Lionel Messi is a professional soccer player from Argentina, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest soccer players of all time. He has represented Argentina at numerous World Cups and finally lifted the World Cup championship trophy for the first time in 2022. 

When taking a look at Messi’s upbringing in Argentina, and tracking his soccer career to where he is today, his journey and achievements becomes even more remarkable. That said, let’s take a closer look at the Lionel Messi story of success, and figure out what has made him such an impressive talent and inspirational individual worthy of admiration and emulation.

When we take a look at successful people, particularly athletes, we typically only see the end product. We do not see the countless hours, numerous sacrifices, or they many obstacles they had to overcome along the way. 

This is especially true for Lionel Messi, as his path to greatness is one of continuous sacrifice and relentless effort. By understanding what he has given up to get where he is today, we can leverage his story for inspiration to drive ourselves to accomplish our goals as well. 

THE LIONEL MESSI STORY OF SUCCESS

A Working Class Upbringing In Argentina

Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1987. He came from a working-class family. His mother worked as a cleaner, and his father worked as a factory worker. Like many children in Argentina, he decided to take up soccer._^[1]

He quickly separated himself from his peers, and everyone began to recognize his talent; however, he was also diagnosed with a chronic medical condition that threatened to derail his career.

When he was just eleven years old, he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency. It required extensive medical treatment, and his family wondered if they could afford it. Without it, he may never finish growing, which would make it very difficult for him to become a competitive, professional athlete.

He and his family decided to sacrifice everything to obtain the treatment that he required. In some situations, he even needed to take Human Growth Hormone (HGH) to complete his development and become a man. 

An Audition In Barcelona With Everything On The Line

Despite all of the sacrifices that his family made, his condition would require continued treatment. His local club, which was River Plate, was very interested in signing him. His talent was impressive, but it wasn’t impressive enough for the club to pay for his expensive medical treatment.

Eventually, after a lot of hard work and negotiating, Lionel Messi earned an audition and trial with Barcelona. During the workout, the coach at the time, Carles Rexach, was blown away by his talent. He decided to offer a contract to Lionel Messi immediately, and the team even offered to pay for his medical treatment.

The first contract was so impromptu that it was even written down on a napkin._^[2] Lionel Messi accepted the offer, and he moved with his father to Barcelona. There, he joined FC Barcelona, and he got the cost of his medical treatment covered by the team, giving him access to some of the best doctors in Spain. 

The Hard Work Begins To Pay Off

After moving to Barcelona, Messi got to work immediately. He knew that if he wanted to become one of the best players in the world, he would have to outwork a lot of more experienced soccer players who were bigger and more developed than him. Eventually, he worked his way through the ranks, and he debuted with Barcelona during the 2004-2005 season. He became the youngest player in history to score a goal in the league.

By the 2006-2007 season, Messi had become the top striker at Barcelona. In just 26 games, he scored 14 goals, positioning himself as one of the best players in the world.

Despite his success, Messi would not stop there. During the 2009-2010 season, he scored 47 goals, tying the record for the most goals scored in a year at Barcelona, which was held by Cristiano Ronaldo. He continued to break records, and in 2012, he broke the record for the most goals scored in a calendar year.

That year, he scored 91 goals, breaking the record held by Gerd Muller of Germany, who had scored 85 goals. That record has stood for 40 years, and people started to debate whether Messi was the greatest player of all time. 

A Juxtaposition Against Historic World Cup Struggles

Even though the accomplishments of Lionel Messi during his club seasons are impressive and unparalleled, his struggles in the World Cup are just as striking.

Given the undeniable talent of Lionel Messi, a tremendous amount of pressure was placed on his shoulders. He was expected to help Argentina hoist another World Cup Championship, something they had not done in decades. 

Sadly, the pressure appeared to be too much for the anointed golden child of Argentinian soccer. In 2006, he made three appearances, mostly off the bench, scoring only one goal. Then, in 2010, he was a full-fledged starter.

He was expected to carry Argentina to victory, but he did not score a single goal. In 2014, he played in seven games, but he only scored four goals. Then, in 2018, he was a disappointment. He appeared in all four games, but he only scored one goal.

Hoisting The Championship Trophy

Entering the 2022 World Cup, there was a lot of debate regarding whether Lionel Messi was the greatest soccer player of all time. The only thing missing was a World Cup championship trophy. In dazzling fashion, he led Argentina to the World Cup championship, scoring seven goals, including multiple penalty kicks._^[3]

He let Argentina to victory over France in the World Cup final, scoring during the penalty kick shootout that would ultimately decide the tournament. In doing so, Lionel Messi has positioned himself as one of the greatest soccer players ever.

Final Thoughts

The story of Lionel Messi is one of success, but also one of perseverance in the face of overwhelming obstacles. He came from a disadvantaged background and was diagnosed with a chronic medical condition that threatened to derail his career.

He overcame those limitations with grace and courage, and committed himself to improve himself year over year, regardless of all the awards and accolades he’d received.

Messi pressed on. Then, despite the tremendous amount of pressure he faced as his team moved forward in the world cup, he lead Argentina to Glory, helping his team win the long awaited World Cup championship in 2022.

Till next time,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoy this Lionel Messi Success Story, then you’ll probably enjoy these inspiriational Lionel Messi quotes.

This Kobe Bryant Success Story is to honor and better understand the awe inspiring achievements of the late and great Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant, was one the greatest basketball players of all time, as well the one of the biggest competitors. He won five National Basketball Association (NBA) championships, was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP.

In short, he’s achieved just about every achievable accolade when it comes to basketball. Due to such achievements, he is considered a legend to many.

KOBE BRYANT’S STORY OF SUCCESS

Early Life | Kobe Bryant Success Story

Kobe was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and partly raised in Italy. His father was Joe Bryant, a former NBA player. At the early age of 3, he was pushed by his father to pursue basketball.

At the age of 6, his father moved to Italy for a different basketball opportunity so he had to grow up in the new environment. Kobe grew accustomed to the culture as he became quite fluent in the Italian language, while still keeping interest in the sport of basketball.

