Don’t let anything hold you back from your dreams. Nothing! And never, ever, give up!
We all sometimes feel like we are lacking in some way that will keep us from achieving our dreams. Sure, we must be realistic and not try to create a talent in ourselves that we admire in someone else. That’s a waste of time.
The surest pathway to our dreams is in discovering our unique strengths, talents, and gifts. This is where our personal and financial wealth resides.
Hard work will still be required to develop your unique talents, but it will be a labor of love! If you can apply your talents to creating a business of your own or to a particular type of job, you’ll never work a day in your life.
The key is not to allow any real or imagined limitations to hold you back from going after your dreams. Failure is not so much about whether you succeed. True failure is not trying with everything you have.
Here are some examples of famous people who didn’t let setbacks, limitations, fears, or difficulties keep them from achieving their dreams.
Abraham Lincoln – Lincoln failed in business, he had a nervous breakdown, and he lost many elections for state and federal positions, yet he went on to become one of America’s greatest presidents.
Winston Churchill – Churchill had a speech impediment, reportedly a stuttering problem, yet he became one of the greatest public speakers of his time. Other famous people who have or had mild to severe stuttering problems include Joe Biden, Tiger Woods, Bruce Willis, Hugh Grant, James Earl Jones, Bill Walton, Marilyn Monroe, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Aristotle.
Nelson Mandela – Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing apartheid in South Africa. After his release, he received the Nobel Peace Prize and was elected president.
Babe Ruth – The Bambino held the record for the most home runs in baseball for decades, but still holds the record for the most strikeouts!
Beethoven – Although he was losing his hearing and even after he became deaf, Beethoven wrote some of his best music.
Elton John – John cannot write lyrics no matter how hard he tries. Yet with Bernie Taupin providing the words, he composed some of the best-selling hits of all time.
Barbara Streisand – Streisand cannot read music and experiences severe stage fright, yet she has managed to have extraordinary success as a singer and as an actor.
Paul McCartney – McCartney is completely unable to read or write a note of sheet music, yet he has composed countless rock classics and even a symphony.
Yanni – Although Yanni has no formal training and cannot read or write the traditional language of music — he uses a unique form of musical shorthand he invented as a child — he has managed to compose some the best-selling instrumentals of all time.
Michael Jordan – Jordan did not make his high school basketball team, but he went on to become the number 1 basketball player in the world.
Oscar Del La Hoya – Del La Hoya was afraid to fight as a kid and he ran away from neighborhood bullies, but he eventually faced his fears and went on to become the best pound for pound fighter in the world!
Harrison Ford, Jim Carrey, Mike Wallace, J.K. Rowling, Sheryl Crow, & Terry Bradshaw – What do all of these famous people have in common? They have all battled with depression and still succeeded.
Clark Gable – Studio bosses told Gable that he would never be a leading man, but went on to do just that in many movies including, “Gone with the Wind.”
Dr. Wayne Dyer – Dr. Dyer spent his childhood in foster homes, but he went on to earn a Ph.D. and write books and produce seminars that have helped millions.
Remember! Don’t let anything hold you back from achieving your dreams. Nothing! And never, ever, give up!