David Goggins is a former Navy SEAL and USAF Tactical Air Control Party member who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is also a world-renowned ultramarathon runner and triathlete. But what makes David so remarkable isn’t just his accomplishments in the military or the fitness world; it’s his incredible story of overcoming adversity.

“Mental Toughness Is A Lifestyle.”

– david goggins –

In this story, we will take a closer look at David’s life story and showcase how he became one of the fittest men on Earth. By understanding the steps he took to become successful, we can better apply his principles to our own lives and hopefully achieve our own slice of greatness.

With that said, if you’re ready to learn about the mindset of one of the hardest men alive, let’s dive right in to this David Goggins Story.

THE DAVID GOGGINS STORY OF SUCCESS

How It Began | David Goggins Story

David Goggin’s early life was challenging. He endured a violent and controlling father, a family divorce, and poverty, all by the age of 8 years old. These early adversities ended up manifesting as health problems such as memory and attention issues as well as a stutter.

Despite having a rough home life in his youth, David had longed for a fresh start after he moved to Indiana with his mother and brother. He longed for a place where he felt safe. Nevertheless, Goggins did not anticipate the pain he would suffer during his first days at school, where he would eventually get bullied because of his unique appearance, and because and he didn’t know how to read.

Goggins didn’t appreciate the bullying, and as a result, he began skipping classes in order to escape the ridicule that was constantly lobbed at him by his classmates.

Needless to say, Goggin’s youth was not filled with sunshine and rainbows. It was a very tough and challenging way to grow up. Fortunately, those hardships didn’t break him, and instead made him stronger in the long run.

Once Goggins completed his schooling, he gave the military a shot. Unfortunately, after a failed attempt to join the Air Force’s as an elite pararescue team member due to sickle cell anemia, he became defeated for a very long time. But, Goggins persisted.

Despite the diagnosis, he refused to give up. “I wanted to feel something besides defeat. I wanted to just go the distance,” David said.

Eventually, he made his way into the Air Force, but as part of a different squad. This time around he made the cut to become part of the United States Air Force Tactical Control Party. But after a servicing for 5 years, he left the Air Force.

From a Nobody to a Somebody

After his 5 year stint in the Air Force, David found himself barely able to make ends meet. He worked as an exterminator, ate tons of junk food, and gained lots of weight. David’s life started to spiral in a downward direction and he began living an uninspired life.

Fortunately, David watched a documentary about the Navy SEALS one day, and found something to be inspired by. The challenge of becoming a seal, and having the mental and physical toughness of the program participants, gave David something to aspire towards.

Serendipitously, that show inspired Goggins to want to do more with his life. It inspired him to strive to become something more, something great. He was tired of being a nobody who just watched the lives of other great people on TV.

So, in was in that sudden moment, that he had found the motivation that would help him go on to lose more than 100 pounds in under three months. He discovered a newfound fire and energy. Thus, he channelled his driven to finally get fit and apply for the program.

He reflects that “It made me reflect on my fears, my insecurities. I saw real men who were overcoming adversity.”

Forward March

In order to get in shape, David joined a gym. Despite his intentions, he was unable to run more than a quarter mile on his first day. As a result of his psychological defeat, Goggins returned home crying and turning to food for emotional support.

Despite the minor regression, this man wasn’t the same as the person who was unmotivated to grow.

So, he got back on his proverbial horse and kept moving forward. He began to cycle and heavily restructured and restricted his diet and successfully brought his weight down to be able to apply for the Navy SEALS within 3 months.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The Turning Point

David Goggins held strong to his commitment and entered Navy SEAL training. Despite tremendous progress and growth in the program, he particularly struggled with the infamous “hell week”, an intense week-long training session where SEAL candidates are forced to move with minimal sleep and food.

Despite failing this grueling week the first time around due to a case of pneumonia, and the second time due to a stress fracture injury, he responded by completing two successful “hell weeks” in the same year. This shattered his limiting beliefs around his performance abilities and further fueled his progress.

This was the lightbulb moment for Goggins where he realized he needed to acquire a strong mental toughness in order to maintain a strong physical toughness. He dedicated himself to training both the body and the mind from this point forward.

His career in the military lasted for two decades and he received the “Top Enlisted Man” award for his efforts.

Related: David Goggins Quotes

Challenges Along the Way

One of the most challenging moments in Goggin’s life was when a helicopter, containing several of Goggins’ close friends inside, crashed during Operation Red Wings in 2005.

He used this devastating tragedy as fuel to drive him further. He raised money by long-distance running and donated the proceeds to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which grants educational scholarship opportunities to students who had lost their parents in the special operations sector. He has raised over 2 million dollars for charity.

David became an ultra-marathoner as a way to add momentum to his tragedies. The Badwater 135 is a grueling 135-mile run beginning in Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level, and ending at an elevation of 8,374 feet. To add to the excitement, it takes place in July, when Death Valley is at its hottest.

His qualification race was a one-day 100-mile run in San Diego, which he completed in 19 hours with little preparation. Upon finishing, he spent an entire year training for the Badwater 135 as hard as he could. Taking fifth place, he completed it in 30 hours.

He would next face challenges with his personal health. When David’s doctor examined him for a routine checkup in 2010, he found a birth defect called an atrial septal defect. Due to a hole between two of the atrial chambers of the athlete’s heart, the organ wasn’t able to operate at its maximum capacity. He was also struggling with progressive muscle weakness and wasting.

In order to save his life, David began to work intensely on rehabilitating himself. With consistent daily stretching, his body began to heal itself and realign. His heart also had time to restore and grow stronger.

Related: The Warrior Mindset

Lessons Learned

According to Goggins, his success is attributed to his “day one, week one” mentality. Every day he lives as though it was the first day of his new job. According to him, even though this mindset rubs people the wrong way, it works and makes him show up completely and with integrity.

He has also learned to never get comfortable with his accomplishments. He has remained hungry for more and believes that if you don’t continually challenge yourself, then you will never be satisfied with life.

David Goggins states that every day is an opportunity for achievement, and he doesn’t feel complete unless he has strived for that. His discipline is internally motivated, and unshakeable by any external standards. He aims to hold his standards higher than others do in order to achieve what others deem is impossible.

“Never Let People Who Choose The Path Of Least Resistance Steer You Away From Your Chosen Path Of Most Resistance.”

– david goggins –

One of the most important things that David Goggins learned over his years of training and competing is the importance of mental toughness. This was a lesson that he learned early on when he first joined the Navy SEALs, but it has stuck with him throughout his life.

Goggins believes that strength of mind is what sets people apart from each other in their ability to accomplish goals and achieve success.

Related: David Goggins Net Worth

Heavy To Hardcore

If you have a few minutes to spare, here’s a short video that provides additional insight on the mindset that helped David Goggin’s go from being over 300 pounds to becoming a hardcore Navy Seal.

_{^{Video Credit: CNBC Make It (Subscribe)}}

Goggins Pro Tip:

Goggins developed a unique mental strategy called the “Cookie Jar,” where he mentally revisits past accomplishments and hardships to draw strength during moments of extreme challenge, helping him push through ultramarathons and other grueling endeavors.

This concept is detailed in his book ‘Can’t Hurt Me’, and you can apply it to your life today to help you push through some of your toughest life challenges, like Goggins.

Final Thoughts

David Goggins story is an inspiration for all of us who are looking to challenge ourselves mentally and physically, and change our lives in the process. He has now shared his story with many people around the world and has inspired an entire community of individuals to challenge and push themselves to achieve the impossible.

These days, David Goggins also shares his message with people all over the world through his motivational speaking business. His message motivates people to get off their butts and get disciplined. But more importantly, he uses his platform to help people push their limits and become stronger.

With that being said, we hope you learned a few of those strong life lessons from this David Goggins story. Namely, that if you want to achieve our full potential, we have to rid our lives of laziness and stop making excuses for our lot in life.

Till then,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed this David Goggins Story of success and hardcore persistence and overcoming adversity, then you’ll love this inspiring article on the true story of Rudy.

Who is Jim Rohn? He was one of the most influential personalities as well as one of the greatest speakers of the late 20th and early 21st century. He was also known to many as America’s foremost business philosopher, and a rags-to-riches multi-millionaire who helped countless others achieve meaningful and significant success in their lives. His heyday in business as an entrepreneur and motivational speaker was in the 80’s and 90’s, whereby he influenced many of the greats of the business and self-development world, like Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Jack Canfield, Darren Hardy, and many more.

“We Can Have More Than We’ve Got Because We Can Become More Than We Are.”

– jim rohn –

Not surprisingly, his wisdom and success insights persist to this day. As such, we’ve decided to strengthen his legacy and shine a brighter light on his story and his life-changing wisdom by publishing this Jim Rohn Story of Success.

Every high achiever and successful person leaves clues as to what helped them reach their success. Just as every success story also leaves a blueprint that others can learn from and follow, if they look for it . It is for this reason we choose to highlight high achievers and success icons like Jim Rohn. That said, if you’re ready learn more about Jim Rohn, his legacy, and the many success gems his story undoubtedly contains, let’s dive right in:

THE JIM ROHN STORY OF SUCCESS

Early Days

Jim Rohn, a.k.a. Emanuel James Rohn, was born in Yakima Washington in 1930. His parents were from Odessa, Russia, but after being selected through a migration lottery system, they won the opportunity to migrate to America. Starting out initially in Washington, Rohn’s family would eventually move to Caldwell Idaho.

In essence, Jim Rohn grew up as farm boy in small farm town of about 5,000 people. His family was not rich, but they got by, by working the land.

Rohn attended public school, and after graduating high school he eventually made his way to college. But, after one year of college, he decided he was smart enough and so decided to quit. Dropping out of college was a mistake he would come to regret years later.

After dropping out, he was ambitious and willing to work hard, so he joined the work force. Three years later he eventually started a family. He got married and had two children.

He worked at Sears and earned a weekly paycheck of $57, which would be valued around $631 per week today. Put another way, he was only making around $32,000 per year, which by today’s standards would place him just barely above the poverty threshold for a family of four._^[1]

Needless to say, Rohn got himself into a precarious situation early on. Having started a family, and not having an education to find himself a better paying job, Rohn’s life became extremely challenging.

He started to fall back on his bills and his promises, and was increasingly becoming discouraged. He knew his life and his financial situation were getting especially desperate when one random day, when Girl Scouts came to his door trying to sell him cookies, and he couldn’t bare telling the girls scouts the truth as to why he didn’t want to buy their cookies; because he couldn’t afford them.

Disgusted with himself and his situation, Jim Rohn knew that something had to change. Not knowing what to change or how to change, he became open to learning and open to opportunity.

Turning It All Around

Around the age of 25 is when Jim Rohn’s fortune would begin to change. He happened to came across a man by the name of Earl Schoaff while attending a lecture a friend of his invited him to. Earl Schoaff was an extremely successful business man who’s lifestyle and charming personality caught the eye of the young Jim Rohn.

In fact, Jim was so inspired by Schoaff that he often thought to himself that he would give anything to be like him. And just a few months later, he managed to get personally acquainted with Earl Schoaff who eventually took a liking to him.

Shortly after Schoaff would offer Rohn a job, and Rohn jumped at the opportunity to begin working with his new mentor at a nutritional supplement company known as Abundavita._^[2]

Jim Rohn appreciated the job that Schoaff gave him, but it was the relationship and the philosophy that Schoaff bestowed upon him that truly helped him turn it all around.

Schoaff introduced Jim Rohn to the uncommon thought, that he could be more than he was.

Thus, Rohn would go on to work with Earl Schoaff for the next 6 years until he passed, learning everything he could about the fundamentals of living successfully, becoming more valuable to the marketplace, and ultimately how to be both wealthy and happy.

And as fate would have it, those fundamentals worked for Jim Rohn. Not only did he manage to turn his whole life around by increasing his income as a powerhouse salesman, but he would eventually go on to make himself a small fortune in this new business venture.

Related: How To Get Rich With a Normal Job

Making It Big

Jim Rohn made his first million in the vitamin supplements business by the age of 31. And it was this success that eventually led him to move on to greener pastures in Beverly Hills, CA.

It was around this time that he would get on a different life track that would help him solidify his legacy. After giving a speech at a Rotary Club about his success story, people fell in love with his story, charm, and electrifying success insights._^[3]

He started to receive more and more invitations to share his story, and eventually businesses started offering him money to deliver it due to the positive motivating affect it was having on their sales people.

Eventually, Jim Rohn saw the opportunity that laid before him with this new found demand in his speeches, and decided to start his own speaking business in the self-development industry. He named the company ‘Adventures in Achievement’, and the rest was history, as he quickly became one of the most in-demand and distinguished leaders of the motivational and self-development industry.

As a self-development and motivational speaker he gave seminars all over the world, sharing his story, and the principles of prosperity and success that he learned under his mentor. In addition to this, he also generously shared the many success insights he acquired during his own experiences in business, which eventually allowed him to amass millions of dollars many times over.

Accolades & Achievements

Here are just a few of the accolades that Jim Rohn managed to achieve during his lifetime….

• National Speakers Association CPAE Award
• The Master of Influence Award
• He’s Authored Over 17 Different Educational Products
• Mentor of Mentors (Leaders Influenced By Jim Rohn)
  • Tony Robbins
  • Mark Victor Hansen
  • Jack Canfield
  • Brian Tracy
  • Mark Hughes
  • Todd Smith
  • Les Brown
  • Chris Widener
  • T. Harv Eker
  • Darren Hardy

Jim Rohn’s Enduring Legacy

Jim Rohn’s enduring legacy is not just experienced by the people he’s influenced, or the books he wrote, his legacy also lives on in the numerous speeches he gave that have been recorded and released in both audio and visual form.

These days, with a bit of digging, anybody can access some of the most popular and insightful seminars he gave on how to achieve success and live an exceptional life. And the great thing is, much of it (not all) can be consumed for free via YouTube.

Most Popular Jim Rohn YouTube Videos:

That said, Below is a small collection of the top five most impactful and in demand Jim Rohn YouTube videos. If you’ve never heard him speak, give one of these videos just a few minutes of your time. Not only will you acquire a few powerful success secrets that can improve your life, but you’ll quickly come to see why he’s considered one of the greatest speaker’s of all-time. Enjoy!

Work On Yourself | Jim Rohn

This Jim Rohn Video has managed to accrue tons of views in just a few short months. As such, you can bet that it is one of his best speeches. It’s a short video, but worth every minute. If you’re pressed for time, give this video a shot.

_{^{Video Credit: Healthy Mindset (Subscribe Here)}}

Diseases of Attitude | Jim Rohn

This is one of Jim Rohn’s most powerful speeches. It’s only 26 minutes and 33 seconds long, so be sure to watch it, or more importantly, listen to it. This short speech can change your whole life, so whatever you do, don’t skip over this video.

_{^{Video Credit: Inspiring Change Everyday (Subscribe Here)}}

Jim Rohn YouTube Video | Time Is Valuable

This is another powerful motivational speech of Jim Rohn’s. It’s rife with life lessons and wise words on how to better manage your time, appreciate time, so you can become a better manager of your life and as a result, your success. On top of this, it’s also one of the best Jim Rohn YouTube videos to just have play in the background, with it’s great audio quality.

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

Success Ethos | The Jim Rohn Success Story

So how did Jim Rohn become so successful? Based on what we know of his story, our assessment as to how Jim Rohn achieved his success comes down to a handful of observations.

The first thing that helped Jim Rohn get on track towards achieving greater success, was the self-belief that his mentor helped him acquire. His association will Earl Schoaff opened his eyes to the very real possibility that he could actually become more than he was. In short, Schoaff helped him believe in himself and believe in success.

This new self-belief was the foundation for the next key to the puzzle. Jim Rohn was able to achieve staggering success because of his receptiveness to learning. He never would have discovered the next level success he achieved for himself had he not resigned himself to needing to learn something new, because what he knew up until the point he met his mentor wasn’t working.

The next thing that helped Jim Rohn achieve so much success was his commitment to self-development. Jim Rohn committed to becoming a better version of himself. He read all the books he could get his hands on; he learned as much as he could about sale, people skills, story telling, business, history, etc.. All what he learned made all the difference in how he presented himself, and influenced others.

Lastly, we believe that one of the biggest factors in Rohn’s success trajectory stemmed from his passion to help people. Jim Rohn knew that service to many, lead to greatness. As such, much of his energy was focused on adding as much value as he possibly could towards improving the lives of others. And the result was…. his ability to make a fortune many times over and a supersized legacy.

Related Success Quotes

Here are a few of Jim Rohn’s most popular quotes related to famous and effective success ethos:

1. “We can have more than we’ve got because we can become more than we are.” – Jim Rohn

2. “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” – Jim Rohn

3. “Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. If you work hard on your job you can make a living, but if you work hard on yourself you’ll make a fortune.” – Jim Rohn

4. “Success is not to be pursued, it is to be attracted by the person you become.” – Jim Rohn

5. “How do you deserve a fortune? Render fortunes of service.” – Jim Rohn

Related: Jim Rohn Quotes For Success

Jim Rohn’s Net Worth

If you’ve ever wondered how rich Jim Rohn actually became after inspiring so many people across the world, we got you covered. Below we’re going to provide you with how much he was worth upon his death, how much his money would be worth had it all been placed in a bank, and just for comparison, also invested in the SP500.

That said, in 2009, experts estimated Jim Rohn’s net worth at roughly $500 million at the time of his death._^[4] However, if one were to take into account inflation and the performance of the markets from December 2009 till today, his net worth would be substantially larger.

Assuming Jim Rohn invested his money into safe investments that merely kept up with inflation, his wealth would be approximately $743 million today. However, if Jim Rohn’s family placed his entire fortune in the SP500 in 2009, his net worth would be over $2.5 billion in today.

Related: The Science of Getting Rich

Final Thoughts

This Jim Rohn story was created to highlight the success journey that was taken by Mr. Rohn, which allowed him to achieve massive success, and helped him cement his legacy as one of the most influential motivational speakers and self-development icons of all-time.

We’ve provided his most viewed and inspiring videos, and uncovered the success ethos that guided Jim Rohn in his becoming the legend he is and always will be. Here they are again to answer the question as to how Jim Rohn became successful:

Self-Belief | Receptivity to Learning | Commitment to Growth | Service to Others

Now that you have these handful of Jim Rohn success insights, go forth and apply them to improve your life.  And remember…

“For Things To Change, You Have to Change. For Things To Get Better, You Have to Get Better.”

– jim rohn –

Till you reach your aims,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed this story about Jim Rohn then we have a hunch you’ll enjoyed this collection of powerful success stories.

Ed Mylett is a highly successful business leader, peak performance coach, and is one of the best motivational speakers in the world. He’s also the best-selling author of ‘The Power of One More‘, and a self-made multimillionaire who made it on to the Forbes 50 Wealthiest Under 50 list. So, considering the impressive accomplishments of this globally recognized entrepreneur, we will be diving into how he managed to achieve so much in this Ed Mylett Story of Success.

“Without Failure, There Would Be No Success. You Need One To Achieve The Other.”

Just like Ed, we too believe that success requires failure. It’s why we research and publish the encouraging success stories of so many icons and high achievers, to clearly show that failure is a part of the process of success.  In addition to this, we also believe every successful person leaves a blueprint of success that others can use for their own benefit. So, if you’re ready to see what you can learn from Ed Mylett’s story of success, then let’s dive right in.

THE ED MYLETT SUCCESS STORY

Early Days

Ed Mylett was born in 1971 in Diamond Bar, California. He grew up in a loving family with three younger sisters, but it was rather dysfunctional family, considering his father was both an alcoholic and a drug addict._^[1]

Ed spent most of his youth feeling on edge and uncertain around his father, not knowing which version he was speaking and relating too when he was around; the drunk and unpredictable father, or the sober and loving one.

For nearly 15 years, he lived in a state of uncertainty around his father, until one day when his father finally decided to get sober. Ed survived his childhood, but growing up with an alcoholic father had an indelible impact on his psyche. In fact, for many years he felt ashamed of where he came from. He had little to no self-confidence growing up, and was that little guy who would get bullied at school.

Fortunately, Ed Mylett found sports, and happened to be really good at them, especially baseball. In fact, he was so good at the sport that he would go on to play Division I Baseball for the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

Major-League Dreams

Baseball would become everything for Ed. In fact, he had big dreams of playing major-league baseball one day. While earning his degree at the University of The Pacific, Ed would go on to become an NCAA All-American not once, not twice, but three times._^[2]

He also had one of the best battering averages on the team, and was a NCAA leader in stolen bases. Baseball was everything for Mylett, until he one day he was hit in his right leg by an errant pitch.

The injury from the pitch would eventually grow into a tumor, which then grew into a catastrophic injury that required the removal of small chunks from his calf. This injury, and the subsequent surgeries that it required, eventually lead to the end of his baseball career and some of his most cherished dreams.

Devastation to Transformation

After his dreams were shattered, Mylett would eventually finish up his education at the University of the Pacific. But shortly after, he ended up moving back into his parent’s house.

He didn’t have a job, and was feeling aimless. However, his father decided to intervene in the young Mylett’s seemingly hopeless situation.

One day after finishing up one of his AA mettings, Mylett’s father encouraged him to go to a job he set up for him at an orphanage called the McKinley Group Home for Boys. Mylett went to the job, and became a role model to the underprivileged and formally neglected boys who lived at this orphanage.

This experience would become a transformational one for Ed Mylett, as he’d learned what it truly meant to serve other people. He learned how go from an ego-driven athlete to a loving role-model and father-like-figure to a handful of boys, boys who desperately needed someone in their lives who loved, cared, and believed in them.

It was this experience that helped transform Mylett into the person and leader that would eventually help him achieve massive success he would go on to achieve in the business world.

Big Brother to Big Business

Ed Mylett would eventually stop working at the Orphanage, but the experience and life lessons he learned while there helped pave the way for his future endeavors and achievements.

In 1992, Mylett joined the World Financial Group (WFG). He leveraged the competitiveness and laser-like focus he acquired as a collegiate athlete, along with the heart of gold he acquired while working as a counselor at the McKinley Group Home for Boys, and his career took off.

This winning combination of being driven to succeed and win, while genuinely wanting to help other people succeed, assisted Mylett in growing multiple teams of highly committed individuals who took the financial services industry by storm.

Ed Mylett’s ability to inspire other leaders led to his swift professional advancement at WFG. After a few short years of growing his book of business, Mylett would soon become the company’s youngest CEO Marketing Director.

Soon thereafter, he would go on to rise to the level of Senior Executive Vice Chairman, and then become the Director of Field Leadership for the company. And in the process he accumulated for himself massive levels of financial success.

Next Level Success

Not one to rest on his laurels, Ed Mylett would eventually move on to leverage his skills sets in a different way. Initially hesitant to give up his peaceful and private life, a conversation with Tony Robbins nudge him make his move.

So, he decided to become a peak performance coach, motivational speaker, and author to help other people learn how to believe in themselves, improve their mindsets, and achieve the next level success they’ve always dreamed about.

Mylett also runs a highly successful podcast, the ‘Ed Mylett Show’, where he shares many of his best success insights with the world, and interviews other success icons to help share their inspiration and insights as well.

In just a few short years, Mylett has grown his online audience to nearly 4 million followers, and growing. In addition to this, he’s also managed to continually growing his fortune.

These days he has own private jet, multiple residences, many fancy cars, and a massive net worth. But even more importantly, Ed Mylett has acquired a true passion for helping people adopt and develop a champion’s mindset and achieve more success in their lives by believing they can.

Related: Ed Mylett Net Worth

Success Ethos | Ed Mylett Story

So what is Ed Mylett’s secret of success? Well, we believe as Ed Mylett does as well, that much of his success comes from his ability to connect with and influence people.

Ed Mylett has a keen ability to be present with people, and he has a level of energy and certainty when he communicates that has undoubtedly helped him inspire and persuade people.

So, in a nutshell, much of his success can be attributed to his strong communication skills, his ability to inspire people to believe in themselves, and a strong work ethic, which he acquired from his time as an athlete._^[3]

That said, here’s some of Ed Mylett’s own takes on what it takes to succeed at the level he has:

1. “What you envision in your mind, how you see yourself, and how you envision the world around you is of great importance, because those things become your focus.” – Ed Mylett

2. “I think the biggest shift in our lives, the things that make us the happiest is that when somebody helps us identify our natural giftedness.” – Ed Mylett

3. “Sustainable success is not built overnight. Real success is the result of consistent, sustained effort.” – Ed Mylett

4. “Show me your schedule and I’ll show you your priorities.” – Ed Mylet

5. “Life’s going to give you what you’ll fight for.” – Ed Mylett

Read More: Ed Mylett Quotes

Final Thoughts

There you have it, Ed Mylett’s story of success. We covered his unique beginning as an unconfident boy learning to cope with a parent who was an alcoholic, to then discovering life changing leadership skills that he never would have learned had his father not been attending AA meetings, to then taking those skills he learned helping kids believe in themselves, to then helping countless others believe in themselves in business and life.

Indeed, we’ve come full circle, with his story clearly demonstrating that without certain failures, there would be no success.

That said, we hope you enjoyed this success story, and learned a thing or two about how you can go about finding a similar level of success in your endeavors and in your life.

Till you reach your aims,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed our Ed Mylett story, then you’ll likely enjoy reading about the success stories of fellow business leaders and coaches like Grant Cardone or Tony Robbins.

Colonel Sanders who officially went by the name of Colonel Harland David Sanders, was the American businessman who founded and popularized the famed brand known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. His story is unique, and is one that every entrepreneur or dream chaser should know about.

We believe success leaves clues, and Colonel Sander’s story not only does that, but it also provides a level of encouragement that can help just about anybody get through the struggles we all face as we strive to achieve our aims.

So, with that being said, if you’re ready to learn and be inspired by one of the best failure to success stories of all time, then let’s dive into this epic Colonel Sanders Story of Success.

THE COLONEL SANDERS STORY

Early Days

Colonel Harland David Sanders was born September 9, 1890 in Henryville, Indiana. He was the oldest of three brothers and was born into a family that struggled to make ends meet.