At the age of 13, his family returned to the United States where he remained interested in the game. As a senior in high school, Kobe achieved many awards for his outstanding performance at Lower Merion. Not only did he lead his team a state championship, he was named the Naismith High School Player of the Year.

In 1996, at the age of 17 Kobe was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, and he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (at that time). He was exactly 18 years and 72 days old.

From then on, you could just see the continual and gradual improvement leading to greatness personified, year after year, after year until his retirement. It was apparent that Kobe had an intense focus for the game and an extreme intention to become the best basketball player of all time.

The Makings of a Legend

How did Kobe Bryant become successful? Simply put, his work ethic. Kobe was relentless. He showed up to work every day, and never made any excuses. Without a doubt, it is quite evident that Kobe’s penchant for success was directly correlated with his work ethic. And Kobe’s work ethic was fueled by his passion.

In fact, the stories of Kobe’s work ethic have become a type of folklore. There are countless people who have witnessed what that man’s work ethic really was. Below is an account of just one of the many instances of Kobe’s phenomenal work ethic.

During an interview with Impact Theory during Kobe’s prime years between 2000-2002, former NBA player Jay Williams stated the following:

“The game was at seven… this is the championship Lakers. I’m going to get there at 3:00, and I want to make sure I make 400 made shots before I go back into the room and then I sit in the sauna and get ready for the game. Who do I see? I see Kobe Bryant, already working out,” Williams says.

“Once I set my foot across the line I started working out. I worked out for a good hour, hour-and-a-half. When I came off, after I was done I sat down and of course I still heard the ball bouncing. I looked down I’m like ‘This guy’s still working out?’ It looks like he was in a dead sweat when I got there,” Williams said.

“That game he drops 40 on us. After the game is over I’m like ‘I have to ask this guy, I have to understand why he works like that.’ After the game I’m like ‘Hey Kobe, why where you in the gym for so long?’

Williams stated that “He was like ‘Cause I saw you come in and I wanted you to know that it doesn’t matter how hard you work, that I’m willing to work harder than you’”.^[1]

Success Ethos | Relentlessness

Kobe Bryant’s work ethic hands down is what helped him become the legend he is today. But what also must be understood about Kobe Bryant, is that he was relentless. He had a mental toughness and steely focus that was driven by his almost over-the-top competitiveness.

In short, Kobe wanted to be the best, and would do whatever it took to achieve this mental goal. If he had a weakness in one area, he would commit to mastering that weakness. If was a lack of strength in his shot, he would get to work exhausting all options to rectify that lack of strength; researching and then applying the routines that instructed him on how to get stronger.

Similarly, if his weakness was a lack of speed, he would put in the time and effort to overcome the limitation. And there in lies his secret to success. The willingness to learn and then apply what he learned to inch himself closer to his goals.

As such, Kobe Bryant’s success ethos can be summarized as a relentless focus on the end result. The great news is, the ability to be relentless is in all of us.

To get a better glance into the mindset of a winner, watch this Kobe Bryant video. It’s 11 minutes long and full of great insights about the mindset of a true champion:

^{Video Credit: Motiversity (Subscribe to Their Channel Here)}

The Next Chapter

After so much success in the NBA, Kobe would channel his relentless work ethic into his entrepreneurial career. Taking all the success lessons he learned from basketball, he harnessed them into different endeavors which included filmmaking.

In fact, in 2018, he earned an Oscar and took home the trophy for best animated short film for the short called “Dear Basketball.” Narrated by Kobe, “Dear Basketball” is a about a five-and-a-half-minute short illustrating a poem that he wrote for “The Players’ Tribune” to announce his retirement in November 2015.

During his award acceptance speech, Bryant famously stated… “I don’t know if it’s possible. I mean, as basketball players, we’re really supposed to shut up and dribble, but I’m glad we did a little bit more than that.” – Kobe Bryant ^[2]

Kobe Bryant’s Enduring Impact

Kobe Bryant has inspired so many with his mass appeal of his “Mamba mentality”. As he transitioned into the next stage of his life, he would bring that same attitude and intensity as a supporter for youth and women’s sports.

Not only did he help spread basketball across the globe, but countless NBA players have said Bryant inspired them to play the game.

There are innumerable people who have been affected by Bryant’s greatness.

Related: Kobe Bryant Quotes

Interesting Kobe Bryant Facts

Kobe Bryant was more than just a phenomenal basketball player. He was a well-rounded champion in all areas of life. That said, here a few interesting facts that you probably didn’t know about Kobe, which demonstrates his versatility and exceptionalism as a human:

• Was named the youngest slam dunk champ in 1997.
• Achieve a 3-Peat NBA championship for the L.A. Lakers.
• Bryant once tore his Achilles heel, but made a comeback just 8 months later.
• Kobe used to play and practice through mild colds and flu symptoms, nothing could suppress his determination.
• Kobe Bryant was honored with his own day in Los Angeles. The Day is August 24th.
• Bryant once won an Oscar for participation in the 2017 film ‘Dear Basketball’.
• Kobe Bryant published and co-wrote over 5 different books.
• He founded a sports academy, today known as ‘The Academy’ to cultivate the talent of the youth.
• Bryant founded Granity Studios; an award winning multimedia content company.
• Kobe Bryant’s net worth in 2020 was $600 million (equivalent to $700 million today).

Kobe Bryant’s Net Worth

With Kobe Bryant’s net worth being approximately $700 million by today’s standards when you take inflation into account, he was set to live a very prosperous retirement.

That said, this is how much his vast fortune could have easily earned him every single year for the rest of his life in retirement: $28 million per year.

Note: this is an estimated (but very possible) earnings metric based off the earning power of Kobe Bryant’s net worth assuming all of his money was invested in assets yielding a 4% annual return.  It does not include how much Kobe’s businesses and royalties could have made him. These calculations are for entertainment purposes only.

