example of success story essay

Success Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on success.

Success Essay- In today’s world everyone wants to be successful but what is a success. The perspective of success varies from person to person. For the record, the people before us have a different view on success and the person after us will have a different view on success.

Moreover, people compare different people performance to evaluate their success. But success is not something that you can copy from others. You have to make your own path to achieving success. In modern-day, people are obsessed with success because of the glamour and lifestyle of successful people .

What formulates a person successful?

There are many ways in the world to be successful. But most people think of celebrities, artist, politicians, and businessmen whenever they heard the word success.

Moreover, they think doing what they will make you successful but that not the case. They forget the most basic thing that makes a person successful that is their hard work, dedication, and the desire to achieve their dream. More importantly, they what they like to do not what that others told them to do. Successful people do what they like to do also they do what they feel correct for their business.

If you look in the dictionary for the meaning of the word success then you will find that it means the achievement of one’s goal or aim . So, basically, anyone can achieve success by simply achieving their aim or goal.

What is the harm of success?

We all knew that we can’t achieve something without sacrificing something. Success also demands various things from you. But these sacrifices will not go in vain if you achieve your goal.

Certainly, many people achieve professional success but in doing so they fail in achieving mental, social and physical success. The tension of lacking behind in other things pulls them apart.

Also, there are cases where people became so obsessed with success that the people around them start to feel uncomfortable around them. In some cases, they have gone mad. Apart from that, people also get depressed if they can’t achieve success like others. So, we can say that there is much harm to success.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Success and hard work

It may sound unfit to some peoples but success depends a lot of hard work. Without it, you can’t become successful. Hard work does not mean that you do laborious work or the work that make you sweat. Hard work means having a healthy body, strong mind, willpower and positive attitude towards things. And for all those things you need energy. So, be attentive to your body and soul.

Besides, do not just work on your program, push your limit, take charge of other things, improve your skills and most importantly keep learning. Apart from that, be with positive peoples, develop positive habits, and do exercise not only for the body but also for your mind.

To sum it up, we can say that success is like a seed that needs a balanced proportion of all the elements of life. And no one can achieve success in a day they have to go through and face different conditions in life for being successful. Above all, success is the feeling of fulfillment that you feel when you achieve your goal.

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Enchanting Marketing

Writing advice for small business

How to Write an Inspirational Success Story

by Henneke | 41 enchanting opinions, add yours? :)

A n inspirational success story doesn’t require bragging about your achievements. You can write a powerful story while staying humble.

This article explains the process for writing a success story:

Write your success story

You’re not supposed to talk about your achievements, and success seems almost a dirty word.

So, the idea of writing my own success story seems bizarre.

Yet, I’ve discovered that even an honest story about modest success can inspire readers and boost business.

What’s more, you can write such a story without bragging, and without feeling self-conscious. You can be humble and still showcase your success.

Shall I show you how?

Here’s the first question to ask yourself …

What is success, really?

In my corporate career, defining success seemed quite simple.

Another step up the career ladder. A salary increase. More people reporting to me. A place in the board.

But while I seemed to be doing well, my career progress didn’t make me happy. I was losing connection with my self-identity. I merely pretended to be happy, with a smile painted on my face.

Leaving my job initially felt like a failure. Why did I give up on my ambitions?

But leaving my job was one of the best decisions I have ever made because it helped me to discover what success means to me.

For an online business, it seems easiest to define success in number of social media followers, web visitors or the amount of money we make.

But other signs of success excite me much more. I feel energized when I can help readers and clients find their writing voice, share their ideas, and discover the joy of writing. I feel happy when I find the right balance between work and relaxation, when I can take care of myself.

Feeling at peace with myself and excited by my work may seem a modest form of success, but it’s huge for me.

If you want to write a success story, start by defining what success means. You’ll probably find that success is a mix of hard numbers (profit, number of inquiries, business growth) and soft indicators such as feeling passionate about what you do and enjoying positive working relationships.

So, what does success mean to you?

And what does it mean for your clients?

Next, ask yourself this …

What hindered your success?

Inspirational stories are less about success, and more about how our heroes deal with setbacks, how they conquer their enemies and how they grow as human beings.

Think about the last action movie you saw, or remind yourself of an biography that inspired you most.

And … what kept you watching or reading on?

Jack Reacher, for instance, deals with thugs to get to the truth. Tony Morrison wrote many bestsellers and won the Nobel Prize despite feeling like an impostor. Nelson Mandela survived imprisonment to help overcome apartheid.

But adversity doesn’t need to be life-threatening, and success can be far more modest.

For instance, if you’ve followed me for a while, you know that writing used to be a struggle for me. I had to learn to cope with my self-doubts and writing fears. I summarize this story on the sales page for my new course Write It, Don’t Fight It :

When I started writing in 2012, writing felt like an excruciating process. I felt slow. I struggled to get my ideas on paper. I was a procrastination champion. I thought writing was just difficult, and that the torturous process was normal. But over time, I learned I was wrong. I learned how to troubleshoot my process and how to work with my inner critic. I learned how to nurture healthy writing habits, so I quit procrastinating (mostly). Above all, I’ve learned to love writing. Discovering the joy of writing helped me become an influential writer. My blog has become both the engine and heart of my business. As a smooth-running engine, my blog posts attract new email subscribers and create interest in my courses. And as the heart of my business, my writing helps me engage readers and make friends. Writing nourishes my soul and helps me earn a living.

Success isn’t a polished story. If you want to write a truly inspirational story, look for the gritty truth behind the success. Which obstacles did you have to clear away? Which adversity did you have to overcome?

Don’t be afraid to show your own vulnerabilities because it makes you more human and more relatable, and it makes your success seem more achievable for others, too.

A success story builds over time

Whether you sell a product or provide a service, your success is not just about you.

Your clients’ success is your success, too.

This is why testimonials are powerful sales tools, and normally you should include them on every web page—your home page, about page, and each sales page.

However, when I launched my new course a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t have time to ask for reviews.

Most marketers would think I am crazy to launch a course without a single review. But I was running out of time, and didn’t want to delay the launch until next year. So, together with my co-author Kathy Keats , I forged ahead and launched.

Could I sell the course without reviews?

Over 230 people from 39 different countries purchased the course already (thank you!).

How was that possible?

I wasn’t selling to strangers.

As bloggers, you and I share our stories over time.

When you share your knowledge generously on your blog, people come to trust your advice. And when you write from the heart, your passion and personality shine through.

That’s how your success story, warts and all, builds over time.

And that’s how readers come to know and trust you.

Here’s some early feedback on the course that Catherine Tuckwell posted on Instagram :

And Christina Wielgolawski tweeted:

Finding the course inspiring and fun. Excellent step by step set out – appreciate the download option – with valuable ideas and suggestions on every page. Glad to see Henrietta is along for the ride and find this advice is spot on: pic.twitter.com/b9PN2HqTih — Christina Wielgolawski (@christina_ebla) November 28, 2018

Would you like to nurture a writing habit, too?

And want to write with ease and joy?

Check out the new course “Write It, Don’t Fight It: A Step-by-Step Course to Become a Prolific and Joyful Writer” .

Recommended reading on writing success stories

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Reader Interactions

Leave a comment and join the conversation cancel reply.

February 14, 2023 at 7:02 pm

Henneke, taking your course will be a fun way of hanging out with fellow writer friends. I’ve already gotten them hooked on your content. I can’t wait to take your course in the near future.

February 14, 2023 at 7:23 pm

Thank you, Grace. I appreciate your support.

August 30, 2022 at 11:31 am

You train me to write success stories

August 30, 2022 at 12:17 pm

Happy writing!

August 17, 2021 at 11:14 am

Currently, I am writing an autobiographical novel. This is my first attempt to share my daily challenges while reaching out to others. After having read your blog, I am less confused and more educated in completing my story. The steps you proposed are encouraging and enlightening. Simply this, I have a blueprint with which to write more successfully.

August 17, 2021 at 12:10 pm

I’m glad you found this useful, Paul. Thank you for stopping by. Good luck with your novel!

December 11, 2018 at 6:08 pm

Hello, Your wisdom is certainly respected and cherished. Thank you for sharing.

December 11, 2018 at 6:35 pm

Thank you, Patricia 🙂

December 8, 2018 at 3:25 am

These lessons are pure gold for any writer who wants to grow her influence. And I agree. The best taste of success comes when your work changes people. Keep up the great work, Henneke!

December 9, 2018 at 4:33 pm

Yes, I agree—it’s wonderful when your work changes people (or yourself!). Thank you for stopping by, Frank.

December 6, 2018 at 2:17 pm

Very inspiring read. As usual. 🙂

For me, success isn’t the rags to riches story. As you say: It’s not “polished”.

There aren’t successful and unsuccessful people. It’s not that simple. It’s a question of perspective. It depends on how you DEFINE success and if you are able to recognize the many small successes you achieve every single day. (I would even say: “STOP defining success. Better use that time to work, to do something, to create!”)

Sharing these little things can be much more inspiring to a lot of people because they can relate much better.

For me, too, there’s a fine line between being proud of one’s one achievements and bragging. Here in Germany, it’s quite similar to what you described for the Netherlands. Everyone is quite eager to achieve something, especially in business, but talking about it or – beware! – being proud of it, is frowned upon.

So writing your own success story even can have “therapeutic” value. It’s a form of mindfulness. Not only for your readers but also for yourself.

December 7, 2018 at 3:50 pm

Thank you so much for your comment, Christian. I like your point about writing a success story as a form of mindfulness. I’ve certainly found this to be the case. Writing can bring clarity and help make sense of what’s happening to in my life and what I find important. Since I’ve started writing my blog, I’ve learned so much about myself!

December 4, 2018 at 5:51 pm

Hi Henneke,

Every time I read your blog post, there’s always a line that hits me.

“Success isn’t a polished story. If you want to write a truly inspirational story, look for the gritty truth behind the success.”

Plus, I have always been skeptical of sharing my vulnerabilities, but I realized that the majority of people support you. So it validates your point that it makes us human and relatable.

I wish you all the best for your course.

December 4, 2018 at 7:24 pm

That was my own favorite line, too!

I have struggled with the idea of sharing my vulnerabilities, too. I used to worry that people think I’m weak or that I’m whining, but people have suggested that showing vulnerabilities actually shows strength. I’m still hesitant sometimes, but I’m becoming more confident about it.

Thank you for stopping by again, Hassaan. I always appreciate it 🙂

December 3, 2018 at 5:58 am

am so inspired you have given me a chance to question myself in the real meaning of success in my life

December 3, 2018 at 9:49 am

November 30, 2018 at 9:51 am

What is success? There’s a good thought. I will sit and think a little.

November 30, 2018 at 11:52 am

Initially, “What is success?” sounded like a simple question to me but I’ve come to realize the answer can require some deep thinking. And I still get distracted sometimes by other people’s definitions of success!

November 29, 2018 at 7:49 pm

Hi Henneke:

I’m enjoying the course and want to say Congratulations to you and Kathy in making it. A work of passion—and revelation—from your writing journey, to help your readers/writers see what you’ve figured out along the way. It’s very powerful and I relate to sooo many of your stories and struggles to keep doing what you love, writing and helping people at the same time!

I also love what you’ve proven about creating a great business without ever using any pushy marketing to do it. People want to support you and know without a doubt you will deliver valuable stuff no matter what so it makes it easy to “find” customers for your newest product. We absolutely want to be part of it!!

Thanks for so much over many years, Henneke, because I for one appreciate you more than I can say…

Happy holidays to you and family and all our writing friends, too. Truly, Sue-Ann

November 30, 2018 at 11:48 am

Thank you so much, Sue-Ann, for your lovely comment. I am delighted that you’re enjoying the course!

And like you, I also love being able to run a business without pushy marketing. It feels so much better to “market” my business in a way that feels good to me. In fact, I hardly feel I’m marketing at all!

I feel grateful to have you as a loyal reader and friend. Thank you.

November 28, 2018 at 11:47 pm

Soooo True. People don’t read the words. People read mind of a person who is writing behind the words. So, it helps to be honest when it comes to writing your own success story. I am big big fan of your writing style Henneke. Your success story truly inspires the aspiring writers.

Thanks for sharing your insights.

November 29, 2018 at 9:54 am

I find it amazing how we can sense what a person is like, just from reading their words. If they’re hiding or trying to make themselves bigger than they are, we can read it in their words.

Thank you for your comment, Vinod. I appreciate it.

November 28, 2018 at 11:33 pm

Thank you so much, Henneke, for another inspiring post! You always share so much of yourself, which I really appreciate.

My husband and I are migrating into the “living small” world. (We recently walked part of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, which really launched our desire for it.)

You are so right that success isn’t a polished story. That’s what usually makes our stories so interesting and uplifting to others. And I, also, have found teaching to be one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in life. Bravo for your pursuit of it with such passion and joy! Those of us on the receiving end of your teaching are lucky, indeed.

Blessings, Andrea

November 29, 2018 at 9:53 am

And I feel lucky to have readers like you who leave such lovely comments. Thank you, Andrea!

We cycled the Camino years ago before I got injured. It was amazing!

November 28, 2018 at 1:55 pm

Thanks for the advice, very useful!:) You are right when you start writing about your success, it is difficult to remain modest, but it is very important. It’s best to start writing about your accomplishments without much bragging. It is better if you do a little modest in such paper. After all, the idea to bring to the reader is the methods and your way to success, not just to be happy for you. Be as practical as possible, so that in the end your story was useful and helped people reach the same heights as you. As for me, it is best to tell about your thorny path, about the failures and difficulties that have been waiting for you all the time. You need to write about the decisions that were difficult to make and that played a very important role on the way to success:))

November 28, 2018 at 2:07 pm

Yes, good point on including the difficult decisions and describing how you made them. I like that!

Thank you for sharing your ideas, Benjamin. 🙂

November 27, 2018 at 3:31 pm

When does the course start?

November 27, 2018 at 3:37 pm

The course is on demand and self-paced, so you can start any time and go as fast or as slow as suits you.

November 27, 2018 at 2:43 pm

The name of your course is the way: write it do not fight it. Write your success story. Do not let ego fight you, warning you of bragging or boasting or gloating. People WANT to see your success and depriving them of your story is a greedy, self-centered act. Weird to think that way, but it is true. Super post Henneke. Tweeted.

November 27, 2018 at 5:02 pm

That’s a good way to look at it, too! I’ll remember that next time I feel self-conscious. Thank you, Ryan!

November 27, 2018 at 1:19 pm

Sigh. Marketing. The bane so many of us struggle with. We are happy enough to recognize our flaws but so reluctant to embrace our strengths. But both our flaws and our strengths are what make us uniquely suited to serve a particular audience. Thanks for always being an example of that authenticity!

November 27, 2018 at 3:18 pm

I actually never think of what I do as marketing. I explain stuff and tell stories—no matter whether it’s in a blog post or on a sales page. I feel like readers are all grown up; they can make up their own mind and they know who I am, so I don’t feel I need to turn myself into a marketer or sales person. I can just be myself and tell it how it is without any need for embellishment. Content marketing doesn’t really feel like marketing to me, it’s more educational and more human.

November 27, 2018 at 3:56 pm

That’s such an important distinction. Readers get to know us and trust us when we share our stories, as opposed to thinking of it as ‘marketing’.

November 27, 2018 at 5:05 pm

I see the marketing as a side-effect of creating valuable content.

You start with a mindset of generosity—a willingness to share your knowledge and genuinely help people, and the “marketing” follows naturally.

I find it a much easier way to run and promote a business than starting from a marketing point of view.

November 27, 2018 at 12:45 pm

Awesome post as usual!

Writing your own success story puts you in a spot where there is a very fine line between actually being inspiring and bragging.

You’ve clearly explained how to subtly tell your stories while remaining modest and humble all the way.

Client testimonials and reviews are also a great way to tell that your strategies work and of course building a relationship with your audience (like you do) helps us in helping them relate to us (because we’re genuine).

Loved the article.

P.S. There is a “be” missing in the sentence that you can find when you search the phrase “used to a struggle for me”. I am sorry I didn’t mean to correct you (you hold a high position for me!) but since it struck my eyes I thought of making you aware of it. Feel free to delete this P.S. part in the comment before approval (only the section above is what I’d like to display).

Best, -Swadhin

November 27, 2018 at 3:15 pm

Yes, it’s true that there’s a fine line between being inspiring and bragging. But I think when you’re honest on your blog throughout the year, when you show both your vulnerabilities and successes, then it becomes easier to stay on the side of inspiration and not cross into bragging. And even if you’d brag a little, people will forgive you?

Thank you for pointing out the typo, I’m going to correct it straightaway!

November 27, 2018 at 12:23 pm

Thank you for your post, you are always so honest.

I like the way leaving your career helped you get in touch with what success means for you. A little while ago an old school friend shared a blogpost where the writer talked about being happy with her “small life” i.e. one that does not have huge wealth or status but is comfortable for her, and I realised, I am (relatively) happy with that, too.

I have so much, and it is enough! I have clients I love working with, exposure to new ideas, opportunities to keep learning, and the freedom to do all this and still have time for my family.

I still wrestle some inner demons at times, because I didn’t follow through on my initial academic success in life. But I am learning to go through a process of celebrating this amazing path that I never foresaw or really planned, and I focus on enjoying what it is, rather than thinking about what is not 🙂

November 27, 2018 at 3:13 pm

Yes, to the “small life!” This is what I find, too. A lot of people talk about scaling up their business and pumping money in advertising, but I’m kind of happy with what I’m doing. I love writing and teaching, and I don’t want to spend my time managing a team, so I prefer to stay small. It’s just me.

Sometimes, I find it hard to stay true to that because it seems like everyone tells you to grow bigger. But bigger isn’t always better!

I always appreciate your comments and encouragement, Alison. Thank you.

November 28, 2018 at 8:53 pm

The small life … My heart began to beat faster as I read your comment, Alison. Because I have the same view on my life.

A small life, but a big heart and in-depth knowledge—this is our favorite Henneke!

I am a happy student of this course that is already changing my life for the better. I am going to my joyful small life step by step. 🙂

Congratulations on the launch, Henneke!

November 28, 2018 at 8:58 pm

I love that combination, Michael: A small life with a big heart! That makes my heart beat faster 😀

And I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the course. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing that.

December 3, 2018 at 10:32 am

I’m so happy to have found some other “small life-rs” — I know there must be lots more of us out there :D.

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Essays About Success: Top 5 Examples Plus 8 Prompts

Are you writing essays about success? Discover our guide that will help you succeed with essay examples about success and writing prompts.

Success is the achievement of a goal and can be achieved in the short, medium, or long term. Success does not come easily and often takes a great deal of hard work and commitment to achieving your dreams. However, some people walk a smoother path to success than others due to contacts, resources, and financial support.

While we all have different recipes for success, there are common ingredients that effectively support us in our pathway to success. Among them are discipline, patience, perseverance, and consistently followed strategy.

Read on below to see our pick of essay examples and prompts about success.

5 Essay Examples

1.  crypto’s success proves it doesn’t need consumer trust by charlotte principato, 2. china’s success in fighting poverty offers lesson for all by alessandro golombiewski teixeira, 3. the story of the first sherpa to climb to the top of mt. everest by christopher rand, 4. ukrainian success will not be catastrophic by kori schake, 5. the story behind tesla’s success by amy wu, 8 topic prompts on essays about success, 1. academic success, 2. how to succeed in life, 3. success vs. happiness, 4. poems with the theme of success, 5. self-made billionaires: are they real , 6. how childhood experiences can affect success, 7. why exercise is vital to success, 8. is iq the best indicator of success.

“… [O]n top of playing their role in keeping financial assets safe, institutions will also need to provide customers with access to a broad array of cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance products, as well as control over when and how they use them and greater transparency into how assets move.”

Crypto’s success is puzzling many over the influence — or lack thereof — of trust in the current generation of investors. But there is more to learn in today’s most untrusted but booming digital asset. And the lesson is for financial institutions to embrace crypto innovation while marrying this with their business principles on consumer confidence and safety.

“China’s poverty reduction strategy is worthy of reference for the majority of developing countries. In the process of poverty reduction, the Chinese government has had a clear overall plan and strategic direction. It has insisted that economic and social development go hand in hand.”

This essay weaves a remarkable story from the data on China’s drastic poverty alleviation. It is a story of progress that developing, and least-developed countries could turn to for inspiration in crafting anti-poverty policies and strategies. You can also check out these essays about business .

“Over the years, the try at the ascent was a test promoted largely by men who believed in white superiority. In the end, Tenzing, a nonwhite, passed it. Inevitably, this made him a hero to Indian nationalists. Tenzing is a Cinderella who has shown them that they, too, can be belles.”

The historic success of mankind in reaching the summit of Everest happened in the 1950s. Sadly it was little known that two men achieved this feat: one was British mountaineer Edmund Hillary and the other the Nepalese ​​Tenzing Norkay. Norkay succeeds in raking in a “decent” income following the expedition, but his achievement is shadowed by the knighted Hillary. 

“Ukrainians believe they are fighting for the fundamental values of a free society: human dignity, political liberty, national security. Those beliefs have electrified the society, which is engaged in impressive civic activism in support of the defense effort—something that will be studied by Western countries as mastery of 21st-century warfare.”

The counteroffensives of Ukraine have been successfully pushing Russian troops to retreat, exposing the decay in Russia’s military prowess and directing the world’s attention to its warfare tactics. While shrouded in grief over the loss of numerous civilian lives, Ukraine presses forward bolder and, in the process, wins overwhelming international support for the country to succeed against Putin’s Russia. 

“Tesla’s release positioned it as one of the few successful independent automakers and a pioneer in the electric car market… When the Model S premiered in 2013, Tesla made headlines… The electric plug-in car received a near-perfect score of 99 out of 100 from Consumer Reports, which also named it as ‘the best car ever tested.'”

The essay tracked the beginnings of Tesla as a startup up to its success today as a $900 billion company. It looks holistically at its current operations, technology development strategies, and global expansion. Through the lens of analysts, it also gives readers a glimpse into the future of Tesla, which is projected to rake in almost 30% of the global electric car sales by 2030. 

Some would define academic success as acing an exam, while for others, it’s about making it to the top of the class. We measure academic success mainly depending on what standard we aim to live up to and what we think is the best learning journey and pace. For this essay, talk about your barometers for academic success. Then, share your studying techniques and learning strategies for reaching new academic heights.

Over the years, there has been a lot of pressure for people to achieve significant life milestones faster, causing burnout and mental health disorders in a large population. Do you agree that pushing yourself to the limits is the right way to succeed in life? Your essay may take off from these questions, or you can provide your take on how to lead a successful life.

The road to success is beset with many impediments that could bring people down emotionally and mentally. For this essay, differentiate between success and happiness and determine which one is better to pursue. Back up your essay with research and real-life stories. 

For example, if you choose happiness over success, you may cite studies showing how successful people are more prone to mental health instabilities. You may also turn your essay into a feature-like write-up by integrating stories of people who have climbed to the top of the corporate ladder only to fall into depression. 

Be creative and turn your essay into a literary analysis. There is a wide array of poems about success at your disposal. One example and the most popular to date is Emily Dickinson’s “Success is Counted Sweetest.” You can dissect the poem line per line. Then, try to interpret the meanings beneath the metaphors and other figures of speech. Finally, articulate how the poem relates to the general aspects of life. 

Debates have been brewing over describing billionaires as “self-made,” with critics arguing there is never such a thing as some even derived capital through inheritance. So for this essay, first lay down the definitions and criteria of what makes a self-made billionaire. Next, delve into the lives of those labeled as self-made billionaires and determine if their conditions meet the criteria enumerated. 

The field of psychology abounds in research studies that link factors from childhood to success or failure in one’s adult life. First, find research studies that interest you or could even relate to your life story. You could also cite others’ experiences as examples that agree with the research. Then, based on your chosen study, suggest how government, schools, and families can reform childhood practices to lead children to a better future. 

Write about the scientific processes that happen to your body when you exercise and what these do in increasing your thinking capacity, energy, and focus, among others. Then, cite people you consider successful and write about their exercise routines. Finally, write about your exercise routine or plans to add exercise to your daily habit. You can also suggest programs for schools to encourage regular exercise among their students better 

Some psychometric experts believe that the intelligence quotient is the best determinant of success, while others think it is but one. For your essay, write about where you stand on this divergence.

But first, walk your readers through the current debates on IQ. Then, support your opinion with the latest research correlating IQ with other factors such as social behavior and economic development. Also, add what experts have to say for additional support to your argument.

To check your grammar, try out ProWritingAid. ProWritingAid is one of our top-rated grammar checkers for several reasons, as laid down in this review . 

But if writing essays is not your cup of tea, you can always write a simple five-paragraph essay .

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

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✍️Essay on Success in 100,150 and 200 Words: The Power of Positive Mindset

• Updated on  
• Oct 26, 2023

The concept of success is very simple; if you invest your time wisely and work hard, you will achieve success in no time. But success is not as simple as it sounds; what might sound like success to one might not be the same for another person. It embodies the realization of one’s goals, aspirations, and desires, often accompanied by a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment.

Success is manifested in different aspects, such as career achievements, personal growth, or even the pursuit of happiness. It is a journey filled with determination, perseverance, and often a willingness to learn from both triumphs and setbacks. Ultimately, success is a subjective pursuit that reflects the unique path and definition of achievement for each person.

Table of Contents

• 1 What Makes a Person Successful?
• 2 Essay on Success in 100 Words
• 3 Essay on Success in 150 Words
• 4 Essay on Success in 200 Words

What Makes a Person Successful?

Being successful is very subjective and can vary from person to person. Therefore, here are some common factors which contribute to the success of a person.

• Hard Work and Persistence: Success requires effort and dedication and one has the ability to face challenges.
• Setting Clear Goals: It is very important for one to have specific and attainable goals which will provide direction and motivation. 
• Networking: The person should have the capability to build relations and at the same time be open to opportunities which strike. 
• Time Management: Managing time effectively and priorities is essential for productivity and progress. 
• Self-Discipline: One should be very focused and maintain self-control which will help them achieve long-term goals. 
• Management of Finances: Having a basic understanding of finances and managing them wisely is also very important for attaining financial success. 

Also Read: Essay on Water Conservation

Essay on Success in 100 Words

Success is the culmination of dedication, hard work, and determination. It is not merely the achievement of material wealth, but the fulfilment of one’s goals and aspirations. Success varies from person to person; for some, it’s a thriving career, while for others, it could be having a harmonious family life. 

To attain success, individuals must set clear objectives, persevere through challenges, and learn from failures. Success often involves learning, adapting, and embracing change. It’s the result of resilience and the willingness to keep pushing forward. Ultimately, success is a personal journey, and its definition is unique to each individual.

Essay on Success in 150 Words

Everybody wants to be successful in life, but are they willing to put in all their efforts? Success is not solely measured by wealth or fame but by achieving one’s goals and finding fulfilment. True success is often the result of determination, hard work, and resilience. Setting clear, achievable objectives and being persistent through challenges are crucial components.

Education is a common path to success, providing knowledge and skills that open doors to opportunities. Embracing failure as a stepping stone, learning from mistakes, and adapting to change are essential to achieving success. However, it’s important to recognize that success is subjective and can encompass a broader spectrum of achievements beyond material possessions.

Personal growth, happiness, and a sense of purpose are all part of success. Balancing personal and professional life is key to sustaining it. Ultimately, success is a journey, not a destination, and it’s about realizing your full potential and making a meaningful contribution to the world.

Also Read: Essay on Nature: In 100 Words, 200 Words, 300 Words

Essay on Success in 200 Words

Success is a multifaceted concept, often defined by achieving one’s goals and aspirations. It is a subjective and deeply personal notion, as what constitutes success varies from person to person. However, a common thread in success is the continuous pursuit of one’s ambitions, combined with determination and hard work.

Success is not solely measured by material wealth, but rather by the fulfilment and satisfaction that comes from reaching one’s objectives. It is the result of setting clear goals, developing a plan, and facing all the challenges. The road to success is rarely smooth; it is often marked by setbacks and failures. These obstacles are crucial for personal growth, teaching valuable lessons that contribute to success in the long run.

Moreover, success is not an endpoint; it is a continuous journey. It requires adaptability and the willingness to learn and evolve. Success can be found in various aspects of life, from career achievements to personal relationships and self-fulfilment. It is the balance and harmony between these different facets that lead to a truly successful and meaningful life.

In conclusion, success is a complex and individualized concept, rooted in determination, hard work, resilience, and personal growth. It is not defined solely by external markers but by the fulfilment and happiness, one derives from their accomplishments and the journey to achieve them.

Related Articles

Writing an essay on success requires you to describe this multifaceted concept. Success is achieved when one’s goal and objective is attained. Those who are successful, have fulfilled their highest ambitions in life and work, or are actively striving towards doing so. 

Happiness does not follow success. Contrary to popular belief, living a life that makes you happy can help you achieve your goals and be content. 

You gain from success because it gives you the things you want or need. Setting and achieving attainable goals results in a feeling of well-being. 

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay-writing page and follow Leverage Edu ! 

Malvika Chawla

Malvika is a content writer cum news freak who comes with a strong background in Journalism and has worked with renowned news websites such as News 9 and The Financial Express to name a few. When not writing, she can be found bringing life to the canvasses by painting on them.

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Narrative Essay: Success story

Many children start their lives in ‘rough situations’. Some have neglectful parents who don’t assist with any part of their lives. In contrast, others are practically smothered by parental involvement, unable to find their own identity. Some have divorced parents, live in poverty, or are exposed to drugs and alcohol. Children live in all kinds of conditions and are sometimes ‘set up for failure’ from the very start. But some children are able, despite their initial circumstances, to achieve great things in life. Some part of them drives them to succeed and, because of this, they learn the value of hard work and gain a stronger personal character than they might have developed otherwise.

Meghan started her life in a non-ideal way – with an unstable mother, an absent father, and a younger sister to take care of. She’d seen the inside of the hospital mental ward by the time she was four, and was put in charge of her mother’s medication during outpatient recovery before she was nine. Life was hard. Sometimes her family had no money. They moved around the city almost yearly. Replacement ‘father figures’ migrated through their home. Meghan was mature beyond her years by the time she was eleven, but she grew up too quickly, gaining habits that she was not able to handle. By fourteen she was smoking and by sixteen she was pregnant. Dropping out of school in the eleventh grade was a choice that did not bode well for her future life.

But things did not go as badly for Meghan as they could have. There were a few rough years, for sure, with a dangerous lack of sleep as well as daily burdens that threatened to break her. But a decision made one tired night stayed with her for the future. Meghan got herself out of her mother’s home and out on her own. Though young, this was the best decision she could make. She was freeing herself from a destructive cycle. Instead of applying to welfare programs, like her mother had, Meghan took a service job to support her small family. There wasn’t much money left after bills and diapers, but she managed to put some money away. It took patience and time, but eventually Meghan was able to register in night school courses.

She didn’t graduate as quickly as other people did, because Meghan had to divide her time and loyalties between her daughter and her own future. A balance had to be acquired, which people of a much older age sometimes lack. Meghan had a goal for the future, but she was careful about it. She learned to budget, plan, and wait. When she finally did complete her college courses, she was a certified technician, able to find a better job with benefits and a salary she could do well on.

Meghan’s story could have been a different one. Meghan could have looked at her circumstances and said, “It’s hopeless.” She could have lost patience and pursued an easier path. But Meghan did not. And I’ll bet her daughter, once grown, will thank her for it.

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Strive Stories

Top 17 inspirational success stories to keep you striving for your dreams.

There’s nothing like a good success story to lift our spirits.  There’s something uniquely powerful about knowing someone else has experienced setbacks and serious hardships similar to our own, and yet still managed to come out on top. 

Success stories are invigorating, and a great one can provide us with a renewed hope, that despite things feeling unimaginably hard and seemingly hopeless, we can still achieve our dreams.  So, here are the most inspirational success stories we’ve ever studied.

Use them to reenergize and inspire yourself to believe that you too can achieve success and your dreams, if you’ll but press on like they did.  Enjoy!

INSPIRING SUCCESS STORIES TO HELP YOU SUCCEED

1. Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone has one of the most inspiring success stories. Before he made it big he was essentially a starving artist. For many years during and after his college years, he worked odd jobs to pay the bills. And he would do so while simultaneously taking on any acting roles he could find to keep his dreams of becoming a successful actor alive.

It was a struggle that Stallone would endure for many years, seven in fact. Throughout all of those seven challenging years, he would gain a few small roles in a handful of movies. But, none of them were grand enough to get his career launched.

During those seven long years of striving, he came face-to-face with near poverty. Stallone was so desperate for money at one point, he had to sell his wife’s jewelry. He even had to sell his dog because he couldn’t keep him fed. Things got so bad for Stallone that he even had to endure homelessness for a short period of time.

But, his days of struggle as an aspiring actor would not last forever. After facing seemingly insurmountable odds for over seven years, he would finally get his big break. And this break would come after he managed to get a script he wrote in a three day flurry of inspiration, in front of two big-shot directors in Hollywood.

It was this defining moment that would turn the tide for Sylvester Stallone. His career would skyrocket after he negotiated the lead role in the film that would come to be known as ‘Rocky’.

Success eventually comes to those who always dream of her. For a more complete account of Sylvester Stallone’s inspiring success story, you can find it here .

2. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey’s success story is very unique. From a very early age she experienced a level of adversity and poverty that most people would struggle to overcome. She was born into poverty and a broken home in rural Mississippi. Her parents who were just 18 and 19 when they had her, split soon after she was born. This lead to her being taking in by her grand mother.

And her grandmother was not your typical warm and fuzzy grandmother. No, she was a hard-nosed grandmother who was an extreme disciplinarian who discipline her for even the slightest offenses. But, the poverty and disciplined lifestyle didn’t last forever as she moved back with mother at the age of six.

Oprah would then experience sexual assault at an early age, having been molested as early as 9 by some of her family members. Having been emotionally abandoned, abused, and molested, she eventually started part-taking in extremely risky behaviors. Behaviors which eventually led to her becoming pregnant at the age of 14.

Then, because she got pregnant her mother kicked her out of the house. Oprah would go on to live with her father, only to then lose the baby a week after he was born.

Needless to say, Oprah’s early life was chockfull of struggle, adversity, and tragedy. But, regardless of all of her unfortunate experiences, she decided to turn her life around after she lost her baby. So, she committed herself to getting an education, becoming her best, and to going after her dreams.

She decided to start trusting herself again, and loving herself, and making choices that would improve her life versus destroy it. One day, she garnered enough confidence to participate in a beauty pageant. And it was her participation in this pageant that would eventually lead her into a job working for a radio station doing the news.

Oprah’s love for speaking to an audience set the stage for continued success as she would go on to become a news anchor, which she would eventually leverage to host a TV chat show in Maryland, which ultimately led to her having her morning talk show in Chicago.

And as they say, the rest was history. Oprah overcame massive challenges in her youth. Challenges that side line all too many people. She chose to turn her wounds into wisdom, and went on to become one of the most successful talk show hosts in history (by helping many others do the same) with her own self-named talk show, The Oprah Winfrey show. Oprah is now one of the richest self-made women in America.

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Considering Arnold Schwarzenegger is the epitome of the self-made man, we wouldn’t dare exclude him from our success stories collection. Arnold was born and raised in Austria. He grew up at a time where the country was still healing from it’s defeat in World War II.

Alcoholism was rampant, defeatism was the norm, and big dreaming scoffed at in his environment. The odds were certainly stacked against young Arnold.

But Arnold didn’t care. He knew he didn’t want to live the traditional Austrian life his parents wanted for him. He also knew he wanted to move to America because it was the land of the free.

As such, he hatched a plan to become a success in body-building. Then to leverage that success to get into movies. And sure enough he did just that. He went on to fulfill his vision by becoming the youngest man to ever win a Mr. Universe competition, and then on to win five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles.

After reaching what he set out to do in the sport of bodybuilding, he then went on to commit himself to the acting career he had always dreamed of. And sure enough, he would go on to conquer the film industry to the same degree that he conquered the body building world. Going on to star in multiple blockbuster movies that would gross over $3 billion, and earn him one of the most sizeable net worth’s in Hollywood.

You can find a more complete account of Arnold’s inspiring journey here: Arnold Schwarzenegger Success Story .

4. JK Rowling

J.K Rowling had a dream of becoming a writer early on. But, she would have to persist for many years before her dream of becoming a published author would materialize. Almost as soon as she decided to get to work on putting her ideas down on paper for her book, she would be sidetracked by her mother’s death.

The depression that would ensue left Rowling seeking out a job as a teacher in another country. Soon after, she married and had a child, which would delay her aspirations even further.

But things weren’t done going off the rails for Rowling, as her marriage would abruptly end just one year after it began. This lead to her being jobless with a child, and a barely surviving off of unemployment benefits.

However, despite her challenges, Rowling would persist in the creation of her book. And she did so by seizing every spare moment she could while her child slept to write. Until finally the day came when she completed her manuscript.

Of course, even after Rowling finished her manuscript obstacles still remained. 12 different publishers rejected her novel. The rejection took a toll on her spirits, and she almost quit. Fortunately, she tried one more time. And it was at that moment, that J.K. Rowling’s luck turned around. She finally found a publisher would accepted her manuscript.

Now, J.K. Rowling is now one of the best selling authors of all time. She is also the highest paid novelist in the world. Her books have been translated into over 80 different languages with over 600 million sold. Clearly, persistence and patience pays off in the long run.

5. Steven Spielberg

Most people don’t know this, but Steven Spielberg was rejected from film school three times. But he didn’t let those rejections stop him, and he kept applying till he got accepted.  Eventually Cal State, Long Beach would accept him into their film program. 

Fortunately for Spielberg, he would then go on to leverage his opportunity at Cal State to land an unpaid internship at Universal Studios. 

Of course, this internship wouldn’t last forever, but it lasted just long enough for him to learn how sneak in to the studios undetected so he could continually gather intel on what it would take to become successful in the business. 

Finally, the day would come that he managed to get a film he created in the hands of film executives. But, he had to first overcome the film executives multiple attempts to make him give up.

After being told that the film size was not the right size multiple times, and remaking the entire demo to the recommended sizes every time, the executives finally relented and gave him his film a shot. The movie would go on to win major awards, and solidified Steven Spielberg’s place within the industry.

Steven Spielberg is now one of the most influential film makers in history. On top of this, he’s now also one of the wealthiest. And out of all of our inspirational stories of success, his story in particular, shows, that if you knock long enough and hard enough, the doors of opportunity will eventually swing open for you.

Related: 5 Steps to Start Living Your Dreams

6. Mary Kay Ash

Mary Kay Ash has a truly inspiring success story. She was born in a small town in Texas and got married and started a family at the young age of 17. She would go on to have three children with her husband who was in the military, but they eventually got a divorce.

Mary Kay would struggle for years to take care of her children on her own. But she took on various sales jobs in the direct selling industry, and strived to climb the corporate ranks.

However, after many years of selling various products, along with a few middle management and trainer roles, she started to feel like she was being overlooked for the more prominent leadership roles she aspired to because she was a woman. As such, she eventually decided to take matters into her own hands.

Once her kids were out of the house and on their own, at the age of 45 Mary Kay Ash decided to become her own boss. So, she started her own cosmetic company. She started off very small, but in just a few short years, she manage to transform Mary Kay Cosmetics into a multi-billion dollar corporation that still serves and empowers people all over the world to this day.

Despite being past what most people consider their prime, Mary Kay went on to author multiple best-selling books like  The Mary Kay Way ,  Miracles Happen ,  You Can Have It All , as well as a few others, and she became an inspiration to countless women. And due to the success of her business and her aim to inspire as many people as possible, she became a multi-millionaire and eventually named as ‘The Greatest Woman In American History’.

7. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo grew up in a household that was barely getting by. As a child, he had to share a room with three of his siblings due to their meager financial situation. There were even times where they didn’t have enough money to buy a soccer ball just so he could play in the streets. But Ronaldo did not let his environment dictate his destiny.

No, instead he would find ways to play the sport he loved even without the ball. He would use bottles, rags, or pretty much anything he could find to make a makeshift ball just so he could play. 

Eventually, Cristiano would get so good at soccer, that he would have to make the ultimate sacrifice at the age of 11 to move over 500 miles away from his family to train with a prestigious soccer academy. It’s a good thing he did too, because by doing so, he put himself on track to eventually become on of the best players in history.

Cristiano Ronaldo is now known as the greatest Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football federation.  Millions of soccer fans all across the globe believe him to be the greatest of all time. 

In addition to this, he is the first soccer player ever to earn over $1 billion dollars, while generating one of the largest net worth’s among professional athletes.  

If you’re looking to learn more about Cristiano’s inspiring success story, you’ll love this .

8. Lionel Messi

While on the topic of soccer, we must also mention Lionel Messi’s success story because it’s every bit as inspiring.  Here’s why, at age of 11, Messi was cut from his soccer team because they thought he was too small.  And he was small, but it was because he had a growth hormone deficiency which made him a lot smaller than all the other kids his age.

Fortunately, Messi didn’t let this deter him.  Instead, he would place himself on a strict regimen where he would inject growth hormones into himself.  And he would go on to do inject himself with this hormone for seven days in one leg, and then seven days in the other.

Messi would keep this routine up for six years.

The great news is, Messi’s sacrifice and persistence paid off.  Because now, he is one of the highest paid soccer players with a staggering net worth, and is considered by legions of fans to be one of the best soccer players of all time due to his winning soccer’s highest achievement, ‘The Ballon d’Or’ six times.

Success requires sacrifice.

9. Michael Jordan

Since we mentioned the greatest of all time in soccer, we can’t leave out the man many consider to be the greatest of all time in basket ball. Now, most people aren’t’ aware of this, but when Michael Jordan was merely a sophomore in high school, he already had big dreams of being a great basketball player. 

So he did something brash and tried out for the Varsity team. But, his coaches cut him from the team. They didn’t see his value nor did they think he was ready.

This rejection hit Jordan especially hard because of his oversized dreams and expectations. In fact, the rejection hit him so hard he went home afterwards and cried in his closet.

Even though that rejection still bothered Jordan, he dusted himself off and went all in for the JV team.  He trained like no other in the off season and grew four extra inches. And the following year he tried out for the varsity team again. But this second time around, he made it.

Not only did he make it, but he went on to become the team’s MVP, making the All-American Team, and eventually earned himself a college scholarship. And from there, well, you know the rest of the story.

Michael Jordan became the man who would score 32,292 points in a basketball career. Jordan became the man who acquired 6 NBA championships. The man who also collected 5 MVP titles, and is now considered the greatest basketball player of all time.

For all the success stories we’ve covered, this one clearly shows the importance of having great expectations, and resilience after rejection.

10. Paulo Coelho

Over 30 years ago a book titled ‘The Alchemist’ was published and hardly anyone noticed. The author of this book was a man named Paulo Coelho , and he was told by the first bookseller to carry his book, that only one person bought a copy after it was released.  As bad as it was to hear about the grim results Coelho remained confident in his work. 

Paulo Coelho waited for better results to appear. Unfortunately, six months passed before he sold his next copy.  Oddly, the person who bought his first book was the same person who bought the second.

After that first year the publisher decided the book was a flop and ended Coelho’s contract.  Fortunately, though, Coelho shrugged off that initial defeat.  He made up his mind to not give in. So Coelho doubled down to pursue his vision with even more fervor by finding another publisher. 

“Now, Coelho found a new publisher, but it was no easy task, as he encountered rejection after rejection.  But, after many repeated rejections, he finally landed that new publisher, and with it, another opportunity to capture his dream.

From that point forward Coelho’s dreams started to come true.  At first, he only sold three thousand books.  But the sales kept trickling in. And as time went by, he would sell ten thousand, and then 100 thousand, and so on and so forth. 

Coelho’s luck has yet to run out. His books sales continue to grow year over year, with now over 150 million and counting copies of ‘The Alchemist’ having been sold. Even more staggering is the fact that he sold over 320 million books when including all of his other works. But, it all started with that first book!

Paulo Coelho’s success story shows that if you truly want something bad enough, all the universe really will conspire to help you achieve the impossible .

11. Abraham Lincoln

Most of us know of this great man because of what he did for those who were in bondage in the United States of America. He delivered the Emancipation Proclamation; a massive accomplishment which ultimately led to the abolition of slavery.

But, what most don’t realize about Abraham Lincoln , is that he has one of the most impressive rap sheets when it comes to overcoming defeat.

In short, his success story consists of a list of failures and set backs so sizable, that you would hardly think it belonged to one of the most accomplished and respected presidents of the United States of America.

Here’s a great example of the many failures Lincoln endured, with a few victories he managed to sprinkle in over his lifetime:

1832: Lost his job

1832: Defeated for legislature

1833: Failed in business

1834: Elected to legislature

1835: The woman he loved died

1836: Had a nervous breakdown

1838: Defeated for Speaker

1843: Defeated for nomination for Congress

1848: Lost re-nomination

1849: Reject for Land Officer

1854: Defeated for Senate

1856: Defeated for nomination for Vice-President

1858: Again defeated for Senate

1860: Elected for President of The United States of America

To be sure, Lincoln virtually failed his way to success. His recorded failures helps us realize the truth behind the Michael Jordan quote we mentioned earlier, and that is…that the key to success is through failure.

Out of all of these success stories, this one in particular should convince you that just because you’ve yet to succeed in life, it doesn’t mean you never will. So, keep pushing and preparing for your big day, because it will come, so long as you keep eye on the prize and keep moving forward .

Related: Success Quotes for Overcoming Failure

12. Tom Brady

One of our favorite inspirational stories of success comes from Tom Brady . Brady didn’t follow the typical athletic path into the NFL. While most athletes begin getting groomed for the sport by the 3rd grade, Tom Brady wouldn’t set foot onto the grid iron until the 9th grade.

In fact, his debut into actually getting onto the football field didn’t come until his Sophomore year. His moment came when the starting quarterback for the JV team quit. Fortunately for Brady, that opportunity helped him capture the starting Varsity QB role by the time his Junior year arrived.

After finding success at the high school level, Brady would eventually go on to become a Michigan Wolverine. But success wasn’t a given for Brady at this level. Nope, he had to earn it.

In fact, Brady came into the program as an underdog, with seven quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. After almost requesting a transfer to another school, Brady’s determination eventually won him the coveted starting position by the time he was a Junior.

The obstacles Brady would face continued on even into the Pros. Brady had his mind set to play in the pros, unfortunately there was little interest in him during the draft. In fact, he was selected in the 6th round as the 199th pick, just barely making it into the league.

Pretty much every coach in the league grossly underrated and underestimated Brady. His draft report from 2000 NFL draft actually stated the following qualities:

• Poor Build | Skinny
• Lacks Great Physical Stature and Strength
• Lacks Mobility and Ability to Avoid The Rush
• Lacks a Really Strong Arm
• Can’t Drive The Ball Down Field
• Doesn’t Throw a Really Tight Spiral
• System-Type Player Who Can Get Exposed if Forced to Adlib
• Easily Knocked Down

Remember, Tom brady was not the highest rated quarterback, he wasn’t the most well groomed for the sport, nor was he the best athlete. In addition, he didn’t have the best numbers, or even the best mechanics. However, Tom Brady did have the most heart and determination.

Thus, through sheer willpower, he pushed himself to becoming one of the greatest football players of all times. And he has proved his case with the following accolades:

• Most NFL Championships By a Player (7x)
• Most Games Won By a Quarterback
• Most Games Played By a Quarterback
• Most Combined Passing Yards
• Most Touchdown Passes
• Most 4th Quarter Comebacks
• Best Touchdown to Interception Ratio
• 5 Time Super Bowl MVP
• 3 Time MVP of the NFL
• 2 Time NFL All-Decade Team Player
• Only Player to Win a Super Bowl for Both The AFC & NFC

13. Sarah Blakely

This success story is about Sarah Blakely, who was once crowned one of the youngest self-made billionaires by Forbes. Her story begins with her love of the firm look that panty hose offered, but her hating how they looked when she wore open toe shoes.

Blakely’s annoyance with panty hose would lead to her always cutting the feet off of her panty hose to pull of the look she was going for. But, after noticing that many other women were doing the same thing, she had a lightbulb moment. And she started to contemplate the creation of a product that would solve this problem.

One day after watching an inspiring Oprah show, Sarah decided to take massive action on her idea. So, she risked it all by investing her entire $5,000 life savings to move to Atlanta, GA. Once there, she would kickstart the production of her product idea for the masses.

Blakely experienced tons of resistance at first. Nobody wanted to manufacture the product she was trying to create. They thought it was too risky and a potential waste of time. Her patent officer even found it difficult to take her idea seriously, thinking it to be a dud.

But, after two years of planning, countless late nights, and lots of no’s, she finally found success. Her lucky break came when a factory agreed to manufacture her products. And when Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales took a risk on her by listing her products for sale at their stores.

Her first year in business she sold over $4 million in revenue. And every year there after her sales would grow exponentially. Sarah’s courage to go all in, and her persistence to bring her idea to the world helped her become a billionaire by the age of 41.

14. Grant Cardone

This next story helps drive the point home, that it’s never too late to be what you might have been. It’s also a good reminder that no matter where you come from, or where you’ve been, you can change. It’s a testament that anyone can clean up their act, and can find massive success in the process.

This success story is about a man who grew up poor in Louisiana, lost his father at a young age, and was raised a single-parent household with four other siblings. It’s a story about a man named Grant Cardone .

Cardone is not your typical celebrity. He didn’t come from money. He’s not a Hollywood superstar,. Nor does he possess some amazing talent, like script-writing, politics, or athleticism. However, what he does possess, is something that is available to us all, and that is a determination to succeed.

Grant Cardone found himself in bad company in his youth. He was involved and addicted to drugs, and was stuck in a downward spiral for over a decade. After getting robbed at gunpoint, being beaten to a bloody pulp with a gun, and then being kicked out of his mother’s house, he finally decided to change his life.

At the age of 25 Grant Cardone decided to clean up his act. He cut all negative influences from his life, got sober, and took the first job he could land.

That job was as a car salesmen. It was a title and a position that Grant was not very fond of.

The economy was slow which meant he didn’t have many options, so he made it work.

Cardone committed to becoming the best salesperson he could be. So, he invested heavily in his own self-improvement by reading books and studying his craft and his industry.

After committing to becoming his very best, his income quickly doubled. And soon thereafter, he would become one of the best car salesmen in the country. He eventually moved on to running his own business, and was extremely smart and disciplined with his money.

Cardone only spent money on what was absolutely necessary for food our housing. He would place anything left over into an investment fund just for real estate.

Grant Cardone’s focus on learning more so that he could earn more, along with having the discipline to invest his extra money, instead of wasting it on frivolous things, helped him become a self-made millionaire just five years later by the age of 30.

Cardone has since gone on to become a prominent international businessman, speaker, and the owner of Cardone Capital, a $1.5 billion investment firm.  He’s authored the New York Times bestselling books  If You’re Not First, You’re Last,  and other notable books like  The 10X Rule , and Axiom Award winning  Sell or Be Sold .  In addition to this, he also founded Cardone University, a popular sales training platform that has accrued over 50,000,000 and growing users.

It took Grant Cardone only five years to completely revolutionize his entire life. With the right mindset and a good dose of willpower, just imagine what 5 years could do for you.

15. Kevin Hart

Every body knows of and loves Kevin Hart. He’s been making us laugh and keeping us highly entertained for many years now. But, what most people don’t know about Kevin Hart, is that he had to overcome some major obstacles before he became one of the most beloved comedians in the world.

Hart had to overcome a negative homelife with a father who was reckless, toxic, and always causing trouble. He had to overcome the challenges of a 2 hour commute for years.

Hart endured naysayers often. In fact, someone he highly respected in the industry told him that he should quit comedy. He had to outlast the boos, the heckling, and getting chicken wings thrown at him due to his performances.

Kevin Hart had to turn countless setbacks into comebacks. He had to choose time after time, to not quit. He chose to keep pushing for his dreams, to ignore the critics, the naysayers, and anyone who doubted his dreams.

Eventually though, Hart’s persistence and commitment to his vision would pay off. The tide would turn for Kevin Hart after years of career stagnancy, rejection, and close calls with defeat.

Kevin Hart is now one of the world’s top 10 comedians. He’s also one of the richest too . So, if you think you can’t do something, just think about Kevin Hart’s success story and all he went through. Because if he can do it, so can you.

16. Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins’ upbringing was rough. His parents divorced when he was only 7 and his mother would go on to get remarried 4 different times as he grew up.

His mother’s unstable relationships with men created a chaotic environment for Tony and his siblings. As the oldest of three other siblings, Robbins felt obligated to step up and help his family cope in a household led by a substance abusing mother.

Robbins had to grow up fast.  As a teenager he had to do the grocery shopping every week for the family because his mother couldn’t be bothered to do it. He also had to prepare the meals for everyone because no one else would.

Eventually, Robbins had to take on various jobs in his youth just to keep the bills paid. Amazingly, Robbins would do all these things even without a car, relying solely on public transportation to get around.

At the age of 17, Robbins had a falling-out with his mother, and she kicked him out of the house.  He finished high school but avoided college.

Armed only with a high school diploma he struggled for a few years working menial jobs that sucked the life out of him.  He gained weight, felt broke, and started feeling hopeless about his situation.

One day, after attending a Jim Rohn he became inspired to turn it all around.  He embraced Rohn’s message of hope and the power of taking responsibility for one’s situation.  And he used that inspiration to reach out to Jim Rohn himself for work, and Rohn obliged.

Robbins soon became one of the Rohn’s best salesman.  In fact, Robbins was so good that he became a millionaire by the age of 26 just from sales. 

Leveraging everything he learned from Rohn, Robbins eventually broke out on his own and became the best-selling author, high performance coach, and multimillionaire that the world has come to know and love.

Tony Robbins story goes to show that our past doesn’t equal our future. And you can overcome slow starts and challenging situations to create a rich and wonderful life.

17. John Paul DeJoria

John Paul DeJoria experienced plenty of hardship before achieving true success. For starters, he grew up in relative poverty. After his parents divorced, his mother couldn’t support him and his brother, so was given up to a foster home.

When his mother finally made enough money to get him and his brother out of the foster home, he still eventually had to find work early on to help his struggling mother pay the bills.

Unfortunately, the financial challenges didn’t cease for John Paul DeJoria after striking out on his own.

After graduating from high school, DeJoria spent two years in the Navy and then started a family. He eked by for a long time by taking various odd jobs as a janitor, gas station attendant, insurance salesmen, and even a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman.

He struggled for a long time to create a prosperous and stable life for himself and his family. Unfortunately, his wife grew impatient and abandoned him and his two-year-old son. Shortly after, he eventually became homeless for a brief period of time. Thankfully, DeJoria never gave up hope.

He hustled for years to get his life in order and provide for his son. Eventually, he found his lucky break after getting his haircut by a hairdresser named Paul Mitchell.

After learning about a high-quality product that his hairdresser sold, he saw the opportunity to go into business with him to help sell his product across the city. So, he went into business with Paul Mitchell and the product became a big hit locally, and then eventually across the entire beauty industry.

John Paul DeJoria leveraged the grit, salesmanship, and business acumen he acquired from all his unprosperous years to transform his budding business partnership into a multinational enterprise. Now, he’s a multi-billionaire .

Final Thoughts

Hopefully these success stories help you realize that while success may be elusive, it is not unattainable. We also hope that these handpicked stories have helped you understand that success is both a journey and a destination.

But most importantly, we hope you walk away knowing that in order to achieve success, you’ll have to first go through your share of struggles, rejections, and even disasters, but are now eager to take on the challenge.

So, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the prize. Keep moving towards your dreams no matter what. Do this, and your success will be just around the corner.

Till you reach your aims,

PS – Every success story is unique and can inspire in a different way. That said, if you’re looking for even more success stories about how others achieved success and riches, then you’ll love these Strive Stories too.

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THE ELON MUSK SUCCESS STORY

Elon Musk is the billionaire entrepreneur responsible for co-founding various vanguard companies like Tesla, SolarCity, SpaceX, and PayPal.  He also helped influence the character behind Marvel’s modern take on Tony Stark. And has been compared to uber-successful business visionaries like Steve Jobs and Henry Ford.  And without a doubt, Elon Musk has already accomplished enough to be considered among some of the greats .  So, considering all the impressive accomplishments of this visionary entrepreneur, we will be diving into how such a legend came to be in this Elon Musk Success Story special.

“I Think It Is Possible For Ordinary People To Choose To Be Extraordinary.”

Just like Elon, we too believe that ordinary people can choose to become extraordinary. Which is why we decided to research and publish this success story of Elon Musk.  As such, the aim of this page is to reveal key insights about Elon that will provide you with a better understanding of how he became so successful. And maybe, just maybe you’ll become inspired to do the same.  So, if you’re ready to start learning from Elon’s success story, let’s dive in.

ELON MUSK’S SUCCESS STORY

Elon was born in South Africa back in 1971 to a father who was an engineer and a mother who was a nutritionist.  Growing up, Elon spent most of his time reading and tinkering with projects when not in school and when his Nany was not watching him. Which according to an interview he did with Rolling Stone [ 1 ] , it was not often. 

So, at an early age, Elon became fond of Isaac Asimov’s books, which would eventually inspire his futurism. And it was his interest in the future, and his penchant for engineering that his engineer father helped cultivate, along with his eye for design, that would set him up for some grand future achievements.

After attending University for just five months in South Africa, Elon decided to move to Canada to attend Queen’s University.  But he didn’t finish his schooling there. In fact, after just two years, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania to finish his schooling.   But getting through college wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.  Elon had to strive to make his way through.

Elon financed his college education through a combination of scholarships, getting loans, and having to work two different jobs at the same time.  Fortunately, his sacrifice would eventually pay off, earning himself a degree in Economics and another in Physics. 

After these two educational accomplishments, Elon then went on to get into Stanford’s Ph.D. program. But, just after two days into the program he dropped out to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams.

Related: Elon Musk’s Net Worth

Elon’s initial start-up was an internet company that he, his brother, and a friend went all in on.  The company took some time to get off the ground, and in the interim, Elon would struggle financially.  Things got so bad for Elon at one point, that the only bed he could afford was the couch in their start-up’s office, and the shower and restroom facilities at his local YMCA. 

Despite the low times of this endeavor however, they would eventually find angel investors who backed the company, and clients within the city, and various big name news publishing companies like the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune who saw promise in the company and its useful city guide mapping software. 

From this point, it was only a matter of time before Elon and company, were able to sell the start-up to Compaq for $307 million. [ 2 ]

The Next Venture

After selling the company, Elon earned a $22 million dollar windfall, and would go on to invest the bulk of that money into his next venture, which was a financial services company he co-founded called X.com.  His luck would improve shortly after starting this new venture as they merged with the company that serviced PayPal.com.  And just three years after starting up X.com, merging it with PayPal.com, they would sell it off to eBay for $1.5 billion.

The Big Gamble

With the acquisition of PayPal.com, Elon’s net worth would grow to be $123 million.  Now, at this point Elon could’ve retired early and rode off into to the sunset and lived happily ever after.  But that’s not how legends are made.  Instead, Elon would take a huge gamble and invest most if he newfound millions into two separate companies.  One of them was Tesla Motors, a fledgling automaker focused on electric transportation, and the other was SpaceX, a companied hellbent on commercial space exploration. 

Where most people would leave, Elon leaned in.  He poured his money, blood, sweat, and tears into making both companies a success.  And his passion for design, engineering, and the future would have him succeed on both fronts.

Tesla, is now one of the most valuable companies in the world valued at nearly half a trillion dollars ($554 billion) [ 3 ] , and SpaceX has made progress as well with a recent valuation near $175 billion.

Elon’s big gamble seems to be paying off.

Elon’s Enduring Success

Elon Musk’s success continues to grow as he endlessly pushes the envelope with Tesla, SpaceX, his acquisition of Twitter (now known as X), and the handful of other vanguard companies he has invested in and co-founded along the way.  

So, what’s the success secret to Elon’s enduring success?  Well, it must be said, that Elon does has above average intelligence, which has played a large role in his achievements. However, despite his intelligence, Elon excels because of an extreme ambition that is driven by his passion, and ambition that is backed up by an insane work ethic.

Related: Work Ethic and Success

Success Ethos

In addition to this, Elon focuses most of his energy on activities and ventures that actually matter.  He has made it known through commencement speeches and interviews that he does not waste time on things that don’t matter.  He says it best with this quote…

“Focus on signal over noise.  Don’t waste time on stuff that doesn’t actually make things better.”

Equally as important, is that Elon does not do things for the money.  In fact, he has blatantly stated that money doesn’t matter to him.  All he cares about is accomplishing his main objectives and missions in life.   So, what helps Elon succeed is his commitment to execution and the superhuman work ethic employs to make things happen.  He sums up his work ethic very will with the following quote…

“Work like hell. I mean you just have to put in 80 to 100 hour weeks every week. This improves the odds of success. If other people are putting in 40 hour workweeks and you’re putting in 100 hour workweeks, then even if you’re doing the same thing, you know that you will achieve in four months what it takes them a year to achieve.”

