Love her or hate her, J.K. Rowling went through a lot of hate in order to get her Harry Potter series published.

Her debut novel—Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone—was rejected 12 times before she finally found a publisher willing to take it on.

Some of her rejections included,

• Not being interesting enough for children.

• Didn’t have any marketing potential.

• Being too long for a children’s book.

And I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some people out there who’s probably thinking, “12 times isn’t even that many.”

Well let me ask you this, when was the last time you failed, got rejected, spat on, or kicked down twelve times in a row?

I can’t say I have.

So what made J.K. Rowling push past the hate?

Simply put, she didn’t care.

She knew that her novel had potential. She knew that all she needed was one yes to change her life.

And not only for herself, but for her child.

At the time, J.K. Rowling was a single mother to one child living solely off welfare and a meager teacher’s salary of around $11,200.

She didn’t have time to care what other people thought.

All she cared about was her daughter, and showing a story that she knew would reignite the magic of millions of children around the world.

But imagine for a moment if she was a sensitive person.

Imagine if she was someone who took criticism and other people’s opinions to heart.

We wouldn’t have the world’s most successful book series ever written.

And that leads into todays point.

Don’t let other people’s opinion of you stop what you’re doing.

Of course this is easier said than done because we live in a world where the most valuable feeling is to be accepted.

We all want to be chosen.

We all want that stamp of approval that says everyone likes us.

But reality check, in a world of 8.1 billion people, it’s impossible to make everyone like you, let alone accept you.

As Marcus Aurelius says, “It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”

Because when we focus on other people’s opinion, we end up living our lives according to their standards, rather than our own.

So stop focusing all your energy on those who judge you, and start directing your attention to those who deserve it.

Next time you’re met with hate, remember what Nick Carraway’s last words were to Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby:

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - I’m still in the middle of reading David Herbert’s biographical account of Abraham Lincoln titled Lincoln. A 700-page book breaking down Lincoln’s early life up until his Presidency.

Quote Of The Week - “You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt