Struggling and frustrated. You're at the beginning if your success story

"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

At the beginning of every success story is a story about a really crappy, depressing, and seemingly bottomless pit experience. Seriously. Think about it. You can't have a really good tear jerking success story unless someone has started from some chasm of despair and then brought themselves out of it and are now rich, happy, and thriving.

So, if you're having a rotten, seemingly foreboding, dejecting time in your life right now, it could be the beginning of your success story. Think about that for a moment. Don't you feel better already? When I have crappy days, days when I feel like giving up, days when I just want to close the door and hide under the covers, I keep telling myself that my success story is in progress. I remind myself that my dream is becoming a reality, perhaps not in the way or time table I'd like, but it is happening.

As an example, remember the recent movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, based on the real life story of Chris Gardner played by Will Smith who was home-less, money-less, wife-less, and had a young son to take care of. How daunting is that situation? In the scene where Chris and his son spend the night in a public bathroom is an example of those times when life appears to be without hope, joy, or answers. That scene was gut wrenching. But by the end of the movie, Chris kept his promise to his son that his child would know his dad, and they would have a better life. Chris is now a multi-millionaire, and his son grew up to be a man with a father in his life.

I like to hear rags to riches stories because it inspires me to remember that no matter what my situation is in life, I can make a better life for myself. There are people who are coming from places much worse than me, and they have been able to create a life of prosperity and joy. I admire and respect those people.

Adversity builds character, wisdom, and humility. Yeah, it really sucks at the time it's happening to you, but in the end, if you learn the lessons and choose to grow from the experience, it does make you a stronger and better person. Keep looking up!

Comments

[Sarah]

I am a big fan of louis vuitton, but lately their products have been getting a bit tacky and majorly over-priced! I think that once a designer starts incorporating cartoon characters on their products it's time to say goodbye.

[Ducky]

Thanks for posting that. I really needed some encouragement. I'm working on starting my own business and everything is new and intimidating to me. You're right, though, when my biz is off the ground and running, I'll look back on this as such a learning experience and so so so necessary.

[Weight Master]

The Pursuit of Happiness was such a good and inspiring movie. It is always inspiring to see someone overcome adversity. It gives you hope that you too can accomplish your dreams. Thanks for the post.

[Serendipity]

Thanks for writing this post. It was like you wrote it just for me!

[Glib Gurl]

I totally agree with the sentiments of this post. It's funny - I have a friend who is an aspiring singer-songwriter and whenever something really crappy happens that trips up her success she just says to herself, "Behind the Music . . . one day I'll talk about this on Behind the Music." *L*

[Manola Blablablanik]

Amen, Stephanie.

One of the most important things is to never sabotage one's self in the process ... lord only knows the world is tough as is.

For me prosperity has always been the chance to wake up and love what I do everyday, regardless of the moolah. Seeing these challenges as a gift is part of that prosperity.

[Stephanie Quilao]

Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone. It's always uplifting when you try to find ways to stay positive espcially when life gets really tough. Another thing to remember is that when our prosperity shows up that we can be proud and grateful of ourselves for all the hard work we have done. Your life is what you create ;-)

[Evan Carmichael]

Great post Stephanie! Chris Gardner's story is really one that is inspirational and motivational for anyone that is going through a rough patch and is trying to get to a better place. We did a Chris Gardner profile on our website and he's one of the most popular ones we have - he's more popular than Oprah right now!

Keep up the great work!

Evan.