Lastly, the key aspect that has helped Elon find so much success has been his willingness to take risks.  In fact, his whole career has been a series of taking one big risk after another.  Indeed, his fearless approach to turning his ideas into reality, and the fearless action he took to execute on those ideas is key in much of Elon’s success.  He encapsulates this fearless attitude best when he said…

“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”

Peer Into The Mind of a Visionary

To get a better look into the way of thinking that has driven Elon’s futurist pursuits, consider studying his quotes. This list of Elon Musk quotes is a great place to start.

In addition, you can also watch some of the amazing videos others have created about him, like the one below:

Video Credit: Chispa Motivation (Be Sure to Subscribe to Their Channel )

Key Takeaways

Elon Musk’s achievements and life journey in general has a lot to teach us. There’s no doubt that he is a maverick who is willing to do what most won’t, which is part and parcel of his extraordinary achievements.

That said, we hope our Elon Musk success story has convinced you that becoming a billionaire entrepreneur is possible. Elon’s inspiring story should help you realize that you can also get on track for massive success.

But more importantly, it should help you realize that your success can especially be found if you back up your ambitious purpose , with drive, passion, an iron-clad work ethic, and a fearless zeal for executing on those ideas.

So, follow these key takeaways and watch how the sky truly becomes the limit for you, like it has for Elon Musk.

PS – If you enjoyed our Elon Musk Success Story, then you may also enjoy our account of the late, but equally inspiring visionary Steve Jobs , or fellow billionaire Bernard Arnault .

THE KANYE WEST SUCCESS STORY

Kanye West (now officially known as Ye) is a highly successful artist, producer, cultural icon and entrepreneur. He has released several critically acclaimed albums and started his own fashion line. He has received numerous awards and honors, including ten Grammy Awards. And to top it all off, he’s a multi-millionaire who has become one of the most influential artists and entrepreneurs in the world.

Kanye’s success is due in part to his hard work and dedication. He is always working on new music or projects, and he puts a lot of thought into everything he does. He also has a great team behind him, which has helped him achieve his goals.

“Shoot For The Stars, So If You Fall You Land On A Cloud.” – kanye west –

With that said, if you want to learn more about Kanye West’s success story and how we can use his journey to success to inspire greater levels of creativity and ambition in our own lives, then read on:

The Early Years

Kanye Omari West was born on June 8th, 1977. His parents divorced when he was only 3 years old and he and his mother relocated to Chicago, Illinois from Atlanta, Georgia.

West had a love for the creative arts at an early age and began writing poetry and drawing when he was just 5 years old. He began rapping in 3rd grade and started to write and compose his own music by the time he was in middle school.

He eventually met his mentor, the DJ, and producer No I.D. at a local radio station when he was about 14 years old. No I.D. took Kanye under his wing and taught him how to produce beats and experiment with hip hop productions. West became friends with another up-and-coming rapper, Jay Z, and the two would often freestyle together.

Ultimately, Kanye started creating beats for other artists in the Chicago area and formed a rap group known as the Go-Getters. [1] The group released their first and only album in 1999.

The Struggle

Although Kanye West was successfully working as a producer, he wanted to step into the limelight and be a rapper himself. He tried to convince Jay Z to sign him to his record label, Roc-A-Fella Records, but Jay Z was reluctant to add him to the roster. He eventually relented and signed Kanye in 2002.

On October 23rd, 2003. Kanye experienced a grave car accident that left him with a shattered jaw. He required surgery to reconstruct his face and was bedridden for weeks.

Kanye left the L.A. studio at around 3 am in a rented Lexus, after finishing a late-night session with Peedi Crack, Beanie Sigel, and The Black Eyed Peas. Just blocks away from the W Hotel, he was cut off and collided head-on with another car.

As a result of the accident, his face needed reconstructive surgery. It took Kanye weeks to recover from the accident. Because he did not have health insurance, he had to foot the bill himself.

West used this time to reflect on his life and career. He decided that he needed to focus on his own music and not just produce beats for other artists. He realized that the music he had previously made wouldn’t have a major impact on the world if he were to die in that tragic accident. From this moment forward, Kanye dedicated himself to making the best music of his career.

He would never play small and he proved this by writing and recording several of his most popular hits while still recovering from the accident.

The Rise To Fame

Many of the demos that Kanye made with No I.D. alongside his producing experience, became the basis of his own solo career. He started working on his own music and released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004.

The album was a huge success, both commercially and critically. It received positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. It went on to sell over four million copies in the United States. In addition to this, it was also certified 4-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Kanye’s second album, Late Registration, was released in 2005 and was also a huge success. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and received positive reviews from music critics. The album has since been certified triple platinum by the RIAA.

In 2007, Kanye released his third album, Graduation. The album was again a huge success and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA.

Kanye’s fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak, was released in 2008. The album was a departure from his previous work and featured more electronic and autotuned vocals. Although it was not as commercially successful as his previous albums, it still received positive reviews from music critics.

Kanye’s fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, was released in 2010 to critical acclaim. It too debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and became one of the highest-rated albums of all time by music critics.

His sixth studio album, Yeezus, was released in 2013 and received positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over two million copies in the United States.

The seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo, was released in 2016. It also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA.

The Kanye West’s Entrepreneurial Path

Following the release of his debut album, Kanye West began designing and manufacturing his own line of clothing and sneakers. Introducing Shutter Shades in 2008, a sleek new sneaker that incorporates traditional shutter-style sunglasses.

He then produced the “Air Yeezy” line in 2009, a highly successful shoe that lasted until 2013. The Adidas Yeezy Boosts were officially released on December 3, 2013, after months of anticipation and rumors.  

West has also released several fashion lines, including DW by Kanye West, Pastelle Clothing, and A.P.C. Kanye West. He has also been involved in the creative direction of numerous fashion brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Nike.

He also founded a production company and record label, “GOOD Music”, in 2004. The label has since signed artists such as John Legend, Big Sean, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, and Mos Def.

Kanye West and his mother started the “Kanye West Foundation” (now called the Dr. Donda West Foundation) in 2003. It aims to provide access to arts and music education for children in low-income communities. [2]

He also founded “Got Bars” in 2013, a free music writing program that helps young people in high-risk areas of Chicago learn how to write and record their own music.

  “I feel that I’m very blessed. But with great blessings come great responsibility.” – Kanye West

Related: Kanye West Quotes

Kanye’s Fall and Slow Redemption

Kanye’s reputation and riches took a big hit in 2022. After pushing the limits on controversial subjects, he lost a contract with one of his biggest business partners, Adidas. [3]

On top of that, his multi-billion dollar net worth was reduced dramatically, as many platforms and business partners severed ties with the controversial artist.

In Early 2023, Kanye attempted to mend his errors, by apologizing for his comments. That said, he’s reputation and riches has not fully bounced back to the heights of his success.

However, Kanye has slowly been working to redeem his reputation since his public fall from grace . He’s since created new partnerships with various artists, including Ty Dolla Sign and their work on the album ‘Vultures’.

Certainly Kanye’s status still has a ways to go, but he appears to be moving in the right direction. Of course, only time will tell.

Related: Ye’s Net Worth

The Kanye West Method

Having said all of that, it’s apparent that Kanye West is an achievement machine. As we’ve just outlined, he’s been tallying up his wins and accomplishments (along with a few L’s) year-over-year for more than a decade now. But how does he do it?

Well, this video production by El Taco Supreme provides a nice analysis on the creative genius of Kanye that has helped him achieve so much so fast. Give it a look if you want to learn what Kanye’s true secret to success is….

Video Credit: El Taco Supreme ( Subscribe Here )

Lessons Learned

The Kanye West Success Story is one of dedication, hard work, and perseverance. Despite all the obstacles he has faced in his life, he has always pushed forward and continued to achieve success in most of the projects he pursued. He is a true inspiration to all who aspire to follow their dreams.

Some lessons we can take away from Kanye West’s success story are the importance of following your dreams, leveraging your talents, and perseverance . And that no matter what obstacles you face in life, if you take the risk to pursue your talents, and keep pushing forward and working hard, you can achieve success. No doubt, Kanye West is a true inspiration to all who want to make their mark on the world.

Kanye West is one of the most successful and influential musicians of our time. Sure, he’s had his moments of controversy over the years, but that often comes with the territory of fame.

Hopefully this Kanye story will act as a form of inspiration to every person out there who intends to chase their dreams. So, if that sounds like you, just remember that it’s important to think about how you can integrate the lessons learned from Kanye West into our own lives and use them to achieve success.

That said, we can summarize the Kanye West success story with three important points: dedication, hard work , and perseverance. No matter what obstacles you face in life, if your chasing your dream, keep pushing forward and working hard, and you can eventually achieve the success you’re after.

Until you reach those aims,

[1] Complex: The Story Behind Kanye West’s 90’s Chicago Rap Group , The Go-Getters

[2] Britannica: Kanye West

[3] GQ: How Adidas Uncancelled Yeezy

KEVIN HART’S STORY OF SUCCESS

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.

“Everybody That’s Successful Lays A Blueprint Out.” – kevin hart –

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.

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.

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:

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.

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 .

11 MOTIVATIONAL STORIES TO HELP YOU KEEP MOVING FORWARD

It’s a fact, success eludes most people (at least at first).  And chances are high it’s even eluded you once or twice too. This initial elusiveness of success is the reason we’ve pulled together this collection of motivational stories for you. Our aim is to convince you that success won’t evade you forever. Especially if you decide to press on and stay the course no matter what.

We know success is elusive for everyone. At least it is initially.   Success is tricky, it evades, dodges, and ducks away from just about every single person who pursues her. And this is especially the case early in the chase.

The great news is, that success can be found and captured. But, it is only done so by the truly committed. These “lucky few” eventually reach their aim because they discover the qualities that must be possessed before they can win the game. Qualities such as high effort, courage , and self-discipline.

But most importantly, they’ll discover success because they learn how to master the most difficult success quality of them all. Which is, believe it or not… staying power.

Staying power; otherwise known as determined persistence and never giving in, is what helps people reach their eventual destination.