Key Takeaways

At first, it might seem weird to relate your day-to-day life with that of a world-class athlete. But what we can take from this Kobe Bryant success story, is that success is a choice, and it is something that we can aim for in our lives.

And if we do it right, we can be apply the main driver of Kobe’s success to any aspect of our lives, and dramatically improve any of these areas in the process.

Here’s a recap to answer the question about how Kobe Bryant became successful:

Work Ethic | Relentlessness | Insatiable Competitiveness

Ultimately, Kobe Bryant ended up finding out that basketball was more than just a sport. It taught him, and all of us, the life lesson of becoming the best version of yourself through hard work and dedication.

Rest in peace, Kobe “Bean” Bryant.

Till next time,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed this Kobe Bryant Success Story then you’ll likely also enjoy our Michael Jordan Success Story or these Michael Jordan Quotes.

Kevin Hart is a household name these days, but this wasn’t always the case. Before he became the highly successful comedian, actor, and producer that we all love to be entertained by these days, he experienced his fair share of struggle, challenges and failure. And now that he’s broken into Hollywood, won countless awards, and built up an impressive fortune himself, we aim to unravel exactly how he managed to do so in this Kevin Hart Success Story special.

Before we dive into his story, know this, we agree with Kevin Hart. Success lays a blueprint, which is why we investigate the inspiring success stories of icons like Kevin Hart.  We know every story has something to teach, and if you want to learn about success, then success stories such as this one will do the trick. That said, if you’re ready to learn how Kevin Hart went from being a shoe salesmen to one of the highest paid entertainers in the world, let’s jump right into his inspiring story.

KEVIN HART’S STORY OF SUCCESS

Note: We are reader-supported. If you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Early Days | The Kevin Hart Success Story

Kevin Hart was born in Philadelphia, PA on July 6th, 1979, and into what many would consider a challenging home life. Hart’s mother essentially raised him, as his father was rarely around due to alcoholism, drug addiction, and consistent jailtime. Thus, Hart’s father did not actively participate in raising him.

After Hart’s mother limited his and his one sibling’s (an older brother) time with their father, due to his negative influence (i.e. stealing money from the family, coming around the kids high, being reckless, etc..) they would ultimately have to make due in without their father in one of the toughest neighborhoods, with just one committed parent at the helm.

Fortunately, Kevin Hart’s mother was a strong religious woman with a good head on her shoulders. She was a mother who always encouraged her kids to better themselves, and to set big goals and strive to achieve them.

She not only gave great advice to her kids, but she lived out what she preached, and set a good example by continually seeking to better herself, educate herself and grow in her career.

To cope with his troubled upbringing, and the negative cloud over his home life, Hart would turn to comedy. In fact, he would leverage much of the trauma he experienced in his younger years, into much of his early comedic material.

As a fan of stand-up comedy from a young age, Kevin Hart would eventually give his dream a shot once he graduated high school.

The Struggle

Kevin Hart’s debut into the world of stand-up was not walk in the park. In fact, it was an uphill battle for him. He gave the stage a shot initially in Philadelphia after some his co-workers informed of the opportunity, and encouraged him to give it a shot, but bombed the show.

He then moved to shows in New York, and sought out gigs in Massachusetts as well. Hart would commute nearly 2 hours daily to New York from Philadelphia to try and get noticed in the big New York comedy clubs.

Hart was making moves, but he struggled initially. From getting booed off the stage, to having chicken thrown at him, his act wasn’t an instant winner.

Despite his best efforts and even working a side gig as a shoe salesmen, Hart eventually fell behind on his rent and faced the threat of eviction.

Fortunately, his mom believed in him, and helped him get back on his feet. She supported Hart by paying for his rent for a whole year while he strived to make a name for himself, under the condition that if things didn’t work out after this trial period he’d go college._^[1] Fortunately for Hart, and all of us (current and future fans) he was determined to make a name for himself.

Despite the awkward silences, the boos, and the bombed shows, Kevin remained fearless, and kept doing shows. And with every bad joke, and every failed show, he slowly and methodically improved his craft. Things especially changed for Hart when he realized his strategy of trying to be like every other big name comedian wasn’t working.

Thus, once Kevin stepped into his own authentic act, people really started to take notice and that’s when his career began to take off.

Rising To The Top

People started to take note of Kevin Hart’s brilliant comedy. Oddly, Kevin Hart’s fame in the world of comedy really took off, but only after others began stealing his acts.

But Hart’s ambition was to be more than just a stand-up comedian. He also wanted to make his way into Hollywood and become an comedic actor. So, he took action and went for it.

Eventually, Hart landed his first movie role in the movie “Paper Soldiers”. He then made it on the air for a short lived pilot in 2001, which never got picked up. Then, just three years later, Hart landed his own sitcom known as “The Big House.”

However, the show would last for only six episodes, marking a very short-lived run.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race

But, Hart didn’t lose heart. Even though the plug was pulled on his sitcom, he didn’t quit. He kept on pursuing his comedy career, waiting for his next big Hollywood opportunity to arise while he did stand-up around the country and took on smaller roles in various movies like “Scary Movie” 3 & 4, “The 40 Year-Old Virgin”, “Barbershop”, and “Little Fockers”.

After awhile though, all those small roles started turning into medium-sized roles, and as he racked up more and more roles, the bigger opportunities started coming in, like major multi-million dollar comedy tours and landing serious roles in major blockbuster hits like “Ride Along”, “Get Hard”, “Central Intelligence”, “Jumanji”, “Jumanji: Next Level”, and many more._^[2]

And he’s been going strong ever since. With 96 and growing acting credits under his belt, Hart has managed to successfully build for himself a decent-sized multi-million dollar fortune.

On top of this, he’s also the founder of the fast growing multi-million dollar media company known as Hartbeat._^[3] Needless to say, Hart has this “success thing” figured out.