His father passed away when he was just six years old, and his mother worked long hours in a tomato canning factory. Harland was no stranger to hard work as he would become a farmhand to help out the household financially at the age of 10.

When 7th grade rolled around Harland would drop out of school to go work off of a farm. Thus, at the age of 13 he left home to achieve his fortune working various odd jobs. When things weren’t working out financially, he decided to join the military.

So, at the age of 16, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, even though he did so by faking his age. Colonel Harland Sanders would serve one year before getting honorably discharged.

An Early Career That Was All Over The Map

Once Good Ole Harland Sanders got out of the military, he would go on to take countless jobs in a variety of different fields. Most of the jobs he’d lose would be due to quarrels with others or just plain old misfortune.

Over the years he’d flit from job to job in a manner and frequency that would even impress a Millennial. Here’s a snapshot of just a portion of his job-hopping ways:

• Worked For The Railroad Company (Lost His Job Due To Fighting).
• Legal Career (Lost His Job After Attempting To Beat His Own Client With A Chair).
• Life Insurance Salesman (lost this job due to insubordination).
• Life Insurance Salesman (Lost This Job Due To Insubordination).
• Started A Ferry Boat Company (Succeeded And Cashed It Out).
• Took A Job As The Secretary Of The Chamber Of Commerce (Resigned Within A Year).
• Started A Lamp Manufacturing Business (It Failed).
• Took A Job As Salesman For The Michelin Tire Company (Was Eventually Laid Off).
• Landed A Job Running A Service Station (Station Closed Due To The Economy).

Positive Change, For A While

Things started to change for Colonel Sanders when he hit 40. He would eventually land another job working for a service station out of Kentucky. This time, he worked for Shell, and was allowed to live their rent free so long as he paid a portion of his sales to the company.

And, because he had a living quarters within this station, Sanders started to experiment with offering up his delicious chicken to customers. The demand for his meals grew so large, that he eventually opened up a restaurant in the station to serve all the interested customers.

Sanders’ popularity grew so fast within the community, that he practically became a household name locally. Everybody knew Sanders, especially because he did volunteer work delivering babies locally, that and because everyone loved the delicious meals his restaurant served. And before he knew it, his generosity and popularity helped him earn the title of colonel by the Governor of Kentucky.

With his restaurant business and reputation humming along, Sanders would seek to expand his empire. He purchased a hotel in North Carolina, but then just a few short months later, his popular restaurant in Kentucky would burn down.

Sanders would go on to rebuild it, but the economy was starting to become severely impacted by WWII, which would eventually force him to close his North Carolina hotel.

Refiring Instead of Retiring

When Sanders hit the age of 52 he started to dabble with the idea of franchising his secret recipe. He would call his perfected recipe, “Kentucky Fried Chicken”. Unfortunately, his idea to franchise his recipe didn’t receive the warm welcome he was hoping for. In fact, his recipe would get rejected 1,009 times before anyone warmed up to the idea.

But, he persisted and eventually found a few converts he and there, and would eventually negotiate around 4 cents for every chicken sold that used his recipe.

Unfortunately, at the age of 65, Sanders’ hit restaurant in Kentucky would eventually lose steam. As such, he sold it. Sanders was now forced into early retirement with only a small amount of savings and a measly social security check to live off of.

But, believing that every failure could be a stepping stone to something better, he decided to use his new found circumstances as an opportunity to really push his recipe franchising idea into overdrive. So, he hit the road and did what he did best aside from making phenomenal chicken, he started selling his recipe.

And as the saying goes, the rest is history. Colonel Sanders’ Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise would explode in popularity and demand. He got the funding he’d been looking for and expanded his franchise all over the country, and then the world.

Avalanches of success flowed the Colonel’s way, and before he knew it he had over 600 franchises selling his chicken all over the world. This new found success allowed Colonel Sanders to finally slow down at the ripe age of 73. So, he sold his company and turned him into a multi-millionaire overnight.

Success In His Own Words

Before we wrap up this Colonel Sanders story of success and achievement, here are a few of his own insights on success. Consider these quotes his very own advice on what it takes to succeed in the world of business, as he has:

1. “One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better.” – Colonel Sanders

2. “Hard work beats all the tonics and vitamins in the world.” – Colonel Sanders

3. “I’ve only had two rules. Do all you can and do it the best you can.” – Colonel Sanders

4. “I just say the moral out of my life is don’t quit at age 65, maybe your boat hasn’t come in yet. Mine hadn’t.” – Colonel Sanders

5. “Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly. It comes as a byproduct of providing a useful service.” – Colonel Sanders

Read More: Colonel Sanders Quotes

Final Thoughts

Th Colonel Sanders success story demonstrates how someone can flit around from job to job and still eventually find their groove and leave a legacy. Sanders’ story also shows that hard work and diligence eventually pays off, regardless of your age, if you press on long enough.

But most importantly, Colonel Sanders’ story highlights how it’s possible to continually turn your life around, and go from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm, and that there is a fantastic reward that awaits those who through sheer will and persistence, keep striving for their goals.

Colonel Sanders is indeed an icon, a legend, and yes even a massive failure…. but that’s exactly why he’s also a massive success.

Till you reach your aims,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoy this Colonel Sanders Success Story, then chances are you’ll also enjoy these handful of motivational stories.

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.

“If I Made It, You Can Too.”

– tyler perry –

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.

What can you learn from Denzel Washington? A lot, it turns out. Denzel is a perfect example of how to achieve success in both your personal and professional life. He is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood; acting in over 60 films, winning three Golden Globes, two Academy Awards, and a Tony. But his journey has not been easy. He has worked hard for everything he has achieved, and he continues to work hard to this day. So, considering Denzel’s list of impressive achievements, we will be diving into how this success superstar came to be in this Denzel Washington Success Story special.

“Working Really Hard Is What Successful People Do.”

– denzel washington –

In this article, we will take a closer look at Denzel Washington’s rise to success and peek behind what we see on the big screen to learn what we can apply to our own lives. So, if you believe success leaves clues, and you want to learn a few success insights from Denzel’s inspiring story, let’s dive right in.

THE DENZEL WASHINGTON SUCCESS STORY

Youth and Challenges

Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York City, in 1953, on December 28th. The street he grew up on was on the edge of Westchester and the Bronx, a lower-class neighborhood that surrounded him with crime, drugs, and violence.

When he was 14 years old, he dealt with the struggle of seeing his parents going through a painful divorce, leaving his mother with him and his two siblings. He had moments of involvement with gangs and getting into fights, but his mother pushed him to stay on the right path.

Despite the challenges he faced, Denzel persevered. His mother ensured a better future for her son by sending him to the military academy in New Windsor. This pivoted the young man from a life of aimlessness to one of curiosity, where he would seek to find answers to find out where he fit into the world.

“I Never Really Had The Classic Struggle. I Had Faith.”

– denzel washington –

The Search for Self Identity

Washington pursued several different paths before he found his calling as an actor. In high school, he joined the football team and was the quarterback. He continued to play football in college, and also joined the basketball and baseball teams as well.

Denzel used sports as a way to find community and learn the power of achievement, which had begun in his childhood days as a regular member of the Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx. However, he discovered that a professional path in sports was not for him.

His interests in biology and chemistry didn’t pan out after taking a challenging course called “Chordate Morphogenesis”, a daunting topic that didn’t attract his interest.

Political science was his next attempt, as he thought it would allow him to make a difference in the world as a lawyer. This got the young man interested in hearing the stories of others, leading him into the field of journalism.

At this point, Washington realized he was working his way into the field of art.

During a summer position as a camp counselor at the YMCA, he had his first experience performing in front of an audience when he was asked to put on a show for the kids.

His natural charisma and stage presence was undeniable. A fellow camp counselor recommended that he pursue acting, and Denzel took his first steps into the world of performing arts.

“I Say Luck Is When An Opportunity Comes Along And You’re Prepared For It.”

– denzel washington –

With a GPA of 1.7, he had nothing to lose and a spark of talent to follow, leading to one of the most successful Hollywood careers of all time.

From Amateur to Professional

When Washington returned to college after the summer, he immediately transferred to Fordham University’s theater department to study acting. His first role was in the play “Othello”, and he would go on to have successful performances in many more theatrical productions.

When preparing for the role of Othello in the play, one of his most influential teachers gave him a piece of advice that he carried on for the rest of his life: “Less acting is always more”.

After a rich and successful college career in theater, Washington made the transition to film with his first movie role in “Wilma” in 1977 and “Carbon Copy” in 1981.

On the set of Wilma, he met his present wife, Pauletta Pearson, who became a major beacon of support and stability during his early Hollywood years.

He then received a major break on television when he was cast as Dr. Phillip Chandler on NBC’s hospital series”St. Elsewhere”.

Despite being on the show for 6 seasons, the executive producer, Bruce Paltrow, graciously allowed him to leave the production three times to film the movies “A Soldier’s Story”, “Power”, and “Cry Freedom”.

Washington states that if he wasn’t allowed this creative freedom, he wouldn’t have become the actor he is today. Paltrow later said of Washington: “He was the kind of actor who came along once in a generation”.

A Star is Born

After his time on “St. Elsewhere”, there was no question that Denzel Washington was a star. He had leading roles in many movies, including “Malcolm X”, “Philidelphia”, “The Pelican Brief”, “The Bone Collector”, and “The Hurricane”.

In the year 2000, Denzel Washington won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor due to his exceptional performance in the film “The Hurricane”. The last African American actor who won a Golden Globe was Sidney Poitier in 1963, making him the first black actor in 37 years to receive the honor.

This was a huge stepping stone in Washington’s career, as he was now being seen as a serious contender for Hollywood’s top awards.

And in 2002, his dreams came true when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in “Training Day”. He has since been nominated for three more Academy Awards and has won a total of two Golden Globes.

Giving Back

While Denzel Washington’s story is one of rags-to-riches, he hasn’t forgotten his roots. He has given back to many different charities over the years, including the Boys and Girls Club of America, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, and The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, to name only a few.

He has also donated back to the college that fostered his love of acting, Fordham University. He has donated $2 million dollars to the theater program as well as $250,000 to create a scholarship program for young actors attending the school.

In 1991, the university gifted him an honorary doctorate degree. Morehouse College similarly provided him with an honorary Doctorate of Humanities in 2007, and the University of Pennsylvania provided him with an honorary Doctorate of Arts in 2011.

Related: Denzel Washington Quotes

Lessons Learned From The Denzel Washington Success Story

The most important cornerstone of this Denzel Washington success story is his transformation from a life of aimlessness to one of focus and determination. He didn’t let his living conditions, poor grades, or challenge with finding a discipline stop him from staying curious, open, and active in his pursuit of a better life.

