Some of the world's favorite inspirational stories
Wayne Gretzky - Wayne Gretzky has been quoted as saying, "It's kind of ironic when I broke in at 17, I was told I was too small, too slow and I wouldn't make the NHL." He's now recognized as one of the greatest hockey players ever.
George Lucas - George Lucas spent four years shipping the script for Star Wars around to the various studios and racking up numerous rejections in the process. If he'd let his negative inner voice get to him he would never have ended up having the highest grossing film of all time.
Einstein - was considered an "unteachable" fool by his early teachers.
Michael Jordan - was cut from his high school basketball team. Michael Jordan quote, "I've failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed."
Beethoven - Beethoven's music teacher told him he was a hopeless composer.
Colonel Sanders (creator of Kentucky Fried Chicken) - was told "No" by over a thousand restaurants for more than a year while he lived in his car trying to sell his chicken recipe.
Thomas Edison - Sure you've heard of Thomas Edison and all the inventions he created. He's actually known as one ofthe most prolific inventors in history holding 1,093 U.S. patents as well as a lot of patents in the UK, France and Germany. When Thomas was 4 he was sent home from school with a note. The note told his mother that he was to remove his son from school because he was "too stupid to learn". Thomas' mother decided to teach him herself. He only had 3 months of formal schooling yet went on to create numerous inventions like the phonograph. He was also partially deaf in one ear.
Walt Disney - was turned down by over a hundred banks when he tried to get funding to develop Disneyland. He was also fired from his job at a newspaper for "lacking ideas". He also had several bankruptcies before he was able to develop Disneyland.
Fred Astaire - Fred Astaire kept a memo over his fireplace from an MGM testing director after his first screen test that said, "Can't act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little."
Vince Lombardi - was told by an expert that he "possesses minimal football knowledge. Lacks motivation.".
Enid Blyton - is a British author who was rejected by publishers 1,000 times. She wrote Noddy, The Famous Five, The Five Find-Outers, The Mystery Series, The Adventure Series, The Secret Seven, Malory Towers, The St. Clare's series, The Magic Faraway Tree series, The Wishing-Chair series, and hundreds of other books for children.
Enrico Caruso - this famous opera singer was told by his teacher that he had no voice at all and couldn't sing.
Richard Bach - the author of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" was turned down by 18 publishers before finally in 1970, MacMillan published it. By 1975, this book had sold more than 7 million copies in the U.S.
Lou Ferrigno - most well known for his role on the tv show, "The Incredible Hulk". As a child, Lou developed an ear infection which would result in partial but permanent hearing loss. His father was very critical of and negative towards him due to his hearing disability. His father believed that he would never achieve success. Yet, he went on to become the youngest bodybuilder ever to win the Mr. Universe title at the age of 20. Lou Ferrigno quote: "If I hadn't lost my hearing, I wouldn't be where I am now. It forced me to maximize my potential. I had to be better than the average person to succeed. That's why I chose bodybuilding. If I became a world champion, if I could win admiration from my peers, I could do anything."
Abraham Lincoln - check out all the setbacks, challenges and tragedies that Abraham Lincoln had to survive on his way to becoming president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln had two business ventures fail, lost 8 different elections and had a complete nervous breakdown before becoming president in 1816
Stephen Hawking - Well known for his ground breaking ideas on the laws that govern the universe, Stephen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease when he was 21. He has never let this disease stop him from following his passion and achieving a life of happiness.
Anna Mary Robertson Moses - if you're an artist or want to paint but worry about being "too old to learn", then be inspired by Anna Mary Robertson Moses. She taught herself to paint when she was in her seventies. You may be more familiar with her as "Grandma" Moses, one of the most famous folk artists of the 20th century.