The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the closer you’re to where you wanna be. If you never failed, you’ve never lived.

Join me as I recount what these famous people went through before becoming successes today. They’ve got one similar trait.

They never give up.

Whoopi Goldberg was a high school dropout and survived on welfare. To make ends meet, she worked as a bricklayer, bank teller and makeup artist, applying makeup & dressing the hair of corpses in a mortuary.

Fredrick Smith got a C for his term paper proposing “an express delivery service” when he was studying in Yale university. He started Federal Express Corp in 1971 but only managed to deliver 6 packages – 4 were from the operations testing its system and 2 from real customers – in its first run.

Simon Cowell was expelled at 16 with just two O-level passes. He eventually dropped out of high school and worked as a mailroom boy at his dad’s employer, EMI.

Charles Dickens once worked in a London factory pasting labels on bottles of shoe polish.

Brad Pitt dropped out of university, just 2 credits short of a journalism degree, went to Hollywood where he worked outside a fast food restaurant in a giant chicken costume.

Li Ka Shing, one of the world’s richest tycoons once sold plastic flowers for a living.

Akio Morita & Masaru Ibuka, founders of Sony first released a rice cooker through their company in 1945. This was how it looked like. Yes, a complete disaster. The cooker burnt rice instead of cooking it and sold less than 100 units.

George Orwell went to Paris, eager to make a living from freelance writing. He barely survived by teaching English, eventually pawning his possessions and working in a hotel as a janitor.

Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything” and he was also fired from his first 2 jobs for not being productive enough. Perhaps that’s why he failed 2,000 times before inventing the light bulb.

Tom Hanks dropped out of Sacramento State University and worked as a bellhop at a Hilton Hotel.

Michael Bloomberg was fired as a partner from Salomon Brothers in 1981 when it merged with another company. He took the merger proceeds to startup Bloomberg financial information network and became the New York mayor in 1991.

Colonel Sanders, founder of the world renowned Kentucky Fried Chicken chain got his first social security check of $99 at age 65. He had a small house, a worn out car and was pretty much broke. But that didn’t stop him from approaching restaurant owners, offering his popular chicken recipe free, in exchange for a percentage of the pieces of chicken sold. 1,009 restaurant owners rejected him before he got his first yes.

Eminem failed 9th grade 3 times and dropped out of high school at 17. When his girlfriend broke up with him and took their newborn away, he attempted suicide.

Soichiro Honda was turned down by Toyota Motor Corporation for a engineering job. He was jobless for a while and started making his own scooters at home. Encouraged by his neighbours, he later setup his own company – Honda Motor Corporation.

Salvador Dali was expelled from an art academy in Spain for not letting his professors critique his paintings.

Jackie Chan dropped out from grade school after the 1st year and was sent to the China Drama Academy where he trained for 19 hours a day. He used to be a stuntman in Bruce Lee’s movies.

Bill Gates was a Harvard dropout but was clever enough to buy someone’s product for $50,000, rebrand & licensed it to IBM & other computer companies for billions.

Albert Einstein started speaking when he was 4 and only learnt to read at 7. His teachers and parents thought he was intellectually challenged, slow witted and anti-social. He was also expelled from school and couldn’t get into the Swiss Polytechnic Institute in Zurich.

Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her job as an on-air evening news anchor and was told she wasn’t fit for television.

John Grisham‘s first novel was rejected by 16 agents and 12 publishing houses.

Dr Seuss’s first book was turned down by 27 publishers.

Arnold Schwarzenegger went for “The Incredible Hulk” TV series audition, but lost the lead role to Lou Ferrigno because he was “too short and too thin”.

Charles Darwin failed a medical course in University of Edinburgh and was often criticised by his dad for being lazy and too dreamy. He wrote “I was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect.”

Ralph Lauren dropped out of college after his sophomore year and worked as a part-time stock boy in a department store.

Isaac Newton was an average student. When he was put in charge of running his family’s farm, he let sheep escape and fences to fall down. In the end, his uncle took over and sent him off to Cambridge.

Vincent Van Gogh only sold 1 painting in his lifetime for just 400 francs. But that didn’t stop him from completing 800 works worth millions today.

Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union used to work in the fields of a Russian village.

Michael J Fox dropped out of high school and went to Hollywood to venture into TV acting. But instead, he was $30,000 in debt and had to live in a garage without a telephone & furniture.

Winston Churchill failed 6th grade and only passed the entrance exams to Royal Military Academy on his 3rd try. He was defeated in every election until he finally became UK’s Prime Minister at 62.

Amitabh Bachchan, an award winning Indian actor known for his rich voice was rejected for an announcer’s job with All India Radio because his voice was “unsuitable”.

Charlie Chaplin was a street urchin, danced for money and was sent to an orphange for destitute kids. Hollywood studio chiefs rejected his act, thinking that it was a little too nonsensical to ever sell.

Sidney Poitier was told to “stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something” during an audition. He went on to win an Oscar and became one of the most respected actors ever.

Stephen King’s first book was rejected 30 times. He threw the manuscript away and almost gave up. His wife retrieved the script from the trash and encouraged him to resubmit.

Abraham Lincoln fiance died. He suffered a nervous breakdown. He also failed in business twice and was also defeated in 8 elections. But all that didn’t stop him from before becoming the 16th president of United States.

Tom Cruise was denied a role on the TV show “Fame” because he wasn’t “pretty enough”.

Steven Spielberg was rejected by the a famous film school 3 times. Years later, he was conferred a honorary doctorate and seat on the board of trustees of the same school for his achievements.

J.K Rowling divorced less than a year into her first marriage, moved with her baby to Edinburgh, Scotland. She survived on welfare in an apartment infested with mice and wrote in cafes to help her baby fall asleep. Oh yeah, her novel “Harry Potter” was rejected by 12 publishing houses.

Claude Monet suffered from nasty cateracts but still came up with beautiful paintings. Unfortunately, his impressionist painting style was mocked by the then artistic elite, the Paris Salon.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” He was also made bankrupt many times.

Mozart was dismissed as a court musician in Salzberg with “a kick in the pants”.

Charles Schultz, the cartoonist behind the Peanuts comic strip had every cartoon he submitted for his school yearbook rejected. Even Walt Disney said “no” to his application for a job.

Marilyn Monroe’s modeling agents thought she should consider being a secretary instead.

Rabindranath Tagore, the 1st non-european Nobel Laureate for literature, was home schooled. He was later sent to England for formal schooling at 17 but didn’t complete his studies.

Elvis Presley’s high school teacher gave him a C & told him he couldn’t sing! That’s not all. He was also told by the manager of the Grand Ole Opry that he “ain’t goin’ nowhere” and “ought to go back to drivin’ a truck” before being fired from one of his earliest performances.

Mark Victor Hansen & Jack Canfield’s Chicken Soup for The Soul was rejected a total of 140 times.

Harrison Ford was told by a vice president of Columbia pictures that he wouldn’t make it in the business. 15 years later while Ford was having lunch at a Columbia pictures’ commissary, he received a namecard from the same guy, with the words “I missed my bet” written on the reverse.

Elizabeth Arden dropped out of nursing school. Her first attempt to sell face cream was a flop too. But she held on, changed her name and founded a new beauty brand.

The Beatles were told by a recording company that they “don’t like their sound and guitar music is on the way out”.

Beethoven’s teachers thought he was hopeless on the violin and would never succeed in composing. But he went on to compose some of the best symphonies while being completely deaf.

Dustin Hoffman couldn’t get acting jobs in New York and ended up as a janitor and an attendant in a mental hospital.

Luciano Pavarotti couldn’t read music but still became one of the world’s greatest tenors.

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.

George Lucas’ first film in 1971 was a flop.

Henry Ford was bankrupt 5 times before he founded the Ford Motor Company.

Mahatma Gandhi fled the courtroom due to stage fright in his first law case.

Jerry Seinfeld was booed off the stage due to stage fright at a comedy club. He went back the next night, completed his set to laughter and thunderous applause.

Babe Ruth had 1,330 strikeouts – ironically a major league record – almost double of his home runs of 714.

Hillary Clinton failed the Washington D.C. bar exam. Undeterred, she took the Arkansas bar exam in the same year and passed.

