Exceeded Doubt

By MR

When they said I couldn’t, I did…

When they said I wasn’t enough, I became more than what they expected…

When they said it was over, I told them this is just the beginning…

When they told me I had potential, I showed them absolute greatness…

Just when they started to believe, I was already years into believing in myself…

Because they expectations never mattered enough to stop my dreams from becoming the very reality I’ve created…

So when they ask how you done it, smile and tell “them” that’s for you to know, and for them to find out.

36 Comments

  1. Brooks on June 30, 2020 at 11:29 AM

    I loved this! Personally I can relate to a similar situation I have had plenty of times when those who tell you, you cannot, makes me even more motivated to accomplish dreams even further.

  2. Alex on July 1, 2020 at 10:31 AM

    This poem is an inspiring take on not being able to be put down by others. This poem highlights being put down by others and not letting it effect you and I think thats a powerful message.

  3. Angeles on July 1, 2020 at 10:35 AM

    MR,
    Great job on this poem!
    This is an inspirational poem. Right from the beginning you start by saying:
    “When they said I couldn’t, I did…”
    Then you go on by saying:
    “When they said it was over, I told them this is just the beginning…”
    I like how the feeling of a challenge is something that motivates you.

  4. Tara C on September 1, 2020 at 8:50 PM

    This poem is so inspiring and powerful! The repetition of “When they…, I…” really shows the contrast between what other’s opinions are and how they can or cannot affect you. People can say you can do or are capable of something but it does not directly correlate to what you can truly do or what you are absolutely capable of. Your poem shows true growth and confidence, and it was absolutely inspiring.

  5. armani739 on September 8, 2020 at 8:22 PM

    This was awesome and put a smile to my face!
    Truly inspiring and you have the right idea approaching this funny thing called life. I love the counter statement on every line. Not only is this poem about perseverance. The style it is written in shows that!
    Great Job

    K.P.

  6. Emma on September 30, 2020 at 9:50 AM

    MR, this is a wonderful, inspiring poem about resilience. I love your words about creating your own reality. Great job and thanks so much for sharing!

  7. Kenya Lewis on October 6, 2020 at 4:13 PM

    Often, we limit our opportunities due to fear and the fears of others. I always believed myself to be courageous, until I let fear stop me from achieving things I wanted so badly. It took me almost 21 years to realize the only thing that can get between myself and my goals was ME. Thank you for sharing and inspiring!

  8. Sierra on October 11, 2020 at 10:37 PM

    MR, I love how this poem is extremely inspirational to those who may be struggling with doubts they may have put on themselves or doubts that others have laid on them. Great job!

  9. Joyce on October 14, 2020 at 2:46 PM

    Dear MR,

    I love how you have overcome others’ expectations. This is so inspiring and hopeful. I have experienced feeling both held back, put down, but also motivated by others’ opinions of me; this poem is relatable to many people. I really like how in your last line, you empower people to push themselves to find out what it is like to surpass expectations and believe in themselves. I like your repetition of “when they,” it emphasizes your message and it is powerful. Thank you for this motivating poem!

    Best wishes,
    Joyce

  10. Char on October 18, 2020 at 4:41 PM

    This is an inspiring poem and something I think would be beneficial to a lot of people in life to read. It is awesome you have proved people wrong when they told you you couldn’t do something. Similarly, In my life, when people tell me I can’t do something, it is that that gives me motivation to succeed more. Please keep proving people wrong. Please keep writing.

  11. Trish on October 19, 2020 at 6:27 PM

    Awesome poem, MR! “When they said it was over, I told them this is just the beginning…Just when they started to believe, I was already years into believing in myself…” These lines especially stood out to me, highlighting the power of believing in yourself even in the face of adversity. Never give up and never give in!

  12. Kennedi on October 19, 2020 at 11:29 PM

    This poem is so powerful and amazing! It shows courage, strength, and a little bit of mystery and the very end of it. The poem is amazing and interesting. Never stop writing!

  13. Dyemone on October 20, 2020 at 12:42 PM

    This poem is inspiring and shows that you should never doubt others. I really enjoyed reading this poem. Please continue to write more in the future.

  14. Eva on October 20, 2020 at 7:32 PM

    MR, well done. I love that even with the simplicity of this poem, the message conveyed is so deep. It is so important to believe in yourself even when no one else does; it is even more important to continue to believe in yourself when other people start to see you are worth more than they expected.

  15. Bryan on October 20, 2020 at 7:43 PM

    Wow, this was very inspiring and I think I needed to hear this. You conveyed your message very powerfully and I loved the anaphora/repetition. Thank you for sharing this was great!

  16. Katrina on October 21, 2020 at 8:04 AM

    This poem is so inspiring and powerful!The moment you choose to believe in yourself is the moment you have access to al the great things for your life.

  17. Ani on October 30, 2020 at 3:14 PM

    I relate to this poem so much. People have told me I wasn’t good enough and underestimated me but I have learnt how to not listen to them and focus on myself. This poem reminded me of all the times I proved someone wrong and it is such an empowering feeling. This is such a beautiful poem and great reminder to persevere despite what other people say. Follow your own heart and become the best version of yourself. Thank you spreading this message 🙂

  18. ken on November 2, 2020 at 11:15 AM

    This poem is very good!! It has so much confidence in it and it shows your strong will! Keep up the good writing and do not stop believing in yourself!

  19. Preeti on November 11, 2020 at 3:02 PM

    I love this! This is so beast. I love the confidence in this piece and just the self-love. I need to print this and keep it as a reminder, reflecting on all that I have done, yeah. Let ’em know! Great work.

  20. Belen Rodriguez on November 20, 2020 at 2:59 PM

    MR, This poem is motivating and uplifting. It conveys a sense of self-resilience and celebrating the fire within us. It is a powerful message to oneself and serves as a reminder, that everyone all the odds may be against, we are capable of anything. The poem shatters all negative ideas and is welcoming blessings. It can be relatable to our current situation and wanting to see these accomplishments. I am happy that you are confident and happy for your successes. The adversities were faced head on and came stronger, wonderful!

  21. AKB on December 4, 2020 at 1:39 PM

    This poem was very inspiring and relatable to me. I think its so important to have this type of mindset. If you do not believe in yourself no one else will. Keep this same energy. Good work.

  22. Maggie on December 11, 2020 at 6:34 PM

    I loved this poem! It is very inspiring and has a powerful message that I think can help many people!!

  23. Sabryn Ferchichi on December 16, 2020 at 5:05 PM

    MR,

    The impact and influence that this poem gave me was mesmerizing!! I love the repetition of “When they said..” it emphasizes the power these lines have and makes the reader want to know exactly what’s happening. I love the hope and strength from this as well.

  24. Anna Rowell on December 19, 2020 at 10:38 AM

    I love this poem, it is truly so inspiring!! It is so important to believe in yourself, especially when no one else does and I am so happy to see that you have done this! Thank you for sharing, and great job!

  25. Riti Kalra on January 18, 2021 at 8:05 PM

    I love the self confidence you show in this poem and it truly is inspiring for your reader. I like stylistic choice of showing the predetermined judgement or commentary from ‘them’ versus how you proved ‘them’ wrong––it was really powerful.

  26. Natalie D. on January 25, 2021 at 12:56 PM

    Hey MR,

    Thank you for this motivating poem. I love the main message of you being persistent in proving others wrong, not for them but for you. I feel like sometimes as humans we need a reminder that we should get past the doubtful opinions of others and go beyond the measure for ourselves. Again, thank you.

  27. Amanda on April 1, 2021 at 8:32 PM

    MR,
    Your poem has inspired me greatly! While reading I started to think about the lines you wrote and how beneficial and uplifting they are to say to myself. Confidence is something that can be very difficult to have, especially in the world we live in now. I hope you continue to have this positive mindset and keep it with you throughout your life!

  28. Danielle on April 10, 2021 at 2:39 PM

    Hey MR,
    Your poem is very inspirational! Having faith and trust in yourself is the most important thing to making your life the best it can be for yourself and I can see that you are there. With your work I hope to remind myself that success is for me and not for ‘them’.

    Danielle

  29. Rachel Salzstein on April 21, 2021 at 5:19 PM

    Wow, this poem is outstanding! I can totally relate to this poem, as I have been put down about my endeavors and have been doubted for a lot I want to do with my life. I keep telling myself that it’s up to me to create my own success, and your poem expresses that perfectly. Thank you for sharing!

  30. Edmon on May 1, 2021 at 12:19 AM

    MR,
    Hi, I’m Edmon and I’m in a class that aims to engage with the community beyond the university and corporations. Im in love with this poem because it’s how I feel in my head everyday when people doubt me, whether its said out loud or kept inside. I wonder what sparked this in you. For me it happened when people doubt my dreams, goals, and ambitions. Good job and good luck in the future.

  31. cm on May 1, 2021 at 10:58 PM

    Hi MR – I am currently a student in a college English course called Writing and community where we focus on community outreach and service learning. We try to make connections with community organizations outside of the university to enhance our learning and help our communities. I really enjoyed reading your poem. You seem to believe in yourself a lot, which is a great trait to have. If you don’t believe you are capable of something, you are very rarely going to achieve it. I find it admirable that it seems you were able to find success even when those around you may have not believed in you. I hope that you continue to write poetry and that you are able to express yourself through your writing. Good luck in the future, and keep believing in yourself!

  32. Samantha on May 14, 2021 at 5:35 PM

    MR,

    This poem is such a mantra! It is so important for us to believe in ourselves, even when others don’t believe in us. Thank you for this reminder!

  33. Julia Santosuosso on November 23, 2022 at 12:54 AM

    These words are so incredibly powerful and well-written. It is very inspiring to hear about your perseverance in your life despite the opposing expectations from others. I have always struggled to stop caring about the opinions and thoughts of others on how I am living my life, but these words remind me that it is possible. Keep living authentically and using your voice to inspire others to do the same. Thank you for sharing.

  34. Oshane on November 29, 2022 at 10:41 PM

    Hi MR,

    Your poem is very motivational. I can relate to it very well as i too have moments where i lacked motivation and support from others. I had to do all the work and motivate myself to overcome my challenges and it has helped to make me stronger and overcome doubt. It is a very hard thing to do at times. Continue to keep dreaming and envisioning the future life that you want and let nothing distract you or make you lose faith that it is possible.

  35. Oshane on December 15, 2022 at 3:52 PM

    Hi MR,

    What an amazing poem ! This sounds like you are speaking my truth of living a life of being doubted and underestimated by friends and family. Despite feeling no one else was seeing me how I saw my self I fought against all odds and prove that I am more than what meets the eye.

    Thank you for reminding us to always excel and exceed expectations.

  36. Laura Haas on February 4, 2023 at 5:47 PM

    Hi MR,
    Thank you for sharing your thoughts on an important idea. The poem you created is so powerful and motivating. We’ve all had haters try to kick us down. The important part is getting back up! We need to believe in ourselves, try our hardest, and not rely on others. You seem to have mastered this idea, which I give props to. I struggle to believe in myself, but the way you wrote this poem helps. Thank you for inspiring and motivating me. I hope you keep writing about your powerful emotions.

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.