In the book "Zero to One," author and entrepreneur Peter Thiel says that his favorite question to ask when interviewing people is, “What truth do you believe in that the majority of people don’t?” This difficult question is crucial in determining someone’s potential. To confidently believe in something that few others do is a rare ability, but is necessary in the face of this ever-changing world, where innovation happens quicker than it ever has before. It is easy to continue in the globalization of a product, the mass production of something that works well, or the evolution of a concept into newer and better updates. It is much harder, however, to think of something that didn't previously exist.

The first person to figure out that if you squeeze a cow’s udder repeatedly, you could feed your family, thought just as far outside of the box as the first person to decide we need a web-based social network through which we can connect with our friends. To develop these inventions, or to build upon a foundation that already exists (like milking other animals or coming up with Twitter after Facebook) while necessary, requires far less brainpower and creativity. It is the person who can picture a need for something that doesn't exist at all that the world needs more of, and conveniently, everyone has this ability to some extent. What not everyone possesses is the courage to go against the grain, the potential to confidently suggest something that no one else has thought of (yet).

In 1965, the idea of FedEx was born. The Yale undergraduate Frederick W. Smith realized the need for a system designed to accommodate time-sensitive shipments, an industry that previously didn’t exist at all. Upon writing the term paper that outlined this plan, his professor barely gave him a passing grade, failing to realize the potential in this idea. Why would someone consider competing with the post office? Smith, however, kept this concept in the back of his mind until finally, in 1971, upon buying a controlling interest in Arkansas Aviation Sales, he realized just how much the idea of Federal Express would change the game. On April 17, 1973, Federal Express officially began operations with 14 aircraft that took off from headquarters in Memphis to deliver packages to 25 U.S. cities from Rochester, New York to Miami, Florida. Today it is the premier carrier of priority goods in the marketplace.

I believe that what holds people back most is the opinions of others. We humans are so conditioned to believe what people tell us that we go through life asking for permission or validation instead of just doing. To seek the approval of others is very natural though – we are taught from an early age that professors must always be right, as they are the ones who impart knowledge and assess our work. What we often fail to recognize is the inherent subjectivity that comes with sharing ideas or asking opinions, no matter the level of authority we approach. Inevitably, there will always come a time when, like in the FedEx case, experts get it wrong and cannot see an idea’s potential like some bold, creative thinker might. It is the power to remain confident enough in one’s own ideas, and comfortably disregard the opinions of others that makes someone special. These are the creative minds, the catalysts of innovation, the future. The good news is it’s easy to start being one of these people. The hard part is that it requires not mistaking someone’s authority for evidence of wisdom, and becoming your very own judge. So be bold! I think Goethe had it just about right: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!”