Wilma Rudolph was paralyzed in 1 leg due to polio and told by doctors she would never walk again. She later won 3 olympic gold medals in track and fields.

Ulysses S. Grant used to be a farmer, real estate agent, customs official and store clerk. His last 2 occupations? A general and 18th president of United States.

Sylvester Stallone was expelled from 14 schools in 11 years. His university professors discouraged him from an acting career and his screenplay for “Rocky” was also rejected by all but one company who would only buy it on condition he would not act in it.

Martin Luther King was once ostracized by his family for not pursuing a merchant career.

Pierce Brosnan dropped out from school at 16, ran away from home to work as a fire eater in a circus.

Barbra Streisand’s first broadway performance was opened and closed on the same night.

Billy Joel, disillusioned by the failure of his first album, spent 6 months playing bar piano in a lounge under a different name.

Cynidi Lauper was told by doctors in 1977 she couldn’t sing again because of her badly damaged vocals. In 1984, she won a Grammy.

That’s all from me! Any famous failures you’ll like to add? Please share in the comments below or on my twitter & google plus page!

But a few days ago, something made me watch a motivational videos clip. It was sent by my sister. And I was glad I did that. It was so heart wrenching and yet motivational that for the first time I realize there can be gems in such emails! I cried. And I just couldn’t stop.

Because of that, I’ve decided to compile a list of all the wonderful motivational videos clips that I can find and hope they’ll inspire you just like how they’ve motivated me. Live your life to the fullest pursuing your dreams. Regardless of whatever odds you may face. And be absolutely grateful for everything around you. Be it your friends, family, classmates or even your neighbours.

(1) Must Watch Motivational Video Clips (Warning, Kleenex Might Be Required!)

• The Genius Little Mozart

  Yes, this is the clip I was talking about earlier. An adopted child, 5 year old Ye Eun has never taken any piano lessons. But she could play any tune after listening to it once. Yes, once! That feat is already nothing short of amazing. What’s even more remarkable is, little Ye Eun is blind from birth. Watch her touching performance as she brandish her gift in front of a popular Korean variety show audience.

• Team Hoyt

  The Dick & Rick Hoyt team has totally changed my perception of father and son bonding. Son, Rick suffered from birth complications and can’t walk or talk since he was born. Despite that, he and his dad have completed various seemingly superhuman marathons or triathlons together – with a combination of 26.2 miles acres of running, 112 miles of bicycling and 2.4 miles of swimming. They also surmounted various mountains and treks across America. This showcased an TV interview and excerpt of one of their inspiring conquests. One of the most touching motivational videos I’ve come across.

(2) If They Can Pursue Their Dreams Despite The Odds, What’s Stopping You?

• A Future Mum-To-Be

  Who says one can’t take care of a baby, own a home based business, type on the keyboard, drive a car just because she’s got no arms? Barbara’s feat really made me embarrassed. I’ve never even changed a diaper with my hands and she did it in a jiffy with her feet! Kudos, Barbara. Kudos.

• A Very Special Marching Band Member

  Patrick Henry Hughes has always been very talented in music. This time he has decided to join a marching band. The only issue? Patrick’s blind and paralyzed from waist down. Watch this to see how Patrick did it, with the help of his Dad. I particularly loved this part of his interview in the motivational videos, “God made me blind and unable to walk. Big Deal. He gave me the ability to, the musical gifts I have and the great opportunity to meet new people…”. Now, regardless of which faith we belong to, how many people can steadfastly appreciate every part of his being like Patrick did? Despite such adversities?

• Aspiring Painter

  I loved sketching when I was in grade and high school. Once, a couple of us were sketching a particular car in our school’s compound when the driver drove off. We were totally aghasted! Some of my classmates even protested to our art teacher that they couldn’t draw because the subject was no longer there. When I watched John Bramblitt’s story, I really felt for him. He’s right. You don’t require sight to create great paintings or sketches. You need insight.

• Powerful Wrestler

  If you’re someone who tend to lament over life’s adversities, let Dustin Carter show you how NOT to be a whimp. Only one word can describe my thoughts when I watch this. Speechless.

• The Last Lecture

  Chances are, you’ve probably heard or even watched this amazing lecturer’s speech series. The reason I’m linking to this again is because I simply cannot resist conveying the strong message in his speech. Something I’ve always asserted in many of my articles too. Go for your dreams! So that even if you’re on your death bed, you’ve got no regrets. (Update : Dr Randy Pausch passed away peacefully on 25 July, 2008. As a tribute to him, I’ve included this special interview he had with ABC News which also contain an archive of videos about his life).
  

• Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

  The fact is, many people want to. But are they able to put in that incredible action like what these 2 kids did? When you listen to their success stories, you’ll see what I meant by incredible action.

• Another Unexpected Showcase of Talent

  If you liked the Paul Potts video I’ve previously linked to, I’m sure you’ll like this one. It’s about a very talented boy who was always bullied in school. Amazing confidence booster!

• Did You Dream A Dream Like Her?

  If you’ve never heard of Susan Boyle, chance are, you may have been living under a rock! Susan Boyle created a great sensation all over the world in 2009 all via the power of new media! Her Youtube video was watched tens of millions of times and reminded everyone of this. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how cynical others around you may be. If you’ve got a dream, dream it, go for it and live it!

(4) Sports Motivation

• The Great Coach

  If you’ve never had a coach or mentor, be it in sports, life or business, this will probably give you the impetus to consider one. An excerpt from the movies, you’ll realize how effective a coach can stretch you and help you uncover the potential you’ve never taught you’ve.

• A Great Motivational Speech

  Kudos to Al Pacino for relaying this very motivational speech to his football team. It’s an excerpt from the movie “Any Given Sunday”. What he said isn’t just applicable to football or any team sports. It’s also very true in real life. Ask yourself. Are you closing up the inches?

• The Ironman

  A short but empowering video on the ironman triathlon. It really keep your vibes up, you know. But then again, I admit I’m somewhat biased. After all, I’ve just signed up for a 10km run!

• Football Frenzy

  An incredibly motivating clip for our American Football sportsmen and fans out there. If this can give me – someone who know nuts about American Football – an adrenaline boost, I’m sure it can do wonders for you and your tournaments.

(5) Change The World, One Person At A Time

• Challenge Day

  High school bullying is a phenomenon in many countries. Yes, even in my part of the world. This 15 minute excerpt of the Emmy award winning documentary showcases how this US based non profit organization transformed the lives of many teens. For the first 5 minutes of the clip, this seemed like any other documentary I’ve seen. It was only during that “cross that line” exercise that I started to sit up. Despite the diversity of each teenager, all of them – the bullies and the bullied – suffered some kind of insecurities. I guess that’s when the teens began to see they’re not alone. I’m moved. Are you?

• Unity In Diversity

  A light hearted promotional ad in India about how one small boy’s initiative sparked off a team effort to remove a tree (that’s causing a traffic jam). Though simple, the message is very strong : Unity across diversity. Oh yeah, I love that upbeat song too.

• Do You Still Remember How To Smile?

  Some people may find this fictional short film rather cliche. What mesmerized me about it is not so much the storyline. But rather the insights it draws upon. Watch for the slight twist at the end. Interesting.

(6) Scenes From The Movies

• Rudy (Part I & II)

  Frankly, I’ve never watch Rudy, a true story based on an aspiring young man who dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame. But after going through this 2 part documentary, the inspiring scenes and the very fact that it’s a true story gripped me. It’s not just about football. It’s about going all out to fulfill the dreams you’ve set in your life. Awesome! I’ve already put this on my Must Watch movies for this year. Have you?

• Rocky Balboa

  Rocky have decided come out of retirement to fight the younger, stronger heavyweight champ Mason Dixon. One day, his estranged son – whose relationship with Rocky was strained because he thought he was hired in his last job due to his last name – came to his restaurant to look him up. He wanted his father to withdraw from the competition. Rocky gave him an incredibly good wake up call. When I watched this in the cinema, I was so encouraged that I shed tears of inspiration. Yes, it was that good.

• Chris Gardener

  Based on a true story, Chris Gardener is a self made millionaire, motivational speaker and philanthropist who was once forced to be homeless while he was doing an internship in a stock brokerage firm. This trailer video showed some of the many inspiring scenes – from his insistence to go to the internship interview even when he was just hit by a car, assurance to provide his son a better life, to his awesome father-&-son speech :“Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something. Not even me, alright?”. A good watch for all parents out there.

• World’s Fastest Indian

  This is a short clip of the conversation between Burt Munro and the young boy who lived next door. Based on a true story, the legendary speed bike racer Burt had always dreamed of setting a new land speed record with his Indian – a motorcycle he bought in the 1920s. No one believed he could succeed. After all, he was just diagnosed with a serious heart ailment and told by the doctors not to race anymore. That young boy was his only supporter. And do you know what you might as well be if you don’t follow through your dreams? The answer, my friend is in the clip. Enjoy.

That’s all from me. Do you have any inspirational or motivational videos clips that you would like to share? Please do so in the comments!

** Photo By Victor_Nuno motivational videos

If you’ve some time today, I invite you to join me in this self discovery journey as we go through this 50 wonderful inspirational positive quotes.

Indulge in the tranquil moment as you read with both your eyes and heart.

Remember, eyes may provide sight. But it’s the heart which gives insight.

Enjoy.

“Think like a man of action, and act like a man of thought.”
- Henri L. Bergson

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
– Hellen Keller

“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.”
- Josh Billings

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”
- Will Rogers

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
- Christopher Columbus

“To a brave man, good and bad luck are like his left and right hand. He uses both.”
- St Catherine of Siena

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we took so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened up for us”
- Helen Keller

“We don’t see the things the way they are. We see things the way WE are.”
- Talmund

“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.”
- Norman Vincent Peale

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
- Dr Wayne Dyer

“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”
- Theodore Rubin

“Pessimist : A person who says that O is the last letter of ZERO, instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY.”
- Anonymous

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
- Thomas A Edison

“Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting”
- Elizabeth Bibesco

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
- B. Olatunji

“When you get to the end of the rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
- Franklin D Roosevelt

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.”
- Zig Ziglar

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
- Winston Churchill

“The secret to success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching.”
- Dennis Green

“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
- Muhammad Ali

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
- Dale Carnegie

“So many of our dreams at first seems impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
- Christopher Reeve

“Hard work spotlights the character of people. Some turn up their sleeves. Some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”
- Sam Ewing

“There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there’s virtually no competition.”
- Steven J Ross

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
- Confucious

“Many of life’s failures are people who had not realized how close they were to success when they gave up.”
- Thomas A Edison

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
- Stephen Covey

“Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.”
- Peter Drucker

“Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!”
- Donald Gardner

“Success is what you attract by the person you become.”
- Jim Rohn

“You have to ‘Be’ before you can ‘Do’ and ‘Do’ before you can ‘Have’.
- Zig Ziglar

“You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people to get what they want.”
- Zig Ziglar

“The test we must set for ourselves is not to march alone but to march in such a way that others wish to join us.”
- Hubert Humphrey

“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus when the limo breaks down.”
- Oprah Winfrey

“Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.”
- Jim Rohn

“It isn’t what the book costs. It’s what it will cost you if you don’t read it.”
- Jim Rohn

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

“The future has several names. For the weak, it is the impossible. For the fainthearted, it is the unknown. For the thoughtful and valiant, it is the ideal.”
- Victor Hugo

“There is nothing more genuine than breaking away from the chorus to learn the sound of your own voice.”
- Po Bronson

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
- Waldo Emerson

“Use what talents you possess, the woods will be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”
- Henry van Dyke

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”
- Bertrand Russell

“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”
- Winston Churchill

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life’s about creating yourself.”
- George Bernard Shaw

“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vintage point.”
- Harold B Melchart

“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.”
- Benjamin Mays

“More often in life, we end up regretting the chances in life that we had, but didn’t take them, than those chances that we took and wished we hadn’t.”
- Anonymous

“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.”
- Pope John Paul I

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”
- Earl Shoaf

That’s all from me. Do you have other inspirational positive quotes that you’ll like to share? Let me know in the comments!

** Photo by Aussiegall positive quotes

But how many of you know about the making of this brand name and the heroine behind it?

Against Expectations

Anita Roddick was a woman of a different breed. After all, who would have that kind of magnanimity to send her husband off to a 2 year expedition while slogging on a new business and taking care of 2 young kids?

Born to an Italian couple who had migrated to England, Anita started working at a very young age at her parent’s cafe in Littlehampton. She would work through the weekends at the cafe and then cramping in one of the rooms with both her parents and grandparents, while the other rooms in their house were rented out.

Having come from an immigrant background, it was no wonder Anita could relate very well with foreigners in her town. When she was 10, she started to take a interest in human rights after reading a book about the Holocaust. Perhaps it was the same affinity that won her a teaching scholarship to be on kibbutz in Israel, exposing her to the world outside England.

Around the World

It was nevertheless a short stint as young Anita was later sacked for allegedly taking part in a prank. Although it tainted her teaching career, the issue saw her taking up a bohemian lifestyle, traveling around Israel on a shoestring and then living in Paris and Switzerland for a few months. All that while, she was supporting herself through short term teaching assignments.

She eventually decided that there was more to life than that and left teaching for good, traveling to various countries such as Tahiti, New Caledonia, Australia, Madagascar and South Africa. Her expatriation from South Africa for patronizing a jazz club on “black night” culminated a year’s of travel and made her so broke and homesick that she finally decided to call it quits.

Business Experience

After she returned to England, she met Gordon Roddick, a young writer and poet who was a regular at her parent’s cafe turned bar. They got married and had 2 daughters in short span 2 years. To support the young family, Gordon went into a few business ventures and when his first picture framing shop went bust, he later worked with Anita to operate 2 businesses simultaneously : a boardinghouse and a restaurant. Both were not without struggles, too. The boardinghouse was a convert from an original bed & breakfast idea. And the restaurant only prospered after they changed the initial gourmet health food menu to a grill & fry mix of steaks, hamburgers and fries.

The next 3 years saw the Roddicks waking up in the wee hours to run the boardinghouse and tend the restaurant until 1am the next day. Though the restaurant was very popular in the town, the income which was only enough to cover the operating costs, came at the expense of quality time with their 2 daughters.

Taking into consideration those factors and Gordon’s growing desire to pursue his childhood dream (of riding horseback 5,300 miles from Buenos Aires to New York), the Roddicks sold their businesses and searched for another alternative that would support the family when Gordon was away but allow Anita to work regular hours so that she could take care of the children in the evenings.

All It Takes Is … An Idea & Some Creativity

Anita eventually had an idea. She decided to set up a shop selling environmental-friendly cosmetics that used natural ingredients. Though it was a good concept, she had a hard time convincing the bank because of her rock star like image. It was only when Gordon forced her to revisit the bank wearing a power suit with a well written business plan before her loan request was approved.

Anita’s ability to inject creativity into her limitations was unquestionably her recipe for success. With the money, she set up the first The Body Shop outlet in artsy Brighton in 1976 and began with 15 products, 5 different sizes for each. She later admitted that the different sizes stemmed from the need to stack up the store shelves so that it wouldn’t look so empty. Ingenious, isn’t it?

Even when she didn’t have funds to purchase enough of those inexpensive bottles (similar to the ones used by hospitals for urine samples), she was creative enough to bank on the go green movement and started the refill-the-used-bottles concept. Not only was the concept well received by the environmental enthusiasts, it struck a chord with the thrifty crowd.

Her creativity was also extended to the interior design and publicity of The Body Shop outlet. Who would have expected that the signature dark green colour used on the walls, which came to symbolize the company’s recycling and sustainability efforts, was a bid to hide the shop’s unsightly water marks? And who would have known that a lawsuit threat by 2 nearby funeral parlors for using the brand name “The Body Shop” would turn out to be a no cost newspaper publicity campaign? In fact, the free publicity was so sensational that she made £130 on the grand opening day, way exceeding Gordon’s target of £300 a week.

Husband & Wife Synergy

When Gordon came home, not only was he excited that Anita had opened a second outlet in another town nearby, he also worked with her subsequently to develop The Body Shop into a franchise, using whatever additional funds they generated into product research. That business model allowed them to open at least 2 stores each month by 1982. 2 years later, the group was publicly listed.

Today, The Body Shop can be found in more than 50 countries with over 2,000 outlets. The product range has increased to 600 different types. The heroine behind this brand was also roped in to setup a college business degree course and knighted with the title DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire). Isn’t this amazing?

What Did I Learn From This Story?

That everyone deserves a life of no regrets! The choice of making that decision lies in no one but yourself.

(1) A Soul Mate… Someone to Share or Sell Your Soul to?

Everyone would admit that Anita’s an extraordinary wife. Although I’m still single, I can still understand the anxiety some wives would feel having their husbands leave them behind if they were in the same situation. In fact, an user that I’ve worked with in my last job used to tell me how his wife would call him every other hour (sometimes crying in exasperation) when he was out in another state for business.

That left me wondering. Is a soul mate someone whom you share your aspirations, decisions, happiness and troubles with or someone whom you account to for every single movement, action that you make to the extent of suppressing your own individuality?

If getting married is equivalent to losing your soul to someone else, doesn’t it make sense to stay single?

That’s an open question that I myself am still pondering.

(2) A Life of No Regrets

I remembered reading a story in my local newspaper some time ago about a car branding executive. He gave up his job to be a research chemist even though he has got no relevant qualifications, to fulfill a childhood ambition. Using all his savings, he bought expensive equipments and set up a home laboratory. In the end, his passion for polymers and synthetics led him to discover a form of chemical that can be used to reinforce the strength of fabrics. His invention was so well received during a defence exhibition that he might become a millionaire in no time because of the many deals that were made then.

That story, Gordon’s decision to leave the family for an expedition and Anita’s travels before she got married affirm the fact that everyone deserves a life of no regrets. I know many friends who’ve given up their ambitions for a mundane life because of responsibility. Their responsibility as sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers or mothers. But is that really responsibility? What about their responsibility to themselves?

Your decision to pursue the dream of your lifetime may not be popular with the people you love, but you don’t exist in this world just to be popular. You are in this world because you’ve got a mission to accomplish. You could be in this world to show the world how to be a better philanthropist. Or an adventurer. Or whatever you’ve chosen to do.

But if you decide to disregard that and settle for less than what you deserve, you’ll sense a tinge of uneasiness even when you’re on your death bed. That, is the feeling of regretfulness.

Don’t wait for that to happen. Aspire.

Aspire to live a life where you’ve done what you should have done, tried what you should have tried.

Update : It came to my understanding that Anita Roddick died of a major accute brain haemorrhage on September 10, 2007, sometime after the writing of this article. I hereby dedicate this article to her and her family. She might have left the world. But her spirit lives on. Thank you, Anita Roddick for being an inspiration!

The title of this article has probably given it away.

Yes. Both of them were voiced by multiple Emmy & Tony awards winning actor, James Earl Jones with his renowned deep baritone voice. But did you know that before James became famous, he used to suffer from a debilitating stutter that almost ruin his childhood?

Let us trace his footsteps to decades ago and find out how he managed to overcame it in this story.

Heeelloooo My My Name Name is Jam-es

As he opened his mouth to recite the Bible verses, James could hear snuffling laughter at the back of the congregation. A sudden flash of embarrassment reddened his face as he continued. But he knew it was hard.

James Earl Jones, born in Arkabutla Township, Mississippi in Tate County, the only child of a seamstress and an actor, moved in with his maternal grandparents since he was very young. His father left the family and her mother was unable to find work due to the Depression. The whole transition coupled by his grandparents’ subsequent move to a farm in Jackson, Michigan created so much trauma for the kid that he gradually developed a stutter at the age of 5 that literally muted him for the next 8 years.

First Steps in the World of Literacy

Although James hardly spoke a word to anyone in public, he would talk to the animals in the farm and bury himself in his own world of books. Due to his strong interest in reading, by the time he enrolled into high school, he was regarded as a very hardworking albeit quiet student.

He did well in school, particularly in Science and English and was active in sports such as basketball and track & field. His love for English was extended beyond the books by his English teacher Donald Crouch, a retired college professor who gave assignments that tapped on their creativity. During one of the assignments, James wrote his own poem “Ode to a Grapefruit” drawing inspiration from a work by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Great Discovery

In a bid to uncover his latent talent, Crouch claimed that James copied the poem from somewhere and wanted him to recite it in front of the whole class to prove his innocence. James obliged and gave a stutter free recitation, much to both his and Crouch’s amazement. Only then did they realize that the most effective way to counteract stuttering was public speaking.

His confidence grew as he began to experiment with his new founded voice. As a result, he joined the debate team, became a class representative cum editor of the year book and also gave poetry recitations before the whole school. Impressively, he even became the valedictorian for the year!

Continuous Improvement and Reinvention

He went on to pursue premed studies under a scholarship at the University of Michigan. While doing so, he registered for acting lessons to enhance his speaking skills and soon nurtured a love for the art. Eventually, he made a switch to major in drama and clinched roles in several college plays and and even Ann Arbor community theatre. None of his teachers and classmates was aware of his former stuttering problem. They couldn’t tell.

After graduation, he left for New York City, where he saw his dad again and was acquainted with Paul Robeson, a well respected African American actor and outspoken activist. At the same time, he was continuously improving himself, taking as many acting classes as he can while working part-time as a janitor and a kitchen help. He realized his deep seated muteness past allowed him to interpret language differently from what other people do, increasing his fascination with expression.

Yes! He Did it!

All his efforts were finally paid off when he was given his first leading Broadway role in a new play The Great White Hope. It won him a Tony award and allow him to springboard to another level : Hollywood, by playing a same role in a movie version. He was nominated for an Academy for that as well.

Now, not only is James Earl Jones a household name, he’s also a representative voice. His perseverance has won him a medal tally of 4 Emmy Awards, 2 Tony awards, 1 Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, and honorary doctorates from ivy league colleges such as Yale, Princeton and Columbia universities. He’s also actively involved in public education on literacy and the importance of reading.

Though his stuttering still comes back once in a while, it’s not as rampant and serious as when he was still a kid. Despite that, he views it as a daily challenge to remind him of his uniqueness and spur him on to greater achievements.

What Did I Learn From This Story?

That though it may take a stroke of genius to discover one’s innate potential, it wouldn’t flower if he doesn’t continuously test, experiment and reinvent.

(1) Self Conversations

Do you take the time to talk to yourself? In the busy commercial life that we live in, it’s a luxury to be able to afford a quiet moment with yourself, reflecting the day’s events. Partly due to its scarcity, a lot of people overlook things that matter very much to them and let them slip by because how little they knew about themselves, their wants and dislikes.

When James was in a silent world of his, his solitary moments became opportunities to connect with his inner self, turning it over to find his voice and inspiration in the world of books. Even when he began to speak and act in dramas during college, he would often engage in meaningful self discovery, allowing him to hold a deeper appreciation for the language which other actors have taken for granted.

I’m someone who strongly advocate self conversations. In fact, it’s through such that I’ve discovered my changing career interests, acknowledged my character deficiencies etc. Be truthful, but don’t be too harsh on yourself if you want to have great self conversations. No one’s perfect, anyway.

(2) The Power of Reinvention

One thing lead to another. Because of James’ relentless self conversations, he was able to take his new founded speaking skills to different levels by reflecting and experimenting with his language expression to form a unique speaking and acting style. It’s this ability to reinvent himself that distinguished him in a world where conformity is accepted as the norm.

I’m sure you’ve heard of advice that in order to be successful, you’ll have to just imitate the successful people. I agree. Following the steps of certain successful people does allow you to obtain the same level of achievement that they’ve garnered. But if you’re able to learn from them, reinvent the wheel and continuously test, experiment towards greatness, you can be OUTSTANDING and be even better than them!

But I must admit that society doesn’t reward reinvention every time. At times, they may even abhor it. Look at how some people scorn at the sight of fashion fanatics who dare to display their outrageous fashion sense in public or college dropouts who left school to pursue their dreams. Who knows if any of them will ever become the next Giorgio Armani or Bill Gates?

The fact remains. No one knows.

But because you’ve taken the initiative, you could be one step closer.

I finally got the answer after reading this story.

It’s his ability to think out of the box and at times, flout the rules.

Who Says You Can’t Get in?

Steven Spielberg strode up to the security at the gate of Universal and gave the guard a casual wave. He was wearing a dark suit and carrying a briefcase. The guard waved back. He was in.

Did it matter? Steven Spielberg’s after all a world famous director and it’s nothing surprising that he’ll be allowed to go into the set. Technically speaking, you’re right. There’s nothing wrong.

Except that on that day, he was not expected to be on the set and his briefcase contained nothing but a sandwich and some chocolate bars. On that day, Steven Spielberg was a seventeen year old unknown on an internship at Universal’s purchasing unit.

It was through an associate of his father’s friend, Chuck Silvers that Steven got the job. At that time, Steven was already an accomplished junior film director. Silvers, an executive in the editorial department indicated that although there was an vacancy for a clerical position of some sort, he was unable to get Steven security clearance to the lot. Nonetheless, Steven still gladly took it up by turning up everyday in his suit, his father’s briefcase and sneaked in. He did that for the entire summer.

In Love With The Camera

Steven’s fascination with film making begin when he was eight years old. His father had just got a Brownie 8mm movie camera as a birthday present and henceforth, Steven was always found using it to capture family holidays. Occasionally, he would even give instructions to his characters (i.e. parents) to restage the scenes to increase the films’ artistic quality. He would also try to shoot different genre of movies such as an action flick of his train set wrecks and story telling movies involving his fellow Scouts mates.

As he got more involved into his film making hobby, his talent flourished and all the kids in the neighbourhood wanted a part in his movies. They would dress up as army officers in their father’s old uniforms and be filmed in approved settings of cockpits of vintage fighter planes at the airport. That was one of his preliminary movies about the World War II.

He’s Got the Stuff

His passion and talent garnered attention from the adults too, when he was featured in the local media for winning a state contest through his amateur production, Escape to Nowhere.

Firelight, another movie of his which used stage of the art music and sounds effects was very much publicized in the local news. A premiere was even arranged for it in a cinema in town! Although he was only seventeen when he completed Firelight, his skills and knowledge were in nowhere inferior to some of the most established directors much older than him.

His achievements came at a time when he was personally tormented. He was not focused in school, preferring to spend his efforts on his movies rather than his studies. Partly because of his religious background, unique talent and interest in film making, he was often ostracized in school. The disruptions caused by his moving house 3 times in a row and his parent’s subsequent divorce when he was still in high school didn’t help at all.

To help him escape from his physical reality, he relied on the illusion of the world created in his movies. Although he aspired to be a renowned director in science fiction, his poor academic results got in the way. He was rejected by the University of Southern California and the University of California at Los Angeles, 2 renowned schools in film making despite armed with 10 years of film making experience and rave testimonials.

Commencing on His Own Education

Undaunted, he enrolled for a degree in television and radio at the California State College at Long Beach. However, the program offered could not match his knowledge. He knew more about cameras than what the college could teach. He knew more about production than what he could learn there. Although he tried to transfer to another better film school, he was once again rejected because of his less than ideal academic qualifications.

Disheartened with the realities of a college education, Steven decided to learn using his own method. He began revisiting Universal Studios and sneaked into every department to learn as much as he could about filming, editing, sound mixing. He made self introductions over lunch to actors, directors and producers and loitered around the movie sets. Although he was often thrown out, he would usually creep back in again. That happened at least once a day.

When he tried to persuade the Universal executives to watch one of his 8mm productions and was told that only 16mm would be considered, he took up a part time job and earned enough money to buy film and pay for the camera rental to shoot a new production over 1 weekend. He was later told to return only after he had shot a 35mm production by his mentor Chuck Silvers. He repeated the same routine and reemerged with a short story about 2 drifters’ existential crisis called Amblin’.

Amblin’ was so well received that it was reviewed by Universal’s top management and eventually landed Steven a 7 year contract. Although he started off directing TV dramas and low budget movies in the earlier part of his directing career with Universal, he was eventually given the break to produce Jaws. The rest was history.

Jaws garnered outstanding box office records and earned Steven Spielberg the rights to produce subsequent record breakers such as E.T. Jurassic Park and Schindler’s list. Ironically, due to his remarkable achievements, he was subsequently conferred an honorary doctorate and a seat on the board of trustees of University of Southern California, a school where he was once rejected.

What Did I Learn From This Story?

That the true essence of education is not just in qualifying into one of the top elite schools but how you can translate that into value and contribution to the society.

(1) Intrinsic Value of Education

Reading Steven Spielberg’s unfortunate experience with his college education reminded me of my own irony. I knew of many acquaintances who had to take up night classes to study accountancy because most of them could not qualify for the same program in my University. They’re genuinely interested in making that as their career. As for me, even though I was granted admission, I didn’t make it my livelihood. I switched to becoming a financial systems implementation consultant and then subsequently to writing full time for Goal Setting College.

A lot of people tend to look at the absolute value of education. You don’t have good grades so you can’t get into the more popular courses. You’re trained to be an accountant so you must specialize in that field. Some people even thought that the moment they leave school, they’re not getting educated anymore.

Little did they know education is never meant to be confined to the strict walls of a structured regime. Nor, is it meant to be a means to the end. It’s an ever evolving process, meandering together with the various points of our lives to make us learn more about new domains of knowledge, ourselves, people around us and our surroundings.

My education as an accountant exposed me to the wonders of financial systems that made use of the fundamentals of the accounting principles. As a result, I made a career switch. The intricacies of the technology in financial systems increased my awareness about Internet technologies, yet at the same time allowed me to know my business associate who introduced me to Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad. It was that little same book which sparked off my own pursuit of personal development.

That was all part of my education. It was truly priceless. It was priceless not because it helped me get better compensation in my job or allowed me to start my own business. It was priceless because I was able to translate that knowledge into contribution whether as a trainer for my users previously or a writer for my readers now.

That, to me is the true value of education.

(2) Showing Up

I remembered first reading about showing up in one of Steve Pavlina’s articles. Steven Spielberg’s inspirational story was another true depiction of it. When he was asked if he wanted the internship job at Universal, he said yes and showed up. When he was told by Universal executives that they would only consider 16mm, he did 1 production over the weekend and showed up. Though he was asked to return with a 36mm, he did as he promised and showed up again.

Living up to one’s promises is not just an act of trustworthiness or accountability. It can mean a difference between success or failure. For example, how many readers would stay subscribed to a blog or website that don’t “show up” with quality articles consistently? Some of them can be magnanimous but the majority would not bat an eyelid to clicking on the unsubscribe button.

Showing up is a fundamental prerequisite to achieving anything in life. You may not be exceptionally outstanding when you did turn up. But as long as you emerge with sincerity and a strong desire to improve, you can still stand steadfast to the test of time.

Now, when was the last time you showed up like Steven Spielberg?

Lance Armstrong choose the latter. What about you?

Black 1996

Lance Armstrong was at the peak of his career in early 1996. At that time, he had just won the World Cycling Championships and became the first cyclist to clock the widest winning margin in the U.S. National Road Race Championship’s history. Besides that, he had just signed a 2 year contract to ride with a famous French racing team for $2.5 million.

But his dream of riding for the French crashed on October 2, 1996 when he was diagnosed with advanced stage testicular cancer. The cancerous cells had spread to his lungs and brain and an urgent operation had to be arranged to remove his swollen testicle, which had grown to the size of an orange. Doctors told him he had a 50% chance of survival, even though they later admitted that it was inflated by almost 47%.

An Indomitable Spirit

Though doctors were not optimistic about his recovery, Lance Armstrong never gave up. After all, he was trained not to give up so easily since young. His mother, a single parent had always inculcated values of strong determination and persistence to him. There was once when he was found by his mother near the end of a triathlon about to quit. Upon her encouragement, he completed the race by walking. Although he came out last, he persisted till the end.

Using the same determination, Lance challenged his illness by going through the operation to remove the tumours and the long process of chemotherapy. He lost a lot of weight and was unable to even ride his bike around the neighbourhood. Despite that, he was spiritually revived by his illness.

Surprise Gift

After he completed his chemotherapy sessions and was declared cancer free miraculously, he gradually went back to his first love : biking. His post cancer training proved to be unexpectedly fruitful as he discovered that his 17 pounds of weight loss allowed him to scale stage races (i.e. Multi-day and week races) much more effortlessly than he used to. Previously, he had only participated in 1 other similar race (i.e. Tour de France), withdrawing subsequently due to fatigue and injury in the other years.

