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I have—and Tony Montana is probably the first example that comes to mind.

Now, I’m not saying Tony Montana was a good person. I’m not defending every decision he made, and I’m certainly not suggesting anyone should copy his life. But there was something about his ambition, fearlessness and absolute refusal to accept his circumstances that made him impossible to ignore.

He came from nothing.

He didn’t have connections, money or status. Nobody handed him an opportunity. He saw what he wanted, believed he could have it and went after it with everything he had.

That’s the part I respect.

It isn’t only Tony Montana, either. There are plenty of movies and stories where I find myself more interested in the villain than the supposed hero. Not every villain, obviously. Some are just evil, weak or destructive. But others possess qualities that most people never develop.

They’re ambitious.

They’re consistent.

They’re persistent.

They’re fearless.

They don’t wait for approval, and they don’t allow rejection to change their vision. They refuse to accept the position society assigned them.

There is something powerful about that.

Heroes are often portrayed as people protecting the existing order. Villains are frequently the ones trying to change it. Their methods might be wrong, but their hunger, conviction and willingness to act can still be admirable.

I also don’t automatically judge someone based entirely on whether the law calls them a criminal.

Laws aren’t universal. Something can be legal in one country and illegal in another. Laws change over time. Things that were once illegal eventually become legal, while things that were once accepted can later be outlawed.

The behavior didn’t suddenly change. The law did.

That doesn’t mean right and wrong don’t matter. They absolutely matter. But legality and morality aren’t always the same thing, and life is rarely as simple as the hero wearing white and the villain wearing black.

I judge the individual.

What do they believe?

What are they pursuing?

What are they willing to risk?

What qualities do they possess that other people could learn from?

That is why I can recognize something admirable in a fictional villain without endorsing everything that character does.

Tony Montana’s greatest strength was also part of what destroyed him. He possessed enormous ambition, but ambition without discipline eventually becomes recklessness. He was fearless, but fearlessness without judgment can become self-destruction.

There’s a lesson in both sides of his story.

Take the hunger.

Take the courage.

Take the confidence.

Take the persistence.

Leave the destruction behind.

Most people aren’t being held back by a lack of talent. They’re being held back by fear—fear of failure, judgment, rejection or breaking away from what everyone else considers normal.

They spend their lives waiting for permission.

Permission to start a business.

Permission to change careers.

Permission to leave a bad situation.

Permission to believe they could build something bigger.

The most compelling villains never wait for permission. Once they decide what they want, they move toward it relentlessly. Nothing stops them—not public opinion, rejection or the circumstances they were born into.

That mentality can be dangerous when aimed in the wrong direction. But aimed toward building a legitimate business, creating financial freedom or completely changing your life, it can become a superpower.

Maybe I don’t actually like the villain more than the hero.

Maybe I’m attracted to the part of the villain that refuses to live quietly, accept defeat or settle for the life they were handed.

I don’t admire every decision they make.

I admire the fact that they’re going after something.

In a world filled with people waiting for permission, there is something undeniably compelling about someone who refuses to ask for it.

Stay focused. Stay relentless. Stay non-compliant.

— Nicholas Francis
NFA Finance