Thomas Edison invented many things, including the lightbulb, the phonograph (which was the FIRST ever device to both record AND play back sound and led others to eventually develop the record player), and the first working motion picture camera, among many other things! Before being so successful, however, he was told by school teachers that he was "too stupid to learn anything" and he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive enough (Some have said he suffered from ADHD). It took him about 1,000 tries to invent the lightbulb, but when asked by a reporter how it felt to fail 1,000 times, he said, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The lightbulb was an invention with 1,000 steps." What if he would have given up after 500 or 600 tries?!
(Information source: http://des.emory.edu/mfp/efficacynotgiveup.html, image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/ Thomas_Edison2.jpg)
Michael Jordan, widely considered to be the best NBA basketball player of all time, was cut from his high school basketball team! He said, "I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is what I succeed." Imagine if he had just given up because he didn't want to keep failing!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Jordan_Lipofsky.jpg, information source: http://des.emory.edu/mfp/ efficacynotgiveup.html)
Before the Harry Potter books were published, J.K. Rowling was on welfare, a single mother, and had trouble with depression. Twelve different publishers rejected her first Harry Potter book before she was finally accepter by a small publisher. What if she had decided she couldn't handle the rejection and had given up?!
(image source: http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/j-k-rowling-image.jpg, information source: http://www.theway2happiness.com/blog/2011/07/ 12/Famous-People-Who-Overcame-Adversity.aspx)
Babe Ruth is one of the most well-known baseball players in history and held the home run record for many years. The interesting thing is, he ALSO held the record for the most strikeouts! He said, "Every strikeout brings me closer to the next home run." It's a good thing he focused mostly on the home runs instead of letting the strikeouts bring him down. Attitude is everything!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Ruth1921.jpg, information source: http://des.emory.edu/mfp /efficacynotgiveup.html)
Sidney Poitier, the famous actor and Oscar-winner, was told after his first audition, "Why don't you stop wasting people's time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?" He promised then he would show them! What if he had let that one negative comment force him to give up?
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Sidney_Poitier_PMF.jpg, information source: http://www.theway2happiness.com/blog/2011/07/12/Famous-People-Who-Overcame-Adversity.aspx)
Walt Disney had many failures in his life. He went bankrupt several times before Disneyland opened. His ideas for a theme park were rejected by many investors. As a younger man, he was fired from a newspaper because he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas." What if he had decided to give up after his first or even second bankruptcy? Imagine a world with no Disney!!!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Walt_disney_portrait.jpg, information source: http://des.emory.edu/mfp /efficacynotgiveup.html)
Oprah Winfrey grew up in poverty, sometimes having to wear dresses made of potato sacks and being made fun of for it. She was shuffled back and forth between being raised by her mother, her father, and grandmother until the age of 14, when she ran away from home. She was sexually abused by three different relatives beginning at the age of 9. She was fired from one position as a tv reporter because he boss thought she was "unfit for tv." Despite all of her adversity, it was her belief in the power of positive thinking and her gratitude for her blessings that made her the success she is today.
(image source: http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2007/database/oprah/oprah300.jpg information source: http://www.theway2happiness.com/ blog/2011/07/12/Famous-People-Who-Overcame-Adversity.aspx)
Dr. Seuss' first book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was rejected by 27 publishers before finally being accepted! What if he had decided that 25 rejections was enough and had stopped there?!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Ted_Geisel_NYWTS_2_crop.jpg, information source: http://des.emory.edu /mfp/efficacynotgiveup.html)
Demi Lovato, though still dealing with difficult issues, has suffered from issues stemming from eating disorders, cutting, dealing with anger, being bullied, stress, etc. She has endured much media scrutiny for her actions, has been through rehab (and dealt with many rumors of returning to rehab), and seems to have come through all of these problems a much stronger person. She's been a successful actress, has a successful recording career, and is an advocate for people dealing with bullying, eating disorders, cutting, and low self-esteem.
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/DemiLovatoApr09.jpg)
Stephen King endured a difficult childhood, being abandoned by his father and always living in fear that his mother would abandon him, too. He lived in poverty and was raised by various relatives. He also suffered from severe alcohol and drug addiction throughout his young adulthood, even into his mid-adulthood. His first novel was rejected 30 times by publishers, after which he gave up and threw it in the garbage! Luckily, his wife reassured him and encouraged him to send it out again. He has recently been able to face his past and overcome his drug addiction. He has also become one of the most successful authors of all time!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/StephenKingGFDL.PNG
information source: http://www.theway2happiness.com/blog/2011/07/12/Famous-People-Who-Overcame-Adversity.aspx)
At the age of 19 months, Helen Keller contracted an illness that left her completely deaf and blind for the rest of her life. She was a very unruly child and difficult to discipline. Despite her limitations, she learned to speak, read, and write. She graduated from college and became a successful author. She received numerous honorary doctoral degrees, including one from Harvard University! She received numerous awards throughout her life and spent much of her life bringing awareness and service to the deaf and blind communities.