As he cycled through the training trails of the Blue Rider Mountains, he sensed that something was different. He was finally ready to be a world class cyclist that stood steadfast regardless of the nature of the races, terrains or weather conditions.

He proved that his feeling was right when he earned the prized maillot jaune, the yellow jersey worn by the leading cyclist in the 1999 Tour de France right from the start. Though he let other riders take the lead in the middle part of the race, he slowly caught up as they ventured into the Alps, the place where he gave up in the previous races. As he cycled uphill through the freezing rain, Lance increased his lead over his second opponent by 4 minutes odd to a full 6.03 minutes.

When he breezed across with the finishing line with a strong lead, he was welcomed by his wife, who was pregnant via vitro fertilization after Lance’s cancer caused him to be sterile.

For the next 4 consecutive years, Lance proceeded to win the Tour de France and later wrote that he would choose overcoming cancer to winning the race because it was the former that allowed him to reject doomsday predictions by his doctors over hope and strong faith in himself.

What Did I Learn From This Story?

That whether you like it or not, life’s full of challenges. If you can choose to tackle them with resolve and determination, there’s always something to gain in any challenge, even though it may not seem so evident initially.

(1) Challenges Are Life’s Vitamins

I know pessimists may slam me for being too sarcastic. But the truth is, life without challenges is a bore. Even my 2 year old niece agrees with me. Whenever I give her her favourite plush toy without any struggle, she’ll fiddle it for about 2 seconds and cast it away. However, if I make her run over a short distance or go through some maze before throwing the toy back to her, she’ll treat it like some well deserved treasure. The physical reward is the same. But if you go through great hurdles to achieve the same effect, the perceived value immediately augmented. This form of value creation, is what challenges give.

In a way, challenges are vitamins, enriching our lives with ups and downs. For Lance, taking part in the Tour de France after beating cancer helped him to manifest his latent courage and firm belief in himself, something he might not have seen himself equipped with before. And one thing for sure, no matter how much some people dislike challenges, they’ll definitely and surely be there!

So, instead of regarding challenges as pests or scum, why don’t you treat them as a chance to showcase your prowess? And I can guarantee you that after winning over them, life is no longer the same. It’ll be much more fulfilling and wonderful!

(2) Never Take What You Already Have for Granted

Lance’s illness gave me a strong signal that we should never take little things in life for granted. What seemed natural for some people like having good health mattered very much for Lance. What seemed straightforward and perhaps easy for other people like getting pregnant was tough for his wife because Lance became sterile after his ordeal. What seemed manageable for other riders such as scaling stage races was an major issue for Lance previously.

If you’re someone who’ve wished you were richer, better looking or more influential, have you ever taken some time to reevaluate what you already possessed and be grateful for it? Some of you may say it’s only human to deem what you’ve is not enough or insufficient by comparing your achievements with others, but what is considered enough?

Sadly, this insatiable desire to pursue that “what” blind our vision, often waiting for their loss before realizing the true value of what we already have.

Do you really have to wait for that day to come?

Not only was he a mediocre student, he was a very quiet and shy teenager too. But did that stop him from becoming India’s “Father of the Nation”?

No.

It’s a great piece of news for us! Because, if you’ve been through a similar situation, all is not lost yet! You’re still able to create your own story of victory… just like Gandhi.

A Family Disappointment

Born into a mid-ranking caste family, Mohandas K. or Mahatama (“Great-Souled”) Gandhi had a low self esteem when he was young. Because of that, he seldom stayed back after school to interact with other classmates for fear of being ridiculed at. That was also part of the reason for his early unhappiness in his marriage (when he was 13 years old) as his young bride had difficulty accommodating to his impatient, jealous and demanding outbursts.

He didn’t do well in school either. After struggling to graduate from high school, he moved on to study medicine in a local university only to fail badly and subsequently, forced to quit. At that time, he had only attended that university for only 5 months.

In their desperate bid to help the young man, his family decided to send him to England to study law, a course that they believed he would be able to cope. They pooled all the financial resources that they could get and finally sent the excited Gandhi off to London to embark on a fresh new start.

Life In London

A stranger in a foreign land, Gandhi had difficulty adjusting to the seasonal weather in London and would often be teased for his inappropriate seasonal attire and his poor command of the English language. To make up for all those, he worked very hard, trying to excel in both his studies and other curricular activities such as French, dancing, violin and elocution. He also tried to improve on his dressing by buying more suits.

Those proved to be short lived as he found himself running out of money gradually.

To cut costs, he gave up his hotel for a small room and walked instead of traveling on buses. He also changed his diet, switching English meals for simple vegetarian fare. Interestingly, those newly adopted lifestyle habits formed the basis of his lessons on health and simple living subsequently.

His Debut in the Court

During those times in London, Gandhi couldn’t wait to return home. The day after he passed his exams and was appointed to the bar, he made his trip back, only to be notified that his beloved mother had passed away while he was still traveling.

He then decided to leave for Bombay where he would not be reminded of his grief, to practice law. Sadly, life struck back again. Due to his inadequate knowledge about the Indian law, he had difficulty getting a case. Even when he finally secured one, he had stage fright at the last moment and abandon the courtroom abruptly, leaving his colleague to conduct the cross examination. It was a disgraceful debut.

Turning Point

His inability to succeed as a lawyer drove Gandhi back home again. With the help of his brother, Gandhi decided to go South Africa and take up a clerical position, at the expense of leaving his wife and 2 sons behind after barely 2 years back home.

But it wasn’t all that smooth sailing in South Africa either. Instead of landing on a clerical position, he realized that he was engaged for a civil suit that required strong accounting knowledge and detailed legal analysis. The realities of the life and the harsh discrimination against Indians in the country cornered Gandhi into making a decision whether he should pack his bags and leave South Africa or stay on to fight the case, until one day something happened.

While riding on the first class carriage on the train to another town, he was ordered to move to the freight compartment. When he refused, he was unceremoniously driven off the carriage. As he waited in the station for the next available coach, thoughts of his present circumstances flooded his mind. It suddenly dawned on him that despite changing his environment each time, he was still unable to avoid the challenging issues ahead. He realized that it was cowardice of him to shun away from his fears instead of helping the people to fight for the rights they deserve!

A Lawyer, A Human Rights Campaigner

Gandhi then started working hard on the case, drilling into the details zestfully. With his diligence and perseverance, he learned a lot about the case and counteracted against the punitive nature of the lawsuit by persuading his client and the other party to settle on an amicable reconciliation out of court.

His apt handling of the suit earned the respect of the Indian community so much so that he was asked to delay his departure back home to help them on another case to fight for the rights of Indian settlers in the country. That catalyzed his involvement into politics.

He would propose political negotiations with British leaders whom he regarded as his equal, work with people from different castes, religions and nationalities to achieve harmony in coexistence, fight for his country’s independence and set the highest standards for his people. All his work for civil rights, India’s Independence and active propagation of love and peace wouldn’t have been possible if not for his firm conviction that all people possess the innate capability to change from within, in the pursuit of what’s right.

What Did I Learn From This Story?

That the person you see in the mirror everyday while brushing your teeth, combing your hair etc is the person responsible for your life. Yes. That, is none other than yourself.

(1) Your Innate Potential Can Be Unlocked By Yourself

Who would have imagined that the shy and introverted boy who refused to stay back after school to interact with his classmates for fear of being laughed at, to be able to speak with such eloquence and persuasion, winning over the whole nation in his pursuit for India’s independence? Who would have expected the young timid lawyer who scrammed the courtrooms at the slightest tinge of fear to be able to stand up against tyranny and injustice?

It would be after the fact irony to say that someone probably did. That Gandhi had the good fortune to meet a good mentor who was able to see the potential in him that others didn’t. But the truth was, there was no such person in his life at that time.

But Gandhi didn’t wait.

He chose to be the miner and let the bolt of realization at the train station’s waiting area guide him in unearthing and polishing the gem hidden in a tad of dirty mud. Himself.

What about you? Did you choose to wait and see if there’s opportunities for you to develop yourself or actively seek to find such opportunities?