Related: Kevin Hart’s Net Worth

Kevin Hart’s Success Ethos

Kevin Hart followed his passion to become a world-class entertainer. But it took more than just passion for him to achieve the massive success he now enjoys. In fact, it could be said that Kevin Hart’s success is a biproduct of his work-ethic, grit, and comedic genius.

However, he has his own take on exactly what allowed him to be so successful. So, in his Kevin Hart’s own words, this is why he succeeded:

Kevin Hart persisted in the face of failure and rejection, and if you want success, he believes you should too…

1. “If you give up at the first sign of struggle, you’re really not ready to be successful.” – Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart didn’t just dream about success, he took action to make it a reality. There’s no denying that he encourages you to do the same…

2. “The best tip I could give you is to be ACTIVE. So many people TALK about what they want to do and they just love words. Don’t be a talker, BE A DOER.” – Kevin Hart

Hart believes that hard work and determination are critical components to success, and that without these two ingredients, success is impossible. So pay he to his success wisdom when he says…

3. “Hard work and determination equals success. Nothing comes easy. Put your mind to something.” – Kevin Hart

Lastly, Kevin Hart doesn’t just work to work. He believes that if you’re going to be putting in the effort, it should at least be towards getting better. So, don’t just work to work, work to improve, to grow, and to add value. In other words, commit to continuous improvement, a.k.a. kaizen…

4. “It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being better.” – Kevin Hart

Related: Kevin Hard Quotes On Success

More Success Insights

Hopefully these four Kevin Hart insights paint a clear picture of his success ethos. However, if you’re looking for a bit more, you can now learn Hart’s blueprint for success directly from the legend himself.

Masterclass has partnered with Kevin Hart, giving him a powerful platform to actually teach people how to use humor to make their mark. You can learn more about it below:

Final Thoughts

There you have it, Kevin Hart’s story. We covered his journey of growing up with an absent father in a troubled household, to then struggling to make rent as he pursued his dream. To then reaching the heights of achievement after many years of persisting in the face of rejection, long commutes, and even longer days.

We also covered the success ethos that we believed helped Kevin Hart find success. And we provided the success wisdom that he’s laid out for all to learn from. Here are those combined success insights once again as a quick recap:

Work Ethic | Grit | Taking Action | Kaizen

You now have some of Kevin’s secrets to success, but it’s up to you to apply them to your life. Wishing you all the best on your journey to success.

Till you reach your aims,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed our Kevin Hart Story on success, then you’ll likely enjoy reading about these equally inspiring stories of struggle and success.

Theodore Roosevelt was a pretty amazing character!  He was a great and daring president, but even more so, he was an extraordinary human being.

When Theodore Roosevelt was just a kid, he was told by his doctors that he was too weak, sickly, and asthmatic, to live a normal life like his peers.

He was specifically instructed by his doctors, to avoid participation in any physical activity, for fear that it could aggravate his condition; potentially leading to his death.

The opinions of others initially bestowed upon him a constrained life. A life that appeared at first to be fated to limitations.

REVOLT AGAINST YOUR LIMITATIONS

Instead of allowing someone else’s limiting beliefs about what he could do and accomplish, (considering his condition), he went on to live life fully.

Despite his doctor’s admonishments to remain inactive, he revolted, and instead did the exact opposite.  As such, he went on to have daily adventures in the woods as a boy.

Theodore Roosevelt shrugged off the fate that the world, and seemingly, even nature was trying to enforce upon him.  And, instead forced himself to be active.  He made up his mind to live a no limit type of life. He made up his mind to strive!

Roosevelt didn’t want to be relegated to the “stands” of life. He didn’t want to be a casual observer of the world as it passed him by. He wanted to be a part of it. He wanted to be in the arena.

So, against the odds, he eventually went on to play sports when he got to college.  In fact, he didn’t just play, but he excelled in both boxing, and rowing; two sports that require astonishing levels of physicality and great endurance.

When Theodore Roosevelt graduated from college, another one of his doctors actually suggested that it would be best for him to find a desk job so that he could avoid any strenuous activity.

The doctors were still not convinced that his health condition was normal.  They still believed that he would be putting himself in serious danger, as the heart problems he was initially diagnosed with, had not changed.

NO STRAIN, NO GAIN

Once again, not being one to accept someone else’s fate for him; Theodore Roosevelt decided not to heed the seemingly misguided advice of his doctors.

Instead, he would overcome his physical limitations by going on to live an extremely strenuous adult life.

In just about every capacity, he would aim to push his physical limits.  Impressively, he would go on to do so as an explorer, a hunter, a cowboy, an author, a soldier, a judoka (practioner of judo), and a politician.

Ultimately, Theodore Roosevelt transcended the limits imposed upon him by both nature and those figures closest to him, to go on to become one of the most powerful men in the world, when he took office as the 26th president of the United States of America.

THE ULTIMATE MAN IN THE ARENA

On April 23^rd, 1910 in Paris France, Theodore Roosevelt made the following speech.  It is a speech that has gone on to become one of his most famous, and it is the essence of his political and personal philosophy.

“It Is Not The Critic Who Counts; Not The Man Who Points Out How The Strong Man Stumbles, Or Where The Doer Of Deeds Could Have Done Them Better. The Credit Belongs To The Man Who Is Actually In The Arena, Whose Face Is Marred By Dust And Sweat And Blood, Who Strives Valiantly; Who Errs And Comes Short Again And Again; Because There Is Not Effort Without Error And Shortcomings; But Who Does Actually Strive To Do The Deed; Who Knows The Great Enthusiasm, The Great Devotion, Who Spends Himself In A Worthy Cause, Who At The Best Knows In The End The Triumph Of High Achievement And Who At The Worst, If He Fails, At Least He Fails While Daring Greatly. So That His Place Shall Never Be With Those Cold And Timid Souls Who Know Neither Victory Nor Defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt

In Audio Form

Here’s a powerful version of Theodore Roosevelt’s ‘Man In The Arena Quote’. It’s only 2 minutes and 49 seconds long, and is worth listening to as well for the effect. Enjoy!

