Ever wake up at 3 a.m. in the morning with the best idea you’ve ever had? You can’t wait to get to the office to tell someone about your great idea but when you finally do, your idea is shot down by your colleagues! You start thinking that maybe your idea wasn’t so great after all and you abandon it but a few months later someone else in your office receives a promotion with the very same idea!
What happened was…well, maybe I should let international motivational speaker & sales trainer Victor Antonio explain in this hilarious video I shot and edited called “The 3 A.M. Story“:
For more on Victor Antonio, check out the award-winning documentary film, “The Motivator: The Business Of Selling Hope“
Subscribe in a reader and never miss a new post. You won’t be sorry…promise.
26 comments
Loved it I’ve often wondered why i never got anywhere…
Some good ideas
Third level of stupid people, “don’t know.. pretend they do” are probably the most dangerous 😉 Not to get too sappy but the stupid people we listen to are also.. the demons and devils that voice our self-doubts. Listening to others input and feedback on our ideas is important to make them grow and improve, but letting them talk you down when you “know” you’re right, have something.. that’s on us too, right? Thanks for the vid, good stuff.
Davina,
There’s a fine line between listening to sound advice and to “stupid people”. The challenge is in determining who is stupid and who is worth listening too, yes? Wish it was easy but it really isn’t, especially because sometimes those “stupid people” we listen to are our own friends & family.
Thanks for stopping by – hope to see you back here again 🙂
Victor’s head & shoulders over 99% of the speakers out there. Hopefully, one day everyone will know it…
I am so glad I came across this video today… I find that sometimes the “nay-sayers” and the “sheep-herders” are voices that are inside our heads as much as outside our heads!
At the risk of sounding too “philosophical”, I am learning to welcome the inevitable “stupid” people in my life not as advice anymore but as an indication of the direction I don’t want to go!
I am glad to be able to take responsibility for my life in a way that puts perspective and (thanks for this great video today) also some humor on the journey of separating the good advice from the garbage!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this video and the reminder of listening to your own inner voice… it’s easier to question your own sanity than trying to figure out someone else’s!!!
Sandra, so glad you enjoyed it. There are “Dream Killers” at our places of work and, unfortunately, amongst our own friends and family. I like your advice: “…welcome the inevitable “stupid” people in my life not as advice anymore but as an indication of the direction I don’t want to go!” Love it.
If you have a good idea, listen to those people you really trust – constructive advice is always welcome. But keep away from those that just want to smash your dreams because they never bothered to bring their own ideas to life.
Thanks for your comment – hope to see you back again soon. Hug 🙂
You can’t wait to get to the office to tell someone about your great idea but when you finally do, your idea is shot down by your colleagues!
Awesome vid Dan. I have my best ideas at nite haha
Ignore ignorance and push forward. This goes with having an online biz.. careful who you listen and follow. With so much crap out there, it is easy to get caught up with a flashy site or flashy personality.
Focus on you, focus on your goals!
Most great people in the world are seen as rude, mean, selfish, I just think they knew how to ignore BS and focus on what they believed in and went to work.
John, We’ve gotta be able to decipher the stupid people from those whose advice is valid, yes? Constructive criticism can be valuable to one’s idea as long as it’s not coming from a “Dream Killer”. There’s the rub!
Thanks for stopping by again 🙂
I agree, that constructive criticism is a good thing when it comes from a positive place.
Hi Dan, first time visiting found you through John Paul. Love this article and video, would you believe I have never heard of Victor before! After seeing this video I am now a fan. What he is saying is so true and I have often done the very same thing by listening to stupid people until a few months ago. Thanks for sharing, have a great weekend.
Maria,
Welcome 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post. I must say that Victor is one of the best kept secrets in the professional speaking industry. He has a way of making his point very clear while entertaining an audience. He was also the subject of my award-winning documentary film “The Motivator: The Business of Selling Hope”. Check out the trailer: http://bit.ly/9RpqU4
Over the years, we’ve become good friends and I’ve produced several videos for him. Check his site: http://www.VictorAntonio.com.
Thanks for the visiting as well as for your comment – hope to see you back again 🙂
Nice angles, but I know you did your job when the content shines through!
Dan – it’s funny…I stumbled upon a tweet from Victor today – randomly I clicked on his link and watched his video….of course I loved it. I then noticed your kind tweet that included me today. After I replied to you I decided to check out your site again and lo and behold here is Victor on your home page. Crazy. Great job. I like his style. The message is fantastic, and you do a great job of making him look good. Keep up the great work! Chris
Chris, That’s funny stuff. Victor & I have become close friends ever since we worked together on my first (award-winning) documentary “The Motivator: The Business of Selling Hope”. Here’s the trailer: http://bit.ly/9RpqU4
He doesn’t “engage” very much on twitter but is more active on facebook & Linkedin. The short sales videos on his site are also excellent – he’s as good as advertised and he’s no different in real life than he is on his videos. Glad you found him 🙂
Thanks for stopping by – Hope to see you back here soon!
Awesome vid Dan.
That’s a great piece, Dan. Well done to you and Mr. Antonio! 🙂
My 3 groups of people you shouldn’t take advice from. Friends, family and coworkers…Im only kinda joking 🙂
his act reminds me of robin williams..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJrN2OLD9Uo
both are hilarious, thanks for posting this. 🙂
I’m late to this party…but love this video! Makes me mindful of the five people I spend the most time around: pick ’em carefully! Awesome video Dan!
This is my first time to your site and I loved the video. Thanks for sharing. I am in the VERY early stages of my own online business and there certainly have been plenty of “stupid people” offering input so far. How exactly do we determine where the line is for good advice and just a nay-sayer?
[…] many of us look to put a new spin on what we do? How many of us have stirred awake at 3 a.m. in the morning with a great idea on how we can improve a certain aspect of our job? That morning, we can’t wait to get to work to […]
This is so Gifted!! As you know, I’m ok with failing brilliantly so I’m ok with crash & burn (lucky to have a wee bit of Pheonix DNA in my mix, I guess)
Mr. Antonio is Spot ON! Go ahead and take that risk. If it really is a good idea, the passion you have for making it happen often attracts more positive energy and smart people.
Stupid people often serve up their ‘opinions’ with a side of schadenfreude. Thank you for this, Dan – what a great kick in the ass! 🙂
This used to happen to me, I get my best ideas in the early hours. I get my funniest lines now in the early hours of the morning and hope I can remember them the next day! I have a diary next to my bed and even a dictation machine but any movement tends to kill creativity. It is that relaxed state of turning over and trying to go back to sleep that makes me so creative. You may like my blog about the dreamless ones (the stupid people). I’m not rude enough to call people stupid; God loves them after all; he must do, he made so many of them… Check out my blog when you have a minute and nothing better to do… – http://wp.me/p194MF-6D
God I love this guy — so funny, and bang on. Especially the line about folks “who don’t know….but pretend they do”. Reminded me of doctors and shrinks, who routinely speak with authority on shit they know so little about. There’s an old joke you might have heard, “What’s the difference between God and a psychiatrist?” Answer: “God doesn’t think he is a psychiatrist.”