Oprah Winfrey. A name that inspires millions of people around the world, right? She is a billionaire, a motivational speaker, and a media mogul. It can be easy to fantasize about her amazing life and think about how awesome she is.
However, not many are aware of the immense hardships and struggles she had to face before getting to where she is.
We all have heroes we look up to. JK Rowling, once a broke single-mother, now a well-known best-selling author and another billionaire. Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Elvis Presley, Michael Jordan, and the list goes on; all names who faced hardship and failure before becoming “great”.
With all these names, we can be certain of one thing: great men (or women) are not born great; they grow great.
4 Lessons We Can Learn from Great People
They Don’t Give Up
What do you do when you fail? Maybe try once or twice again? But what if you fail three times in a row? Or five? Would you still get up and try again? Or would you give up?
What sets successful people apart is that they do not give up. Great people fail, but they do not fail to try again.Â
Stephen King’s first novel “Carrie” was rejected 30 times.
JK Rowling was rejected 90 times before a publisher accepted Harry Potter.
If you think that is a lot, Jack London’s The Call of the Wild, considered one of the best novels ever written, was rejected 600 times before it was published.
If you think 600 is a big number, think again!
Harland David Sanders’ fried chicken recipe was rejected over 1,000 times! But, he still didn’t give up. Finally, after 1,009 rejections, a restaurant agreed to use his recipe, which he called Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Thomas Edison is one of the most famous examples of people who overcame failure. One, his teachers said that he was “too stupid to learn anything.” Two, he was fired from two of his jobs for not being “productive.” Yet after 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb, he finally succeeded. And he never saw his unsuccessful attempts as failure. He believed those attempts taught him 1,000 ways it wouldn’t work.
They Believe in Their Dreams
No dream is too big. In order to achieve your dreams, you have to believe in them. Don’t limit yourself to what seems realistic or practical. Elon Musk is a great example of a man who can see and bring to fruition possibilities that others can’t visualize. How can you create something incredible and new for yourself if you base your future on what is already around you?
So many of the things that exist today would have been impossible if some crazy people had not dared to be unrealistic and think out of the box. If Steve Jobs decided to be practical, he would never have dropped out of college and created Apple.
To be great, you must trust your own madness. While that might sound crazy, isn’t that better and more fulfilling than just being “normal”?
Don’t Listen to Haters
People will be afraid of your dreams. As a result, they might discourage you. Friends and family might try to “protect” you by dissuading you from going after what you want. But in order to succeed, you have to stay focused on the positive rather than the negative. Don’t let others bring you down, convince you that you can’t achieve your dreams, or tell you that it is not possible to achieve your goals. Stay focused on your goal and chase after it. If you need to, protect your dream and don’t share it with people you might think will be unsupportive.
Don’t Let Challenges Stop you
Sidney Poitier came from a humble background, barely making ends meet as a dishwasher. When he first auditioned for an acting role, he was rejected due to his thick Caribbean accent. Rather than dishearten him, this rejection pushed Sidney to work harder at his craft, which finally paid off.
Oprah Winfrey came from a broken home, was sexually abused, and became pregnant as a teenager. Yet, that didn’t stop her from pursuing her calling as one of the greatest talk show hosts of all time.
Lady Gaga, one of the best-selling artists of her time, faced disappointment early on when a major record label signed her on only to drop her from their roster of artists after three months. However, she persevered and recreated herself as a successful performer.
Another incredible story about a man who refused to allow challenges to stop him is Sylvester Stallone. Tony Robbins tells his story well.
Great people don’t give up when faced with setbacks, disappointment, or challenges. They persevere through them, becoming stronger. Everyone has their share of struggles, failures, limitations, and haters. However, great people stay resilient. Great people aren’t great because of their successes or achievements; rather, because of everything they grow through and their refusal to give up.