_{^{Video Credit: RedFrost Motivation (Subscribe Here)}}

There is much to learn from Theodore Roosevelt.  He was the ultimate man in the arena.  And he has the list to prove it, as he achieved the following:

• Became The Youngest U.S President in U.S. History
• Facilitated the Construction of the Panama Canal
• Achieved the Medal of Honor
• Was The 1^st American to Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
• Graduated from Harvard University
• Made in onto Mount Rushmore
• Created the U.S. Forest Service

Considering all these accomplishments, it’s not hard to imagine him being marred by dust and sweat and blood.  In figuring out how to transcend his limits, he came to know high achievement.

Certainly, the great man who we have all come to know as Theodore Roosevelt, lived up to the famous quote which he eloquently spoke to the world so long ago.

ASPIRE FOR HIGHER

If you’re the type of person who wants to do more, wants to achieve more, and aspires to become something more in this life, then I respectfully suggest that you reflect upon the life of Theodore Roosevelt.

Study the powerful suggestions weaved throughout his famous ‘Man In the Arena’ quote, and consider what limits you yourself have allowed to suppress your own achievements up until this point.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, artist, author, or just someone who secretly knows that they can become more than they currently are… I ask you this; what limitations are you allowing to hold you back?  

Once you have your answer, channel your inner Theodore Roosevelt, and make up your mind to revolt against them.   If you do this… you too, can become the man in the arena.

Till next time,

STRIVE

.PS  –  If you’re ready to unleash your inner Teddy Roosevelt and start living like a lion, and not a lamb, leverage this post to build confidence in yourself A.S.A.P.

Steve Harvey is a prominent American businessman, actor, author, game show host, and former comedian. Harvey is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book Act Like a Lady Think Like a Man, as well as three other books. In addition to this, he is also the founder of the Steve Harvey Global Entertainment Company, which is a shell company for most of his other successful businesses. So, considering Steve Harvey’s impressive list of achievements, we will be diving into how this inspiring man came to be in this Steve Harvey Success Story special.

“The Dream Is Free. The Hustle is Sold Separately.”

After years of studying the lives of the world’s most accomplished people, we noticed that success leaves clues. In fact, it is one of the primary reasons we write success stories about extraordinary people like Steve Harvey.  We also chose to write about Steve Harvey because has an an inspiring rags to riches story, that everyone should know about. 

In addition to this, we also know that every story possesses hidden gems that can inspire us, inform us, and better us in new ways.  So, with that being said, if you’re ready to learn how Steve Harvey transformed his life from ordinary to extraordinary, then let’s dive in.

THE STEVE HARVEY STORY

Early Days | Steve Harvey Success Story

As a young boy, Steve Harvey had a dream. In his early days, when he was just in grade school, he made up his mind that he wanted to become famous and be on television. In fact, he was so determined that this is what he wanted to do with his life, that he bravely stood before his entire class one day, after the teacher gave every student the opportunity to tell the class what they wanted to be when they grew up.

This was a big leap for Steve Harvey, because not only was he young, and knew little about the real world, but he had a severe stutter. A stutter that many people would use an excuse for why they couldn’t do something.

Steve Harvey’s decision to stand up in front of his class, and tell the world what he intended to do with his life was a defining moment for him. Here’s why; after being asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, and after sharing his vision with his teacher and his entire class that he wanted to be on Television someday, he was ridiculed. He shared his vision, his dreams, and as typically happens to far too many starry-eyed kids with big dreams, someone belittles them.

In Harvey’s case, it was his own teacher who tried to snuff out his dream.

She assured Harvey, that he would never make it onto the television or in the entertainment industry because of his severe stutter. This teacher leveled with Harvey that his dream was a pipe dream, especially considering no one in his community ever had, or would make it big in the entertainment world.

Challenge Accepted

But, Harvey didn’t let this teacher destroy his dream. Instead, he used his teacher’s doubts as fuel. He personally took her naysaying as a challenge, and committed himself to proving her wrong someday.

Now, even though Steve Harvey chose to challenge his teacher’s naysaying, he still had to go through some serious trials and tribulations before he would take his leap.

In fact, before ‘making it”, Steve Harvey spent years bouncing from job to job. He worked as a autoworker, an insurance salesman, a mailman, a carpet cleaner, and many other jobs. That’s right, before he became the successful person he is today, he struggled just to make ends meet. But then, at the age of 27, he deciding to finally go after his dream. And this is when things became really difficult for Harvey.

Steve Harvey finally took a leap of faith to pursue a career in comedy. And, for the following three years, he would struggle with homelessness and barely scraping by.

For three years he was homeless, and living out of his Ford Taurus all so he could continue to pursue his dream.

Turning The Tide: From Homeless to Famous

For three long grueling years, Harvey would do small stand up comedy gigs, and local shows to scrape by. Barely making enough money to survive, he persisted on this path as it was part of his plan for breaking into show business.

Unfortunately, things would get so bad for Steve Harvey, that he eventually found himself having to bathe in the sinks and toilet stalls at hotel bathrooms. It actually got so bad for Harvey, that he hit his breaking point during one of his bathing sessions.

One day while lathering up with soap, and being unable to come out to finish his “bath” for fear of being seeing by a flood of men who happened to be in the bathroom because of a break in a conference that the hotel was hosting, Harvey made up his mind to call it quits.

Interestingly, on the day Steve Harvey was considering giving up, instead of calling his dad to ask him if he could move back home, he instead decided to check an answering machine his parents set up for him for anyone who was looking to contact him while he was on the road.

Low and behold, on that answering machine was a message from the Apollo Comedy Club inviting him to come on to their show. Harvey seized the opportunity, and even though he didn’t have the means to fly across the country to be on the show initially, he found a way.

After Steve Harvey landed his debut on the Apollo Comedy Club which put him smack dab where he wanted to be, on television, and he never looked back.

Harvey proved his teacher wrong.