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Beethoven.jpg/220px-Beethoven.jpg, information source: http://www.afb.org /section.asp?SectionID=1&TopicID=129)
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The very first time Jerry Seinfeld performed a comedy act on-stage at a comedy club, he froze and forgot how to speak! He was eventually booed offstage. Luckily, he tried again the next night and was able to perform well and was cheered and received wild applause at the end of his performance!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Jerry_Seinfeld_%281997%29.jpg, information source: http://des.emory.edu /mfp/efficacynotgiveup.html)
Charles Schultz, creator of the famous Peanuts comics (Charlie Brown), submitted his comics to his high school yearbook but they were all rejected. He also wasn't hired by Walt Disney.
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Charles_Schulz_NYWTS.jpg, information source: http://des.emory.edu /mfp/efficacynotgiveup.html)
Steven Spielberg was rejected from the University of Southern California (USC) School of Theater, Film and Television twice. He began his career at Universal Studios as an unpaid intern. Thirty-some years later, after he had become an enormous success in film, USC awarded him an honorary degree! Imagine if he had taken USC's initial rejections as a sign that he wasn't meant to be involved in film!!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Steven_Spielberg_2011.jpg,
information source: http://www.theway2happiness.com/blog/2011/07/12/Famous-People-Who-Overcame-Adversity.aspx)
Albert Einstein was thought of by one of his teachers as "mentally slow." He suffered from dyslexia and was also expelled from school. He was rejected from one school he
applied to, the Zurich Polytechnic School.
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Einstein_1921_portrait2.jpg, information source: http://des.emory.edu /mfp/efficacynotgiveup.html)
Ludwig Van Beethoven, after already establishing a successful music composition and performance career, began to go deaf at the age of 26. Eventually, he suffered complete hearing loss, and although this condition prevented him from performing any longer, he still continued to compose music throughout the rest of his life.
(image taken from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Beethoven.jpg/220px-Beethoven.jpg
information source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven)
After Harrison Ford's first movie role (in a movie titled, "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round"), he was told by the vice president of the movie studio, "You ain't got it kid, you ain't got it...now get out of here." What did THAT guy know?! Imagine how he felt when the kid he told "you ain't got it" went on to play Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and a multitude of other characters in movies!
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Harrison_Ford.jpg, information source: http://des.emory.edu /mfp/efficacynotgiveup.html)
Stevie Wonder went blind shortly after birth, but that didn't stop him from beginning, at an early age, to learn to play the piano, drums, bass, and harmonica. By the age of 11, he signed a record deal with Motown Records and has been a successful recording artist ever since.
(image source: http://www.barrystickets.com/images/concert/stevie-wonder.jpg, information source: http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Stevie_Wonder)
The Beatles were rejected by two record labels, Decca Records and Columbia Records, before being signed by EMI Records a few months later. What if they had decided that two rejections was all that they could handle and given up and gone home after the second rejection?
(image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/The_Fabs.JPG, information source: http://des.emory.edu/mfp /efficacynotgiveup.html)
Celebrities Who Were Bullied in School
I put this list together just to demonstrate that even people who are rich and famous, who we may not ever have thought had to deal with bullying or self image issues, have problems and difficulties just like us. See if you can tell who they are from their pictures!
(The following images and information taken from: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/celebrities-who-were-bullied-as-kids-2543747.html)
Robert Pattinson was slammed against lockers and beaten up a lot in school.
Taylor Launtner was made fun of a lot for being an actor and wasn't a confident kid.
Christian Bale was beat up numerous times because he was a successful child actor.
Barack Obama says he was made fun of in school because of his name and his big ears.
Winona Rider was made fun of and beat up because of how she dressed.
Eminem was beat up and bullied so badly so many times that him mother eventually sued the school system in Detroit. As a result of the way he was treated, he had nightmares and bad behavior.
Christina Aguilera was a child star and was made fun of and bullied for it. Some classmates would slash her tires and try to embarrass her on stage. She and her mother were also threatened on occasion.
Mila Kunis was made fun of because she had "a funny looking face!"
Lady Gaga was teased because her classmates called her ugly, annoying, and said she had a big nose. Her makeup and clothing were also a source of ridicule.
Madonna was treated badly in school because she wasn't into the same kinds of things as the other kids - she liked music and dance. She decided to use this to her advantage. She said, "I decided to emphasize my differences....If your joy is derived from society thinks of you, you're always going to be disappointed."
And there are plenty more! Here is a link to a list of some more celebrities who were bullied:
