By: Sasha Graffagna / Source: Super Hero You
We like imagining that today’s glitterati were born in clouds of ritzy perfection that let them sail through life.
But most superheroes work to achieve their full potential, and celebrities are no exception. Here are some lessons you can learn from today’s most successful people.
1. Steve Buscemi.
When you picture a Hollywood actor as a 9/11 hero, Steve Buscemi is probably the last person on your list. But before Buscemi hit the silver screen, he fought fires in New York City.
After 9/11, he returned to FDNY Engine 55 and spent a week working 12-hour shifts to help save lives. Surprised you didn’t hear about it? Buscemi refuses to discuss his firefighting in interviews.
An actor, director AND a humble lifesaver? Talk about a real-life superhero.
Moral of the Story: The people around you now are the shiny, more important people. Never forget your roots.
2. Vera Wang.
Bridalwear wasn’t Vera Wang’s first-choice career. Wang skated professionally until failing to make the U.S. Olympic team at 19. Turning to writing, she became a Senior Editor at Vogue, but couldn’t become Editor-In-Chief.
So she took a design position at Ralph Lauren, which finally led to a billion-dollar retail empire Wang didn’t even start until age 40.
Moral of the Story: Don’t panic if you haven’t found success by a certain age. If you keep trying, your time will come.
3. Steven Spielberg.
Steven Spielberg is a film legend who’s won multiple Academy Awards. But once upon a time, Spielberg couldn’t get into film school.
Spielberg was rejected not once but twice from the prestigious University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television.
Defeated, he attended California State University in Long Beach – but dropped out, achieved fame, and complete his B.A. in 2002. As for USC?
They named Spielberg an honorary alumnus in 1994, dedicated a building to him, and appointed him a trustee in 1996.
Moral of the Story: Never burn your bridges – you just might get the last laugh.
4. Sidney Poitier.
When this Bahamian-American man first auditioned for the American Negro Theater, the director said, “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?”
Most people might have left in a huff, but not this man. He worked as a janitor at the theater in exchange for acting lessons, listening to the radio to minimize his accent.
The hard work paid off – Sidney Poitier eventually became the first black man to win an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Moral of the Story: Most criticism contains at least a grain of truth. Learn from it. Improve it.
5. Colonel Sanders.
Today, Kentucky Fried Chicken is one of the world’s best-known fast-food restaurants, and we owe its existence to one persistent man.
Colonel Harland David Sanders had been fired from dozens of jobs throughout his life, and at 65 was disappointed with his $105 Social Security check.
So he drove around the country, sleeping in his car and asking restaurants to sell his fried chicken. 1009 rejections and one “Yes” later, Kentucky Fried Chicken was born.
Moral of the Story: Persistence pays off.
6. Stephen King.
In 1973, Stephen King started writing a story about a girl with telekinetic powers. Three pages in, he threw it away. But his wife Tabby fished it out and encouraged him to finish it, and kept doing so after 30 publishers rejected the manuscript.
That book was Carrie, which launched King’s career – his books have sold over 350 million copies.
Moral of the Story: Have faith in your loved ones, and let them have faith in you.
7. Bill Gates.
The world’s richest man wasn’t an immediate success. Bill Gates and his partner Paul Allen’s first company, Traf-O-Data, sold a device which purportedly read and processed the data from traffic tapes – except it didn’t work.
Gates and Allen learned their lessons, and used them to make Microsoft a massive success.
Moral of the Story: Every failure has a lesson. Learn it well.
8. Walt Disney.
You might know a newspaper once fired Walt Disney for “lacking imagination.” But did you know he also started several failed businesses before developing the Disney empire?
Even after he found some success creating Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Disney had to restart practically from scratch after a monetary dispute with a studio.
Luckily, that loss prompted Disney to create another iconic character – Mickey Mouse.
Moral of the Story: Finding success once feels great, but it’s not permanent. Don’t get lazy.
9. Jay-Z.
Jay-Z is arguably hip-hop’s biggest star, making the Time 100 in 2013.
But he didn’t start out that way. Jay-Z grew up in the Marcy Avenue housing projects in Brooklyn, around famous artists such as the Notorious B.I.G. A talented rapper, he released some videos through singles-only deals.
But no label would sign him – he was either too old or not ‘hard’ enough since he didn’t rap solely about drugs and murder. So Jay-Z and his friends create their own record label, Roc-A-Fella Records.
The decision paid off. Today, Jay-Z is worth an estimated $500 million.
Moral of the Story: If the place you want to go won’t accept you, make your own success.
10. Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah Winfrey’s talk show garnered millions of fans for her empathetic approach to interviewees from all walks of life. News executives weren’t such fans, though, firing Winfrey from her first TV job for being too “emotionally involved” with her stories.
But this was just one small setback for Winfrey, who grew up in rural poverty and was abused throughout her childhood. Winfrey became a millionaire at 32 and today is worth $2.9 billion.
Moral of the Story: Turn your weakness into your strength.
