Prickly motivators

Have you ever had an event in your life that you perceived as negative at the time and later found that it served to motivate you in a positive direction? These are comments like, "You'll never go beyond high school" or "You don't have what it takes to be an athlete." For many of us these judgments were the executioner of our dreams. Whatever greatness we were destined to achieve along these paths was ended. Yet for others of us these judgments were transformed into challenges. Think of Wilma Rudolph and Walt Disney. They went on to achieve greatness in athletics and animation. In my own case I recall sitting in my Freshman English class and the instructor projecting my first college writing assignment onto the wall for all my classmates to view. It had a big red 'F' on it and her comments began with, "Here's how NOT to write a paper." While I never forgot that event, I did not let it deter me. What I found odd was that, while people are quick to make these judgments, there is rarely an offer to help the person improve. I began to look for what I considered to be good models of writing that matched my style. This blog is my way of challenging the judgment of my Freshman English teacher. So was completing a doctoral dissertation. Think of prickly motivators from your past and what you can do to turn them into positive outcomes. What are the first steps you would take to turn them into triumphs?