(2) Stop Blaming & Take Accountability

We live in a blame society.

We blame the fast food chains for producing junk food that makes people obese. But we ignored the fact that people willingly subject themselves to eating such food. We blame the Internet for being a source of violence and pornography for the kids but we forget that it’s the responsibility of parents to monitor and teach their children the right values in interpreting such information. We argue that our current predicament is a result of a lack of certain resources, overlooking the fact that those resources are not necessary to improve our situation in the first place!

In the midst of this blaming culture, it’s easy to possess a distorted view of the issue and fail to notice the essence of the problem, isn’t it? The problem never gets resolved. It just gets bigger.

This is where I think we can learn from Gandhi. Even though he was involved in the blame game in the earlier part of his life, he subsequently took accountability for it. His enlightenment started from the realization that no matter how his environment changed, if his mentality, attitude and internal mettle were still the same, he would never be able to breakthrough the chain.

And when he stopped blaming, the piece of filth clogging his visibility removed itself, allowing him to see the crux of his problem. Himself again.

Let this story reveal the journey of a survivor. A real survivor that stands true to the test of life.

No Limitations Please

As a young girl, Whoopi Goldberg knew no limitations. All thanks to her mother.

Born as Caryn Elaine Johnson on November 13, 1949, Whoopi Goldberg lived in a Manhattan housing project with her mother and younger brother Clyde. Her father left when she was very young and her mother became a nurse in order to support the family. Even though the family was poor, her mother would constantly remind them of the fact that they’re not limited by their financial conditions or colour and would try to give the best to the children.

She would bring the kids to watch New York cultural performances by famous artistes such as James Earl Jones, Leonard Bernstein and send them to acting lessons at the Hudson Guild, a community program for inner city kids. It was that early introduction to the arts and drama that initiated Whoopi’s passion for the stage.

Whoopi also loved old movies. Back then, she would rush home after school everyday and forgo sleep to watch movies by famous old Hollywood movie stars. To her, movies was an avenue to stay in touch with the outside world, reassuring her of the fact that she could venture out and be whatever she wanted to be. It also kept her in a black and white illusion that a world without any race truly existed. She continued to live in that illusion until very much later when she realized that all the black actors were casted in less important roles.

Overcoming Life’s Struggles

In school, Whoopi felt like an outcast. She was constantly being made fun of by her classmates because of her strong features, and her shyness and love for musicals over Motown made it difficult to assimilate into the community. Coupled by the fact that she was suspected of being mentally retarded due to her undiagnosed dyslexic condition, she finally decided to quit school after a few weeks into her first year of high school.

Whoopi led a bohemian lifestyle after which, abandoning home and sleeping on the streets. She abused drugs and engaged in promiscuous activities, getting pregnant and an self inflicted abortion (using a coat hanger) for the first time at the age of 13. 4 more abortions ensued until one day, after seeing so many of her friends and famous personalities dying from consuming too much drugs, she finally decided enough was enough and enrolled herself on a rehabilitation program in a Manhattan clinic.

After she was declared drug free, Whoopi married one of her drug counselors Alvin Martin, at the age of 18 and got pregnant again very soon after. Her marriage was constantly on turmoil as they would get into fights and arguments over her acting ambitions, dressing and their financial troubles. It was only when a friend offered Whoopi and her baby a ride to California that ended the 2 year old marriage.

In San Diego, to support her and her child, Whoopi brought her daughter along to jobs such as a bricklayer as well as a mortuary makeup artist while on a scholarship to a beauty school. But the jobs were temporary and paid little, and for the next few years, she was on and off welfare.

Her True Love

During this time, Whoopi never gave up auditioning. Her persistence finally paid off when she discovered a group of like minded actors at the San Diego Repertory Theatre, where she was given an opportunity to hone her dramatic skills and learn how to be a comedian.

She partnered with another guy doing late night stand up comedy acts at clubs, improvising the act inspired by Mike Nichols and Elaine May, a popular comedian pair during the 60s. Her first successful solo performance came in when she was forced to go up stage alone after her partner backed out at the last minute during an invitation to San Francisco.

A theatre company in Berkeley loved Whoopi’s performance so much so that they urged her to modify it into a one-woman show, helping her to re brand it into the Whoopi Goldberg Show or the Spook Show. In her performances, Whoopi revealed to the audience, the young girl who wished she was white and blond so that she could be a movie star, the 13 year old delinquent who used a coat hanger to conduct an abortion on herself, a school dropout interested in the arts and drama, but lived a bohemian lifestyle and a dyslexic woman who got married partly out of fear that she would be left on the shelf.

As Whoopi traveled around on performances, media publicity on her widely acclaimed shows increased. In 1984, a performance in New York led to a resounding review in the New York Times and brought in an attractive offer from the Mike Nichols director of the Graduate. He wanted to work with Whoopi to showcase her show anywhere she desired and indeed, soon after, Whoopi found herself on Broadway.

That also catapulted her to fame on the big screen. Whoopi’s leading role in “The Colour Purple” (a Steven Spielberg’s production) and supporting role in “Ghost” won her an Oscar nomination and Academy Award respectively and her academy award win also made her the 2nd African American actress ever to do so. Since 1985, she has also appeared in 80 film and television productions and has been a show host, author (of children’s books), a sitcom actress, stand up comedian etc.

As Whoopi reflected her past, she was glad that she made the choice to be different. Even though she experienced more difficulties than if she were to take the common route, it turned out to be a much more enriching journey than what she would have gone through, adding a unique flavour to her performances, letting her stand out amongst the crowd.

What Did I Learn From This Story?

That one can be down and out at the moment but he can still turn it around to achieve the dreams of his lifetime, as long as he consciously decide to do so and pursue it with tenacity and perseverance.

(1) Down & Out Now? You Can Change Your Destiny

Whoopi Goldberg’s story is a reminder to anyone that they’ve the power to change their destiny. If you’re facing hardships, struggles or challenges now, do not feel despondent. Continue to believe in yourself, your dreams and you’ll be able to achieve wonders in your life. That you too can create your own inspirational stories!

Now, if you think what I’ve said above is very cliche, to tell you the truth, I agree. But why do people keep saying this over and over again, knowing that it has been overly mentioned? Because it truly works! Whoopi’s teachers think she’s mentally retarded but she turned out to be one of the most gifted comedians in the Hollywood. She led a wanton life initially but she proved it beyond doubt that if one’s willing to change, he can still be the brightest star he ever set himself to be. If Whoopi can do it, so can you!

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what your current results are. What counts is where you see yourself to be in the future and your relentless efforts in working towards it.

(2) Don’t Follow The Crowd For the Sake of It

I must admit I was guilty of this when I first started out in my professional career. At that time, all I wanted to do is to put what I’ve learned in college into practice and be an auditor or accountant like anyone else in my faculty. So, I joined a local audit firm. It didn’t take long before I started to discover an interest in IT business consultancy and as I’m more inclined in pursuing my own financial freedom, thoughts of striking out on my own, surfaced.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to advocate against being an accountant. It’s a great profession for anyone who consciously believes he can add value in this domain. Nor am I trying to imply one should emulate Whoopi Goldberg’s bohemian lifestyle.

What I’m trying to raise is, you should follow your true calling and don’t stick to doing something because everyone’s doing so, but rather because you decide to do it. Like Whoopi Goldberg! It’s easy to fall into the trap of conforming for the sake of societal acceptance. However, if you’re not pursuing what your heart truly desires, even if you’re earning a lot of money or getting a lot of fame in that field, you’ll not be truly happy. Because at the end of the pursuit, you’ll find that it’s not your goal that you’ve accomplished. It’s someone else’s.

A Genius in A Lockup

When Hellen Keller was born on June 27, 1880, she was like any other normal baby. Her parents, landowners in post Civil War Alabama were very proud of her. In their eyes, she was after all their intelligent child who could speak “How do you do?” at 6 months old. However, that started to change after she contracted scarlet fever at 19 months in February 1882. When she was rescued from the brink of death, little Hellen could no longer respond to the dinner bell rings or flashes of her mother’s hand in front of her eyes.

It thus became apparent that her illness has left her to be blind and deaf. And as she became further withdrawn into her own silent world, she began to lose her speech as well.

