Do you think that when Alan Sugar, Richard Branson and J.K Rowling first started out they were successful overnight?
Well they weren’t. So that answered that.
They did not make millions on their first day of business. When Rowling was sat on that train planning Harry Potter, she didn’t know it would make her the UK’s best-selling living author.
There may well have been instances where they felt like a failure or someone told them it wasn’t going to work out. I don’t know for sure, maybe everything ran perfectly for them, I’m fairly sure it didn’t.
From what I have read, J.K. Rowling’s manuscript of Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishers before Bloomsbury said yes. 12! That’s 12 times she sent it out to publishers and each one probably sent her a letter back saying something along the lines of ‘Great concept, not for us’, ‘This isn’t going to work, maybe next time’. I don’t know, I don’t yet know what a publishers rejection letter looks like, I can’t wait to see one though!
The deflation she must have felt. She could have given up after the first one, it would have been easy to. Imagine a world without Quidditch, muggles, Diagon Alley, Professor Dumbledore! It’s unthinkable.
Alan Sugar, at the age of 16, withdrew his entire savings of £100 to buy a van for £50, he insured it for £8 and started selling antennas and electrical goods out of the back of it. He is now worth £1.15 billion.
Before J.K.Rowling became a household name and achieved success she was diagnosed with clinical depression, had contemplated suicide and described herself as “poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless”.
Richard Branson, although from a wealthy background, had a poor academic record and dropped out of school at 16. His headteacher told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. His estimated net worth is around £4 billion.
These are three very different people, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, each from different backgrounds.
One thing they have in common is that they have never given up. They each had something they could have used as an excuse.
Alan Sugar’s father was a tailor, they didn’t have money, Alan even built his own bicycle because his family couldn’t afford to buy one, this alone could have been his excuse to not succeed, blaming poverty for not being worthy.
J.K.Rowling could have given up after being diagnosed with depression and Richard Branson may have felt held back due to his dyslexia.
Basically they all things they had to over come and I’m sure there were people that doubted their success. Friends and family may have been worried for Rowling, not wanting her to pin all of her hopes on a children’s book. Maybe some thought Alan was punching above his weight, or Richard Branson’s family and friends worried his academic shortfalls would lead to his failure.
My point is that behind every success story there will be a hundred little things that tried to hold that person back. Some people will fall at the first hurdle, some will try a few more times and then give in. Others will keep going time after time, every knock back will reignite that spark and fuel them for the next one. They will not give up no matter what anyone says. Sometimes the worst rejection and lack of support will come from those closest to you and this is going to hurt like hell. For the most part this will come from a place of worry, they don’t want you to get hurt. Sometimes, unfortunately, it will come from a lack of understanding.
You have to be strong here. You have to keep your head held high, smile, thank them for their concern and carry on with your dream, goal, aim, focus.
You can get there, you will get there. I promise ♥
Don’t ever let anyone make you think you’re not good enough.
Follow your dreams right now! Don’t wait until tomorrow,
next week, next year. Stop planning, start doing 🙂
Be happy and keep smiling 😀
Made A Hames 