The path to success doesn't look the same for everyone. It may seem that some extraordinary people were born into their lives. However, some of the most successful people faced severe adversity along the way. It was their tenacity and perseverance through challenges that built their strong characters.
Stephen King had received 60 rejections before he sold his first short story, “The Glass Floor,” for a mere $35. Carrie is now his best-selling book, but it wasn’t successful at first. He slogged his way and eventually found a publisher for it. Since then, King has sold over 350 million copies of his work. Many of them have been adapted for television and film. Some of his most popular stories feature a struggling writer living in a quaint town.
Clint Eastwood has had a long career in Hollywood. He started off bringing astonishment to his audiences as an actor. He later transitioned into directing and producing films. But he still appears in front of the camera as well.
You might also recognize Oprah Winfrey from television. She suffered an abusive childhood. She lost her first child soon after it was born. She didn't give up though. After completing her education, she began a career in television. Like Eastwood, she hasn't limited her role to acting. She now operates her own media company and multiple charities. Despite her difficult past, she maintains a joyful public persona. Her charity and humility are inspirational.
Nick Vujicic is a courageous public speaker. Vujicic was born with a condition that left him without all four limbs. He was bullied in his childhood so much so that he questioned his will to live. It was years later that he found the inner strength to turn his life around. He is unwavering in his commitment to inspire people to “live a life without limits”. Vujicic's life story can be an example of the cruelty of kids. But the next one shows how young people can also do extraordinary things to benefit their peers.
David Shepherd and Travis Price were two teenagers attending high school in Canada. One day, the two boys came across a scene they would never forget. They watched as bullies tormented a Grade 9 boy simply because he was wearing a pink shirt. Shepherd and Price immediately decided to take action. They headed off to the discount store and purchased fifty pink shirts. Then, they went home and sent messages out to all their classmates. They led a public outcry at their school against bullying. Early the next morning, they hauled their shirts to school and stood outside the front doors. They handed out pink shirts to their classmates until each and every boy and girl in their grade was wearing a pink shirt. Today, in schools across North America, millions of students celebrate Anti-Bullying Day, or Pink Shirt Day. They come to school wearing pink shirts in solidarity with kids around the world who are victims of bullying. And all this because David Shepherd and Travis Price wanted to help one boy in their school.
There are extraordinary people who stand up for wild animals too! With their long necks and legs and colourful coats, giraffes stand out in the wild. Yet despite their eccentric appearance, the welfare of these diffident animals has been overlooked. Anne Innis Dagg is the foremost specialist on giraffes, and yet she too has remained in obscurity. Educated in Canada, Innis Dagg travelled to South Africa in 1956. She became the first person to study giraffes in the wild. Yet despite her groundbreaking and influential research, Innis Dagg struggled to find full-time work. It was only in 2016 that giraffes were declared vulnerable to extinction. Since then, Innis Dagg has helped lead efforts for giraffe conservation. She is yet another inspiration.