The Kanye West Effect: Why Obnoxiously Confident People End Up Successful

Kanye West was a star in his own mind long before he became a bonafide celebrity.

Back in 2003, comedian Dave Chappelle invited the then unknown musician to perform on his sketch comedy TV show. Chappelle recalled in 2014. “He just knew that he was gonna get the gold.” West was ridiculously proud — so proud, in fact, that after the show, when he and several famous rappers were listening to a newly released Jay-Z album, West jumped up and demanded a certain song be replayed so everyone hear Jay-Z’s shoutout to him.

As Kanye has proved to us, too many of us are content to wait around for someone else to tell us that we’re good enough. To verify our worth and give us a stamp of approval. But the only person who can give you a stamp of approval is you.

Russ Ruffino is the founder of Clients On Demand, which helps small-business owners develop sales funnels that attract and convert high-paying customers.

Read the rest of Russ Ruffino’s piece, “The Kanye West Effect: Why Obnoxiously Confident People End Up Successful” on Fortune.com.