Losing her ability to communicate with her parents reduced Hellen Keller to a state of frustration and anger. She became a difficult child, throwing dishes and lamps on the floor, yelling and throwing tantrums. That behaviour gradually worsened as her parents became too soft hearted and refused to discipline her. Relatives thought she should be sent to a mental institution. Yet this girl turned out to be one of the world’s greatest inspirational stories!

Despite her relatives’ claims, Hellen Keller displayed abilities that seemed to suggest that she was sound. By the time she was 5, she could use more than 60 customized hand gestures to communicate meanings of “Mother”, “Father” etc. Believing that her child could be educated, her mother brought Hellen to Alexander Graham Bell on the advice from a specialist doctor. Alexander was working with the deaf at that time. It was through his contacts that a private tutor was eventually engaged to coach Helen. She was none other than Anne Sullivan.

Just Like Any Other Kid

At that time, Anne Sullivan had just graduated from the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston and the offer to be Hellen’s private tutor was like rain in the drought as she had been trying to find work for a long time. Suffering from poor eyesight herself, Anne saw in Hellen what others couldn’t. To her, she was like just any other girl.

Anne tried to control Hellen’s bad behaviour and correct her table manners. Instead of allowing her to grab food with her bare hands off other people’s plates, she would train her to eat with a fork sitting down. She would also make her brush her own hair. Those attempts often led to more protests and tantrums from the young girl, causing Anne to lose her 2 front teeth in the first week.

At the same time, Anne was teaching Helen finger spelling by writing individual letters onto the girl’s hand. Although Helen could repeat these hand movements, she didn’t really understood what those meant. One fine day in April 5, 1887, all that changed.

Anne led Hellen down the path to the well house, held her hand under a running water pump and wrote the words w-a-t-e-r on her palms. As the cool stream gushed against her hands, Hellen felt a sudden awareness as the mystery of language unveiled in her new founded consciousness. Anne was immediately asked to spell the name of the pump and many other objects Hellen touched in the path, including her own name. By the end of the day, Helen had already learned 30 new words. 3 months later, she picked up 300.

New Founded Fame

As Anne and Hellen’s bond grew, friends, family and even neighbours were greatly astonished at the change in that young lady, calling it a “miracle”. It was not long before news of her accomplishments spread across the country that she got to visit many famous personalities such as Alexander Graham Bell (again) and president Grover Cleveland. By the time she was 12, Hellen was world famous, with renowned people such as England’s Queen Victoria, Mark Twain, Queen Olga of Greece etc openly declaring their admiration for the young lady’s spirit.

By 1890, she was living at Perkins Institute, being taught by Anne and spending several winters. During her stay there, she learned ferociously and picked up knowledge not only pertaining to her own language but also in Greek, French and Latin. She also aspired to attend college and intentionally did her high school education in Cambridge so that she could be physically near her dream school, Radcliffe, the sister college to Harvard.

Going to College

As the school in Cambridge was not catered for the blind nor the deaf, Hellen Keller worked doubly hard and diligently prepared for her entrance exams. However, it was not without challenge. Worried that the girl might not be able to handle the stress, the headmaster forcibly separated Helen from Anne when the latter refuted his advice to refrain from pushing Helen too hard and lowering her expectations. He also wrote to Hellen’s mother, accusing Anne of trying to damage her daughter’s health. It was only when Mrs Keller got to listen to Hellen’s side of the story before the 2 were reunited. Hellen also withdrew from Cambridge and prepared her exams independently.

Hellen encountered another setback in her bid to get into Radcliffe. Despite passing the entrance exams with flying colours, on the grounds that the workload would prove to be too heavy for a deaf and blind student, her admission request to the class of 1899 was rejected. Though she was devastated, Helen was determined to get into Radcliffe, even at the extent of rejecting Cornell University and the University of Chicago’s acceptance offers and full scholarships.

She did very well in the next year’s entrance exams and was finally admitted to the class of 1900. During her years in college, she wrote her memoir, “The Story of My Life” and eventually went on to graduate on June 28, 1904 with a honours Bachelor of Arts degree. Although the book sold poorly at first, it later turned out to be a classic.

A True Blue Risk Taker

Despite her disabilities, Hellen dared herself to take up a lot of adventures such as horse riding, cycling, swimming and even camping that any other able bodied person would take up. She expressed controversial political thoughts in her essays, went up to the vaudeville stage to demonstrate her first understanding of the word ‘water’ and answer questions fielded by the audience on her struggles, with Anne acting as her interpreter.

In 1918, after she moved to Forest Hills in New York, Helen started on her extensive fund raising campaigns for the American Foundation for the Blind using her new home as a base. In the process she traveled around the world, visiting many famous personalities such as the Emperor of Japan, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill etc, effectively helping to raise public awareness on the issues faced by the disabled.

Anne died in 1936. To commemorate the death of her friend, Hellen started to work on Anne’s biography, only to lose it to a fire in 1946 when it was almost completed. She rewrote it again and in 1955, published “Teacher : Anne Sullivan Macy”.

On June 1, 1968, after Hellen died peacefully in her sleep, she was buried next to Anne at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

What Did I Learn From This Story?

That one can read all the literature, visit all the countries and view all the scenery he wants with his eyes, but without vision, his life amounts to nothing. One can listen to all the speeches of powerful people or harmonious music for all he desires, but without hearing his own creative thoughts, he will achieve nothing. Here’s my other learnings :

(1) The Importance of A Good Mentor

Have you ever been placed in a position where you can’t imagine what it’ll be like if a particular person didn’t appear into your life? Well, I did. That’s why I can fully comprehend Hellen’s gratitude towards Anne. Anne Sullivan was an excellent example of a good mentor. Not only did she take great “pains” – well she lost 2 front teeth, isn’t it? – to teach Helen social etiquette, she went the extra mile to encourage creative thinking by relating the words w-a-t-e-r with the physical touch of gushing water.

She wasn’t just doing her job and taking a salary. She was there to change a life. Hellen Keller’s.

Yes, she might have viewed “harsh” in the process, so much so that the headmaster in Cambridge complained, but through my own experiences, a good mentor’s words may be harsh at times but those are said with your welfare at heart. Most of the time, it’s not the words that are hurtful, it’s your reactions to his words that make it so. Think through what your mentor said, and constantly question them. Is it true? Or has he missed a point?

A good mentor is able to see your attributes and help you to explore them. If you’re not willing to trust him just like he believe in you, that lopsided relationship is eventually going to take its toll and crumble.

(2) “Life is either a Daring Adventure or Nothing” ~ Hellen Keller

That’s one of the famous Helen Keller quotes. It’s easy to quote them. But practicing it?

One of the reasons why risk taking is often deemed to be inappropriate is because people often associate it with uncertainty. To them, uncertainty is bad and is likely to bring failure. But the truth is, if you start assuming a bit of risk, the downside is only losing what you had put in while the upside can be limitless.

My financial adviser is one good example. He used to be an audit manager in one of the large international audit firms and gave it all up to pursue a career in financial advisory. Now, he enjoys great financial abundance from his new founded career and most importantly he got what he had always wanted when he was in audit. Freedom to spend time with his family whenever and wherever he likes. He lost a JOB, but gain much more in return.

And as you become increasingly committed to the entire risk taking process, you’ll find yourself encouraged to draw upon qualities you didn’t think you had. But at the same time, it’s interesting to know that as you start engaging in more risk-taking activities, others will try to avoid it “at all costs”. This avoidance will eventually reduce them to a state of meaningless existence, which is what Helen Keller was meant by “Nothing” in her quote.

Let me cite you a very good example. A similar opportunity to relocate on business was given to 2 single friends of mine. 1 took up the challenge and will be flying to a new country in a month’s time. She will be going through new experiences and I’m sure when she’s back, her career value will augment because of her international exposure. The other friend is still sticking around in town for fear of going into a strange land. She gave up what others deem to be an opportunity of a lifetime to stay in the same monotony that she has been complaining of. She wants new challenges but doesn’t want to embrace uncertainty. Ironic?

Although risk taking is very important for personal growth, there’s a thin line separating it and irresponsibility. I hope Hellen Keller’s and my little story about Risk Taker Joe & Irresponsible Dave will help shed some light on this .