BY EVAN WYNN KOSINER
I’m an only child, and as one, “no” didn’t happen much for me as a kid. My parents made available to me everything possible. That doesn’t mean they gave me everything I wanted. Rather, if I wanted something, it was up to me to create it.
When I started producing a television segment at age seven. I remember calling up SkyDome’s switchboard and asking for the vice-president of marketing.
“Hi, I’m Evan Kosiner calling from Behind The Scenes. We have a segment that takes kids into the entertainment industry where kids can’t usually go. Can we meet with the president of Sky- Dome, get a tour and open and close the roof?”
I had one major thing going for me. I was really, really adorable, and what kind of a person would kill the dream of a seven-year-old?
Motorola sponsored the segment and at age 13 I remember getting a call from the president of Motorola Canada asking if I could produce a corporate video for them. They knew I had the gear and experience of producing a segment. And, like every 13-year-old would when approached by the president of a company and asked whether I could pull it off, it was a no-brainer. “Of course I can.”
I went downtown after school in my sweatpants and with my knapsack on my back to work with one of the largest PR firms in the world. This firm was incredible. I will never forget the generosity and the pro bono work they did to contribute to what I was up to.
“No” wasn’t an option and as a kid.
“No” didn’t scare me. Like how many times did our parents say “no” and five minutes later we were getting a Fruit By The Foot at 10 p.m.? What we tend to fail to realize is that nothing has changed between, “are we there yet?” and today.
There is power in knowing and feeling that you’re going to get a “yes.” Who you are shifts into doing and being everything “yes.” In doing that you get to call the shots and you, and no one else, creates the situations you get yourself into. Try something that scares you everyday until next week’s column. And if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it
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