Upward and Onward

Steve Harvey has been on television in some way shape or form every single day since that fateful day. He went on to becoming known to many as ‘The King of Comedy’, becoming the host of the Apollo Comedy Club, which would eventually come to be known as It’s Showtime at The Apollo. He made his way onto T.V. shows, into movies, hosting his own T.V. show, and becoming the host of the extremely popular show Family Feud.

Harvey has had a long, an extremely accomplished career in the entertainment industry. And since 2017, he’s been successfully running various businesses under the name of Steve Harvey Global.

One thing that’s important to keep in mind, is that despite all of Steve Harvey’s success on the big screen, and his accumulation of millions, he had to work for it. Harvey earned every bit of the success he now has, and he did it because harbored an effective success ethos.

Success Ethos | Harvey Success Story

Steve Harvey’s success ethos is comprised of a handful of key attributes, and the one most responsible for his initial success was first and for most, his willingness to take a shot at making it big. He was willing to risk it all for success, and he did for three long years. Had he never risked going for it, he never would have reached his mountain top of success.

The next success attribute responsible for Steve Harvey’s success, was his determination to push through till the very end. And even though he seemed like he was about to quit on that fateful day, he showed faith and hope that there was still a chance at success by first calling that answering machine.

Steve Harvey has also shown to have a fierce dedication to his work. He’s mentioned during interviews how he makes sure to always have something going on in terms of money-making activities (i.e. shows, event, movies, and other business activities).

He makes it a point to keep himself busy, never ceasing to have a job/show to work on, because he never wants to be homeless again. In short, much of his success can be attributed to a strong work-ethic.

Lastly, Steve Harvey attributes much of his success to faith. Harvey is a Godly man, who is convinced that had he not read and believed in a few passages from the bible, namely proverbs, that he wouldn’t have had the faith necessary to the heights of success he has reached.

Related: Steve Harvey’s Net Worth

In His Own Words

Steve Harvey has, in his own words, on multiple occasions, provided us with the seeds of his success. Here are just a few of those instances, where he has attempted to use his words to show us the way:

1. “Failure means you’ve now learned another valuable lesson that pushes you one step closer to success.” – Steve Harvey

2. “If you want to be successful, you have to jump, there’s no way around it. When you jump, I can assure you that your parachute will not open right away. But if you do not jump, your parachute will never open. If you’re safe, you’ll never soar!” – Steve Harvey

3. “Success is not a comfortable procedure. It is a very uncomfortable thing to attempt. So you gotta get comfortable being uncomfortable if you ever want to be successful.” – Steve Harvey

4. “I told the same $25 a night jokes over and over until they paid me $250, then $25,000, $75,000, $125,000, $500,000… $58,000 with the Kings of Comedy in one night! Repetition is how I became successful. I told those same jokes until I built an empire and a lifestyle beyond my wildest dreams! Never give up!” – Steve Harvey

The quotes above tell us a lot about success, and if you’re looking for even more insights, you’ll certainly get them by watching the embedded video below.

Related: Steve Harvey Quotes for Success

So, give it a watch, as it sums up Steve Harvey’s take on success very succinctly.

_{^{Video Credit: The Official Steve Harvey | Subscribe Here}}

Conclusion

There you have it, the Steve Harvey success story that describes his journey from being a young kid with a sever stutter, who’s teacher tried to kill his dream, to a homeless and starving artist living out of his car, to finally getting his shot, and making the most of it. 

We’ve uncovered his success ethos and the key success attributes that helped him find his way out of the poor house, and into a world of massive success and fame. And because we believe repetition is the mother of skill, the father of action, we’re summing up those success qualities for you one more time, here they are:

Fearlessness |  Persistence |  Work-Ethic | Faith

With that being said, you now have some key success insights you can now leverage to find your own massive levels of success. So, take your leap, put in the work and be willing to make sacrifice some comforts, don’t give up, and have faith that in due time, your day in the sun will eventually arrive. 

Until then,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed our Steve Harvey success story, then you’ll love this collection of short but empowering success stories.

Entrepreneur and world-renowned e-commerce pioneer Jeff Bezos is something of a household name these days. People know the name and know it stands for greatness, perseverance and ultimate success. Bezos is the founder and CEO of Amazon, owner of The Washington Post, and founder of the space exploration company Blue Origin. His successful business ventures and accolades have made him not only one of the most famous people in the world, but also one of the richest of all the world’s billionaires. So, considering such an impressive list of accomplishments, we aim to dig a bit deeper into how this visionary entrepreneur came to be in this Jeff Bezos Success Story feature.

First things first, we believe success leaves clues, which is why we study uber-successful people like Jeff Bezos. Every story possesses potential insights that can teach, guide, and benefit us in unimaginable ways, if we simply take the time to look.

That said, if you’re ready to discover more about how Jeff Bezos became the e-commerce juggernaut of the 21st century, then let’s dive in:

THE JEFF BEZOS SUCCESS STORY

Early Days

Jeff Bezos was born in1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to a struggling teen mother. His parent’s divorced when he was just 17 months old, but his mother found just enough work to keep the lights on and the family fed.

Bezos’ mother eventually married again, and their life would slowly normalize after his adopted father graduated from college and found work as an engineer in Texas.

Potentially influenced by his step-father, Bezos had a love for mechanics, machines, and especially computers. While studying at Princeton University, he initially he set out to study space as a physics major, but he eventually latched onto computer science and electrical engineering, believing he could make a bigger contribution in these fields._^[1]

That Beginning Career in Finance

After graduating from Princeton in 1986, Bezos found work at several firms on Wall Street, including Fitel, Bankers Trust and the investment firm D.E. Shaw. In 1990, Bezos became D.E. Shaw’s youngest vice president. 

On the heels of that success and with the financial backing he needed to start his own business, he began laying the groundwork to become the entrepreneur he always wanted to be. After working four years in the finance industry, Bezos would eventually make his move by quitting his job to start his own online business.

Bezos managed to eventually launch an online bookstore and the rest, as they say is history. Because as legend has it, this small startup would grow to become the famous Amazon.com of today, even though it originally started off as a modest online bookstore.

