Being Perverse Can Be An Asset

When I was a kid,
I told everyone I’d meet
I was going to be a millionaire.

I was dirt poor.
We didn’t eat every day.
We didn’t have running water
(in rural areas in Canada and the USA,
there are many people
still living like this).
I was surrounded by other people
who were poor.

These people, often adults,
would tell me
becoming a millionaire
was impossible
for someone like me.

I wasn’t daunted
by these words.
Being a perverse person,
I was driven by them.
I wanted to prove
those people wrong.

Belinda Bennett,
the world’s first
black female
cruise ship captain,
shares

“When I first came to sea,
the more someone said,
“You will never make it,”
the more determined I was to make it.

I’m very headstrong.
My parents will
definitely agree with that.

You need to be determined,
you have to be a strong person.
You will have a lot of challenges
along the way.”

Someone will tell you
your dreams aren’t doable.
I can guarantee that.

You can allow those words
to stop you
or use them to fuel you.
It’s your choice.