It was only when he allowed himself to be vulnerable and truly dedicate himself to his passion that he found the success he always dreamed of.

And it is this same level of focus, discipline, and heart that we must all bring to our own lives if we want to achieve our dreams. Just remember: what Denzel Washington can do, you can do too. You just have to set goals for yourself and then be willing to put in the work.

Till then,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed this Denzel Washington story of success, then you’ll likely enjoy these highly motivational short stories as well.

Robert Kiyosaki is a successful modern American businessman who has come to be known for his extremely popular financial education books and programs.

If you have never heard of him, he is the founder of the extremely well known and successful ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ brand, and the author of over 26 different books.

That said, we strive to investigate the inspiring stories of success icons like Robert Kiyosaki, because every success story reveals a blueprint that others can follow. And without a doubt Robert Kiyosaki has an empowering success story that will not only inspire you to persevere in the face of defeat, but also arm you with invaluable insights for finding financial success in this day and age.

So, if you’re ready see what Robert’s story has to teach, let’s dive in:

THE ROBERT KIYOSAKI LIFE STORY OF SUCCESS

Taking The Leap

Robert Kiyosaki is a Japanese American who was born in Hawaii.  After serving in the Marine Corps, and then working in sales for Xerox Corporation, Robert tried his hand at entrepreneurship._^[1]

He took a leap into entrepreneurship and with his first business he sold those neat looking velcro wallet’s that were all the rage back in the 80’s.  Unfortunately, he didn’t protect his product with patents and eventually his Wallet company went bankrupt when competitors snatched up most of his market share.

But that didn’t stop Robert Kiyosaki.  He got knocked down, but he got back up.  As such, soon after his first business went belly up, he fearlessly opened up another company.  And this time around, he chose to open a company that sold licensed apparel for heavy metal bands. 

Of course good times would not last forever on his second attempt at entrepreneurship, and this company would eventually close shop as well._^[2]

Persist Until

Fortunately, Robert kept pressing forward at didn’t let those first two defeats stop him in his tracks.  He did what all great entrepreneurs and businessmen do, he persisted until he succeeded. 

As such, he continued seeking ways to become financially independent (financial independence is essentially being able to live off of income produced by your personally invested resources, i.e. profits/cashflow from a business, profits from real estate rent, profits from dividends from businesses owned that cover at a minimum your expenses).

Related: Grant Cardone Success Story

A Goal Reached

While working for the Xerox company to pay the bills, and throughout all his attempts at new businesses, he kept striving to build a business and find financial independence.  In so doing, he continued to invest in assets like real estate. 

And slowly, but surely, he invested in enough real estate to reach one of his main goals; financial freedom. He reached his goal of having more cash flowing in every month from his investments than was flowing out to pay living expenses.

It was a goal that did not appear over night. Robert understood that consistency and persistence breeds success, which is why he pressed on till he reached this major goal.

Eventually, Robert would use the milestone success in real estate to find even more success. He would then go on to lever leverage his real estate success until his education company gained traction. 

Then, shortly after seeing success in his new venture, he sold that company and leveraged his new-found wealth to start another education company.  And it was this company where he found his major success breakthrough. It was this success that led him to become the wealth guru the world has come to know him by._^[3]

Related: Robert Kiyosaki Net Worth

Financial Education Legacy

Robert Kiyosaki’s success story can help people get inspired and motivated to go for their dreams. However, his true legacy can be found in the financial education he provides in his books and seminars.

Robert has done a tremendous job providing millions of his readers with a way to think differently about money. So, if you’ve yet to read his material, there is no better place to learn the essence behind his financial philosophy than by watching this excellent Robert Kiyosaki video.

Of course, your next best bet would be to study his flagship book on your won. Without a doubt, his book [affiliate link] will help you think differently about money and success forever.

In the mean time however, if you really want to get a better sense of who Robert Kiyosaki is, and the type of advice he gives that has helped him become so successful, watch this video:

^{_{Video Credit | The Rich Dad Channel (Subscribe to His Channel Here)}}

Related: Rich Dad Poor Dad Quotes

Final Words On The Robert Kiyosaki Success Story

This Robert Kiyosaki success story was created to highlight the factors that lead to Robert’s success. As such, your major takeaway should be this; Robert succeeded because he did not quit when first met with defeat. 

In addition to this, he made many mistakes, like we all do. However, he learned from his mistakes, regrouped, and then attacked his goals from another angle. He did this over and over until he succeeded. 

Robert Kiyosaki didn’t know the “how” as it relates to his success, heck hardly any of us do.  But, what he did know was the “where” and the “why” of his efforts.  Robert knew where he wanted to go. But more importantly, he knew the why behind all his efforts.

Then Robert took action accordingly.  He kept moving forward, failure after failure until he arrived at his intended destination. He kept grinding till he found his Success!  

We hope this short Robert Kiyosaki success story will inspire you to find your success.  We hope it will help you find out your “why” and your “where” for all your efforts. Let this Robert Kiyosaki story motivate you to keep moving forward amidst all your obstacles, so sooner or later you’ll be able to reach your aims.

Till then,

STRIVE

PS – If you enjoyed this inspiring Robert Kiyosaki life story, then you’ll love our powerful collection of short stories on success and overcoming failure.