Ben Franklin had to drop out of school at age 10.
Sir Richard Branson has dyslexia.
Stephen King's first book was rejected 30 times. He literally threw it in the trash. His wife had to retrieve it so he could finish it.
Oprah was repeatedly molested by her cousin, uncle, and family friend. She ran away from home and gave birth to a baby boy when she was just 14 years old. Her son died soon after birth.
FDR contracted polio not as a young child but as an active adult with a promising career in politics at age 39. He went on to become President.
On a near daily basis, Beethoven was beaten, locked in the cellar and deprived of sleep by his drunken father so he could get in extra hours of practice.
Henry Ford went bankrupt not one, not twice, not three times, not four times, but five times before he succeeded with the car company we know today. His father was a farmer and his mother died when he was 13.
Because of his new ideas, Socrates was called "an immoral corrupter of youth" and was sentenced to death. He continued teaching until the moment he was forced to poison himself. (Okay. I admit that this is a tough example...but I thought it was interesting, nonetheless.)
Winston Churchill was defeated in every election for public office until he finally became the Prime Minister at the age of 62. He struggled in school and failed the sixth grade but eventually won the Nobel Prize and was twice-elected Prime Minster of the United Kingdom.
Heck, my own childhood was so hard. (Now you ask "How hard was it?) It was so hard my dad got me a boomerang when I was a kid. He said you needed a friend to play with a Frisbee®. (Ba da bump)
Life can be tough sometimes. That's why you need to be tougher on yourself.
If things don't go your way, take a moment to get the frustration out of your system—but only a moment—then go about your business.
The longer you run around crying "poor little ol' me" the deeper you'll sink into P.L.O.M. disease. Like any disease, the longer you allow it to grow the harder it'll be to beat it.
So no more pity parties.
If you're in the arena, expect a few bumps and bruises.
If you're knee-deep in alligators, remember that your goal was to drain the swamp.
Problems really are just opportunities in waiting.
There are more opportunities waiting for you here...
Market like you mean it.
Now go sell something.