Those who were around during Amazon’s early years remember buying new and used books and the innovation that it took to bring that formerly brick and mortar business to the world wide web.  Amazon was a great starting point for Jeff Bezos and his success only grew from there.

Amazon and Cementing a Legacy

Amazon.com got it’s start on July 16, 1995, after Bezos asked 300 friends to beta test his site. It was a risky move and he was betting not only his financial investments but also his name and his reputation on his ability to build a successful company in the new and still very volatile online market.

In the months leading up to launch, Jeff and a few friends were building the software needed to run the site and operating out of a garage and basement. His dedication and determination to make it work is the stuff that inspires new entrepreneurs today to keep pressing onward with their dreams.

In the first month, the site was selling books across the US and in over 30 foreign countries. In two months, sales reached $20,000 a week, growing faster any of the team members could have envisioned. Two years later, Amazon.com went public and really started to make a name as an upstart e-commerce company.

Two years later, they proved the skeptics wrong and had not only held its ground but grown by leaps and bounds, becoming an e-commerce leader. While many business went away during the dot.com bust of the early ’90s, Amazon flourished and saw sales go from $510,000 in 1995, to $1.6 billion just four years later, to then over $17 billion by 2011.

By September 2018, Amazon was valued at more than $1 trillion, making it the second company to hit that milestone, and reaching it only a few weeks after Apple did. To this day, Amazon is still valued at a whopping $1.1 trillion.

Owner of ‘The Washington Post’

Towards the end of 2013, Bezos made headlines once again on the worldwide stage among business owners and wealthy tycoons when he purchased The Washington Post, one of the oldest and most well known news publications in the United States.

He also acquired a few additional smaller publications and included them all under the umbrella parent company for a grand total of $250 million.

Needless to say, you know you’ve made it when you begin buying historical and reputable news organizations. And indeed, by 2013 Jeff Bezos had “made it”.

Blue Origin

Of course, Bezos was making other big moves prior to 2013. For instance, in 2000, Bezos made an entrepreneurial move once again when he founded Blue Origin. This time Jeff’s eyes were on the sky as this was an aerospace company that was set up in order to design and develop technologies aimed at make space travel accessible and affordable for more people.

For a decade and a half, the company operated quietly and once things were really kicking off, around 2017, Bezos began selling $1 billion in Amazon stock annually to fund Blue Origin to further fund and push developments of new aerospace technology.

Two short years later NASA announced that Blue Origin was one of the select few companies to being assisting with 19 technology projects designed to help NASA once again go to the moon and finally reach Mars. Today Blue Origin is making headlines for Bezos and itself with unprecedented advancements in space travel.

Stepping Down as CEO and Moving Forward

In February 2021, Amazon announced that Bezos would step down as CEO in the third quarter of the year. But this was not the end for Bezos and he still plans to be involved with the company that he helped to build, literally from the ground up.

Since stepping down, Bezos has transitioned to executive chair of Amazon’s board and continues to be highly involved with the trajectory of the company.

As of late, his sights are set on launching a network of Montessori schools, and pioneering the robotaxi industry.

With that said, he shows no signs of slowing down or putting an end to the curiosity, motivation, and drive that made him into the crowning example of possibility that he has come to be known for.

Related: Jeff Bezos Net Worth

Success Lessons Learned From The Jeff Bezos Story

With that being said, our Jeff Bezos success story wouldn’t be complete without a few insightful words from the legend himself. As such, here are a few supporting Jeff Bezos quotes to help shine a light on the thinking that helped him achieve the impossible:

1. “If you want to be inventive, you have to be willing to fail.” – Jeff Bezos

2. “Work hard, have fun, make history.” – Jeff Bezos

3. “The No. 1 thing that has made us successful by far is obsessive compulsive focus on the customer.” – Jeff Bezos

4. “If you double the number of experiments you do per year you’re going to double your inventiveness.” – Jeff Bezos

5. “It’s not an experiment if you know it’s going to work.” – Jeff Bezos

If you’re looking to learn even more about Jeff Bezos’ story of success, then you’ll enjoy this thorough documentary about his rise and reign:

_{^{Video Credit: Frontline PBS}}

Related: Jeff Bezos Success Insights

Final Thoughts

There is still likely much in store for Jeff Bezos and the world has likely not heard the last of him. Time will tell what lies ahead but there is still much that we can learn from Jeff Bezos’ story and the examples he has given of how hard work, a laser-like focus on innovation, and a willingness to experiment, even if that means failing, can and does pay off.

Any entrepreneur who is struggling and feeling like throwing in the towel would do well to read the story of Jeff Bezos and learn how to keep a forward focus and a fire under their feet.

Success is out there and it can be yours with the right dedication, approach, and inspiration!

Till you reach your aims,

STRIVE

PS – If enjoy our Jeff Bezos Success Story, then may also enjoy reading about Elon Musk’s story, or even the story of fellow visionary Steve Job’s success.

Tyler Perry is a highly respected American director, actor, filmmaker and entrepreneur, and he’s the brains and the talent behind the extremely popular “Madea” franchise. Perry is also a New York Times best-selling author, and the mastermind behind over 17 movies, 20 stage plays, and 7 television shows, and the founding of Tyler Perry studios. So, considering this impressive list of achievements, we will be diving into how this entertainment icon has came to be in our Tyler Perry Success Story special.

Certainly, Perry knows a thing or two about success and achievement, and because we believe success leaves clues, we decided to dig into Tyler Perry’s story. Our aim is to unravel a few success gems that you’ll be able to use and benefit from in your own life.

So, if you’re ready to learn about Tyler Perry’s inspiring success story while gaining a few insights that could potentially lead to higher achievement, let’s get started.

