This quote reminds me of a favorite quote by Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or can't, you're right." Basically, it all boils down to choices we make. We can decide to harness our creativity, stamina, and focus in order to realize goals. Or we can choose to go through life limiting ourselves, putting down our capabilities, and allowing obstacles and negativity to smother our dreams.
The founder and former chairman of Kinkos, the copy shop bought out by Fedex, exemplifies the motto - "Yes We Can." His name is Paul Orfalea and when I was a younger man, he inspired me very much. I worked for Kinko's from 1993 to 2000, and for a handful of years savored a lucrative, fun career as a store manager. During our annual summer picnics in places like Honolulu, Orlando, Las Vegas, and San Diego, Paul cheerfully mingled with 600 of us managers, one from each Kinko's store. Here I am in a picnic photo with Paul.
He did horribly in school. Nobody knew he was dyslexic with ADHD because back in the late Fifties and Sixties people didn't know about this stuff. Teachers wrote him off, but he refused to let people label him as stupid. In college he had the foresight to start his own business by making the then new technology of photo copies affordible and accessible for college students at his Santa Barbara campus. The company started in 1971 with single copy machine and a dream. Over the years, Paul created a copy empire that generated over a billion dollars per year in sales, making him a fantastically wealthy man. To close with a quote from my old beloved boss:
"You can either complain or look for opportunity in every problem. I prefer opportunity," Paul says in his book . In other words, "Yes you can;" it's your decision.
Check out the link to learn more about Paul: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/2152/Paul-Orfalea-Quotes.html
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