What Does Success Entail?
By Jessica Lou-Hing/@jess_kaitlyn
There is a lot that can keep someone back from succeeding. You may often feel that you are destined to fail, and that your goal is unreachable. But in truth such experiences are quite typical – even in the lives of those who have ‘made it’!
Think of famous people… like Walt Disney, Bill Gates, Oprah, Einstein, Elvis and J.K.Rowling. Although they are now hugely successful, they all experienced numerous failures in their lives.
Today ‘Disney’ is known worldwide for his iconic merchandise, movies and theme parks. But to achieve success Walt Disney struggled for many years, and even got fired from his newspaper job for “lacking imagination and good ideas”!
How about Bill Gates, the man who currently holds the title of the “richest man in the world”? Before he created the global empire that is Microsoft, he dropped out of Harvard and his failed miserably in his first business.
Oprah is seen today as one of the richest women and most influential people on television, and yet she also experienced countless setbacks in her life. She often talks on her shows about her abusive upbringing, and how she was fired from numerous jobs.
We all associate the name “Einstein” with intelligence and genius. However during Albert Einstein’s early years, he was thought by his teachers to be mentally handicapped because he did not speak until the age of four, and did not start reading until the age of seven. He was slow and anti-social, and was expelled from school!
Elvis Presley is known as the king of rock and roll, and as one of the most famous artists of all time. But back in 1954 Elvis was told after one of his early performances to “go back to driving a truck”.
Then there’s J.K.Rowling, the worldwide literary sensation. The author of the Harry Potter series struggled in her early years; she was penniless and depressed. She was a single mother who was trying to attend school and to write a novel. She went from depending on benefits to survive, to becoming the success she is today – all within the span of five years!
So as you can see from all these examples: success doesn’t always come easily. Famous peoples’ lives look amazing but most had to work extremely hard to get where they are. To put this in perspective, imagine the stress you are currently feeling at school or work. You may have some self-doubt and feel undervalued and underestimated. But realize that your journey will be full of many false starts and lots of hard work. Don’t take failure as a reason to stop working hard; rather convert every challenge into a learning experience, and stay steadfast. You are the only person that matters to achieve your dream!