TYLER PERRY’S STORY OF SUCCESS

Early Days | A Painful Past

Tyler Perry was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1969. He had two other siblings and was raised in a home with no shortage of problems. Perry experienced horrific physical and psychological abuse at the hands of his own father._^[1]

He also often witnessed his father beating his mother on countless occasions as well, and he experienced sexual abuse by a various adults in his youth as well. Things were so bad, that Perry described his own upbringing as a living hell. A hell that he’d often have to seek refuge from by either hiding underneath the floorboards of his home, or escaping within his own mind to an imaginary park when things would get too difficult in his life.

Between his teen years and his twenties, Tyler’s trauma would eventually turn to rage. During these years he would go on to burn down a house, burn up a car, steal, get kicked out of school, become violent on occasion, and was ultimately a miserable wreck to be around. Needless to say, Tyler Perry had an extremely painful past. But, his early challenges wouldn’t last forever.

After watching an episode on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tyler Perry learned about the therapeutic effect writing could have on his life. As such, he took up writing letters to himself to heal his wounds from the past. And, as fate would have it, those letters would eventually become the foundation on which he would build his future off of.

The Slow Climb

Tyler Perry would eventually use those letters he wrote to himself as the basis for his first play ‘I Know I’ve Been Changed’. At the age of 22, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia and would go on to invest his life savings into this play.

But, his success was not immediately forthcoming. In fact, his play wasn’t well received at all initially However, Perry persisted. While holding various small jobs to pay the bills, Perry would take a shot at getting his play off the ground for a few weeks at a time each year.

And instead of taking the advice from many of the well-meaning friends and family members around him who urged for him to go and find a respectable career, he chose not to give up. Instead of quitting, he would double down each time on his play by tweaking it, and then sending it back out into the world.

And each time he tried his luck again with the play, it wouldn’t receive the warm reception that he was going for. Fortunately though, the reviews for his play slowly improved, giving Perry something to work with. So, for seven long years, Tyler Perry kept working on his craft, methodically revising and improving the play until the day came when audiences finally started warming up to his work.

Success Realized

Sure, Tyler Perry’s success was slow to arrive, but after years of effort, many flops, and countless discouragements, his luck eventually started to change. It was 1998, when his production started to create sellout crowds, and got so large that he had to move his act to a larger theater.

Perry finally “made it”. His dream was being realized, and as his popularity and the demand for his show grew, so did his success.

In 2000 he presented a play known as ‘I Can Do Bad All by Myself’, and it brought to life the larger than life character known as Madea. And it was from this point that Perry’s success would go into overdrive. He produced a few more plays over the years, and then in 2005, his talent was sought on “The Big Screen”, and thus he made the leap into film.

He released his first film known as ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’ which would go on to gross over $50 million. Then he went on to create ‘Madea’s Family Reunion’, ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’, ‘Why Did I Get Married?’, ‘Meet The Browns’, ‘The Family That Preys’, ‘Madea Goes To Jail’, and many many others._^[2]

When success arrived for Tyler Perry, it came in the form of a flood, and his success has yet to cease or slow.

Tyler Perry Is Winning

He’s since gone on to become a New York Times best-selling author, create over 17 movies, 20 stage plays, and seven popular television shows, and is considered the most successful African American filmmaker in history.

He’s won two NAACP Image Awards, a Boston Society of Film Critics Award, two BET Comedy Awards, one BET Best Movie Award, and an award for best supporting actor by the African -American Film Critics Association.

Tyler Perry’s success and wealth continues to flourish. He founded Tyler Perry studios, a growing production studio based out of Atlanta, Georgia, which is currently the largest studio in the United States, and pulls in over $907 million in revenue a year._^[3]

He’s managed to consistently grow his wealth over the years, and has surpassed the billionaire mark in terms of his net worth. In short, Tyler Perry is winning.

Success Ethos | Tyler Perry Success Story

Now that we’ve covered Tyler Perry’s success journey, let’s tease out exactly what helped him achieve his massive success.

First things first, Tyler was intentional about what he wanted. He followed his dreams. His success wouldn’t really be much of a success if it wasn’t something he desperately wanted for himself. So, the fact that Tyler Perry was intentional about having a dream, and then making that dream work is important.

The next element that lead to Tyler Perry finally realizing the success he sought was his persistence and determination. Had he quit on year three, four, or five during those first seven years when he was struggling to get his play off the ground, his play never would have reached it’s potential. But, he persisted and iterated his offering until it became irresistible to his audiences.

And lastly, much of Tyler Perry’s success can be attributed to his focus. Had Tyler put his attention on two or three other plays in attempt to find success, he very likely wouldn’t have found the winning combination within his one play that would eventually win over the audience.

Here are a few of his own quotes on the matter:

1. “Know your intention as to why you do what you do. And I promise you, if your intention is right, you will be successful.” – Tyler Perry

2. “I don’t think dreams die – I think that people give up.” – Tyler Perry

3. “Narrow your focus to one idea, one. And make it work. That will give birth to all the others.” – Tyler Perry

Related: Tyler Perry Quotes

Success Insights

Here’s a great video that provides a few additional insights about Tyler Perry story and his journey towards success and fame.

_{^{Video Credit: Goldman Sachs (Subscribe Here)}}

Related: Tyler Perry Net Worth

Final Thoughts

There you have it, The Tyler Perry Story of Success. To wrap things up, here are some final thoughts about his success journey. Tyler has shown us, that no matter where we come from or how challenging our beginnings are, we can change our ending.

His story is a testament to the power of following one’s dreams, why self-trust is so important, and why you should persist in realizing your dreams if they are truly important to you.

Here’s a brief recap of the handful of qualities outside of talent that helped him achieve his goals and reach the heights of success that the world admires today:

Followed His Dreams | Persisted In The Face of Failure | Focused On One Thing

Having said that, we hope you’ll take some of these insights and apply them to your own life. We don’t doubt that you have a gift or talent of your own that the world desperately needs, and at the very least, higher levels of success that you’d still like to achieve.

So, till you reach your aims,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed our Tyler Perry Success Story, then you may also enjoy reading some of these short but equally inspiring stories of success.