as well being able to take control of your thoughts and how you think about the outcomes of your decisions and the work it will take to develop towards a goal in mind. This process is not only critical in how you choose to develop personally or professionally, but it requires a very strong positive mindset that can sometimes be a struggle. It's human nature to think about the worst outcomes of any decision you make or what it will look like if you fail at something you're developing towards. I've struggled with this myself but I've finally learned that I don't have to prove anything to anybody, but myself and that's where you can begin to separate yourself....

"I wanna be something more than Shaq. The Shaq guy is going to fade away because you've got Steph Curry and all these guys stepping up. The Shaq guy will fade away at some point in time, but Dr. Shaquille O'Neal will be around forever." -Shaquille O'Neal

So you see that large professional athlete standing next to the former CEO of Papa John's, Steve Ritchie? Yeah, that's Shaquille O'Neal who's also a very successful businessman and I can tell you right now, he's had his fair share of mistakes and failures. One of those mistakes was spending his first million dollars in one day from an endorsement deal he had at 20 years old in 1992. That experience was an eye-opener and with the help of financial advisors and his banking manager, he was able to make a change very quickly.

Now that's great and all, but it's what he did throughout his basketball career and after that made him different and someone who really took control of their development. He could have spent all his earnings on things that wouldn't give him a return, which in fact he has on some things; however, he also invested significant amounts of money into businesses, and businesses he now owns and is a brand ambassador. From owning car washes, 24-hour fitness gyms, donut/pretzel shops to being a brand ambassador for Papa John's, Icy Hot, Gold Bond, Carnival Cruises, and even for The General Auto Insurance company. To top it all off, Shaq made a promise to his mom that he would complete his education. Not only did he go back to school to get his bachelor's, but he made the choice to get his masters and ultimately a doctorate in education, hence the reasoning why some people now call him "Dr. Shaquille O'Neal."

This is a perfect example of the "Selective Ongoing Process of Development." Shaq didn't just stop developing when his basketball career was over. He used what he learned to talk to the right people, make the right choices, focus on what's important to him and his development, and ultimately became a very successful businessman who still works on himself, each and every day.

You see, it's not about having the perfect outcome, or giving up when you have several setbacks or failures. It's about how you pivot and how you're able to use those experiences to your advantage. Believe me, I've had a lot of setbacks and failures myself and people who have never given me the time to look at or guide me on the work I'm doing or what I'm trying to develop towards. But guess what? That's fine because all it takes is just one person who will and that one person who will give you a chance! Don't ever and I mean ever be afraid to take a risk, go against the grain sometimes, or to engage someone you don't know. If you're serious about your development and you're striving to reach a goal or accomplish a dream, you have to really get out there and prove that to yourself. Be confident, be bold, know your self-worth, know the value you bring to the table, and most importantly never be afraid to be yourself at all times. Show the world who you are and what you're made of and soon enough you'll start successfully owning your development!

I really hope this article about "Owning Your Development" helps you along your journey. I had a lot of fun writing this piece and providing short stories about different individuals who were able to overcome adversity and obstacles as well as including first-person references to outline my own experiences and how I'm able to use them to my advantage, both good and bad. If you're ever feeling a little discouraged, take a look at the below link that show's several other notable individuals who had major setbacks growing up and despite what they faced, were able to continue working on their development and become the person they are today.

48 Famous Failures Who Will Inspire You To Achieve

References:

1. Shaq & Papa Johns Team Up -The Undefeated
2. Shaq on Spending $1 Million in One Day -Business Insider
3. Sochiro Honda's Story -MC
4. Honda's First Start -Steamd
5. Ratatouille Picture & Quote -The Austin Chronicle
6. Dr. Seuss Picture & Quote -Taking Charge
7. Shaq's Promise To His Mom - The Source