There’s No Magic Pill

Now, if there were a magic pill we could give you to help you become a human battering ram , the type of battering ram that hammers away on the doors of success until it gets through, we’d give it to you.  But, no such pill exists.

However, what we can give you is a few motivational stories to inspire a stronger belief that you can succeed, if you will but persist. And that’s what we have here for you today friend.  11 short motivational stories to help you strengthen your staying power. 11 stories to help you reach your goals and win.

So, if you want to give those doors of success a real scare, read these 11 motivational stories about striving with the utmost care.

BEST MOTIVATIONAL STORIES

1. Paulo Coelho

When ‘The Alchemist’ was first published some 30 some years ago, no one noticed. A bookseller in the northeast corner of the country told the author, Paulo Coelho , that only one person purchased a copy during that first week when it was released.  Un-phased by the silent reception, Paulo Coelho confidently waited for those next few sales to come in.  And he would wait a long time too, as it took six more months before his second copy was sold—and it was sold to the exact same person who bought the first!

By the end of that first year, Paulo Coelho’s publisher lost hope in his book and so decided to cancel his contract and cut him loose.

But, Paulo Coelho didn’t let that demoralizing rejection paralyze him.  Instead of quitting like many would at this point, he decided to be steadfast, and continued to pursue his vision.  So, he looked for another publisher.  He looked, and looked, and looked until he finally found one.  And with it, he found his second chance.

Once his book was published again, it slowly started to sell by word of mouth.  His persistence started to pay off, as he eventually sold three thousand books, then six, then ten.  Month over month year over year his book sales started to grow.  And now… ‘ The Alchemist ’ has sold over 150 million copies across the world.

It’s a good thing Paulo Coelho had staying power.  Had he quit, he wouldn’t be who he is today, a literary legend .

“All battles in life serve to teach us something.” – Paulo Coelho

2. Michael Jordan

Most people don’t know this, but when Michael Jordan was a sophomore in high school, he was eager to prove himself as a great basketball player.  As such, he tried out for the Varsity squad.    But guess what?  Things didn’t go as planned.  Jordan got cut from the team.

Considering he had such big dreams as a star basketball player, that rejection hit him really hard.  In fact, it hit him so hard that he went home, locked himself in his room, and cried.

Now Jordan cried, cried, and cried, but he didn’t quit.  He picked himself up and decided to at least crush it on the JV squad.  And crush it he did.  He also decided to train his ass off in the off season.  He even grew four inches.  And then that next year, Michael Jordan did what all winners do….he tried again.

This time, however, he made the team, and quickly became the school’s best player.  By the time he was a senior, he made the McDonalds’ All-American team.  Then he went off to play in college…and the rest is history.

Michael Jordan didn’t quit.  Instead he transformed his failure into fuel for future success.  He then used that fuel to become “The Michael Jordan”.  The man who would score 32,292 points in his basketball career, acquire 6 NBA championships, collect 5 MVP titles, and come to be known to many, as the GOAT (Greatest of all time).

So, the moral of this motivational story is that no, doesn’t mean never .

“To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail.” – Michael Jordan

3. Lionel Messi

If you keep up with soccer, then you’ve probably heard of Lionel Messi .  At age of 11, Messi was cut from his soccer team because he was too small.  He was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency which made him much smaller than most kids his age.

However, Messi didn’t let this stop him.  Instead, week after week after week, every day, before going to sleep, he would inject growth hormones into himself.  Messi would do this for seven days in one leg, then seven days in the other, for six long years.

Fortunately, Messi’s foresight and persistence paid off.  Now, he is one of the highest paid soccer players, having a net worth of over 400 million, is considered one of the best soccer players of all time, and has won soccer’s greatest achievement, ‘The Ballon d’Or’ eight times.

Even when it seems nature is against you at first, she bends to those with a strong will who are determined to reach their goals.

“You can overcome anything, if and only if you love something enough.” – Lionel Messi

4. Steven Pressfield

Steven Pressfield is a professional hero to many, especially authors.  Here’s why….

It took Steven Pressfield 17 years before he made his first dollar as a writer.  He wrote for 27 years before he got his first novel published (The Legend of Bagger Vance).

During that time, Steven worked at 21 different jobs in eleven states.  He taught school, drove tractor-trailers, worked in advertising and as a screenwriter in Hollywood, he worked on offshore oil rigs, and even picked fruit as a migrant worker, but he never gave up.  Sure, he had to go back and work for “the man” from time to time, but he kept his eye on the prize; his dream.

This is why his pursuit of his passion is the epitome of staying power.

Now, Steven is the author of over 21 books and is a source of inspiration for authors and creative people around the world.

Art is war, and so is finding success in general.  So, if your dreams are slow to come don’t lose heart, just remember Steven Pressfield, and be willing to fight long and hard for your art.

“Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.” – Steven Pressfield

Steven Spielberg’s journey to becoming well, Steven Spielberg is a fantastic motivational story. Here’s why, Spielberg was rejected from USC film school three times. But that didn’t stop him, instead, he just tried a different school.  He applied to Cal State, Long Beach, and got into their film program.  And while still a student a Cal State, he landed an unpaid internship at Universal Studios.  It was a fortuitous gig that soon led his dropping out.  It was a calculated move that would allow him to rub elbows with movie makers at Universal Studios to shortening his path to fulfilling his dream.

Unfortunately, his internship didn’t last long enough for him to break into the movie business like he had planned.  But, undeterred, Steven would still sneak in to the studios, pretending to work there so he could learn more about movies until he could catch his break.

Legend has it, that he had an 8 mm film that he knew the studio executives would love, if only they would watch it.  He found a way to get it into their hands, but they flip flopped on him, and then said they would only watch it if he shot it on a 16-mm film.  So, Steven went out and rented a 16-mm camera and reshot the whole movie.  When he brought it back to the executives, they told him not to come back until it was on a 35-mm film.  Undeterred, he jumped through their hoops and reshot the movie on the 35-mm film.

Finally, the executives decided to relent and gave his movie a look.  And the rest is history.  The movie went on to win a prize at the Atlanta film festival and helped Steven lock in a 7-year contract directing movies with Universal.

No doubt, If you keep looking for your break, the day will come when you find it.

“Sometimes a dream almost whispers… it never shouts. Very hard to hear. So you have to, every day of your lives, be ready to hear what whispers in your ear.” – Steven Spielberg

6. Stephen King

Before he was the king of horror, Stephen King was essentially a starving artist. Money was so scarce in his early writing days, that he and his wife had to live in a trailer, couldn’t afford a telephone, had to borrow clothes for their wedding, and worked multiple jobs to support their family and keep the lights on.

But, the pull of his dream to write was greater that his economic plight.

On top of the financial challenges Stephen King faced, he, like most authors, experienced lots of rejection.  In fact, he received 60 rejections before selling his first story, “The Glass Floor” for a measly $35.  But, he kept on writing, striving, and struggling, until he eventually sold his next story.  And fortunately, his next story would set him up to write full-time, forever.  What was the name of that book?  “Carrie”.

Having published over 200 short stories, 58 novels, and selling over 350 million copies, Stephen King is not just the king of horror, he’s also the king of staying power.

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” – Stephen King

7. Walt Disney

Everyone knows who this legend is.  But, did you know before Walt Disney was “The Walt Disney”, he had once been fired because his boss thought he lacked imagination and had no good ideas?

We know, it’s crazy to think that he would ever be considered the opposite of what he ended up being so great at.

Fortunately, Walt Disney didn’t listen to his critics, and pressed on to create his own cartoon animation company.  Now, just because he pressed on doesn’t mean he hit it big right away.  He would go on to experience a few additional failures along the way (along with few small successes), but ultimately, he kept on pressing forward, innovating, and improving on his love for animation.

And, well…he eventually smashed through those doors of success and went on to become the creator of the household name that we’ve all come to know and love.

Truly, every success, at some time or another, has had to learn how to believe in themselves when no one else on this big blue planet is willing to hold the same belief.  And the chances are high you’ll have to do the same.

So, when someone tries to halt your vision, just remember good ole Walt Disney .  Ignore your critics, believe in yourself, and get yourself back into the game.

You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” – Walt Disney

8. Jack Canfield & MVH

The authors of the now famous ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series of books faced massive obstacles when first starting out.  Some publishers said their books would never sell.  Others said that their title was stupid, and that nobody bought collections of short stories.

Undeterred, this dynamic duo went on to reach out to publisher after publisher.  They suffered through 123 rejections before things started to look up for them.

Fortunately, they didn’t take no for an answer, because they eventually found stratospheric success with their books, and as a result have sold over 500 million books across the world.

Now Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (MVH) are practically household names.

If it wasn’t for their staying power and dogged perseverance, they never would have become the founders of one of the most successful publishing franchises in the world today.

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” – Jack Canfield

9. Howard Shultz

Thanks to the persistence and tenacity of Howard, today we can enjoy a delicious Starbucks coffee as we  work at our computers in just about every city in the United States of America.

Most people don’t know this, but when Howard Shultz was just starting out, he was finding it very difficult to convince investors to write him a check.   It would take more than 214 rejections before he found someone who believed in his idea enough to help him fund it.

Now that’s staying power.  But that’s not all.  In it’s infancy, his company also incurred losses for three straight years.  And on one of those early years, 1989 to be exact, he incurred more than $1 million in losses alone.

Fortunately, he managed to stick with his goal, and completely turned his company around and into one of the strongest brands on the planet. Had he not remained determined to reach his goals, he never would have.

Howard Shultz is now a legend, and his efforts have made his pursuit a classic motivational story that everyone should know about.

“I am convinced that most people can achieve their dreams and beyond if they have the determination to keep trying.” – Howard Schultz

10. Robert Kiyosaki

The man behind the extremely successful ‘ Rich Dad Poor Dad ’ brand, Robert Kiyosaki is a prime example of persistence in action.

His first business sold those cool looking velcro wallet’s that were all the rage in the 80’s.  Unfortunately, he didn’t protect his product with patents and eventually went bankrupt after competitors snatched up most of his market share.

But he persisted, and soon after went on to start another company that sold licensed apparel for heavy metal bands, unfortunately, that company would eventually flounder as well.

He kept pressing forward though, seeking his one-way ticket out of the rat race .    While working for the Xerox company to pay the bills, he kept striving to build a business.  Eventually, he found success when his first financial education company took off.  Soon after, he then sold that company and leveraged his new-found wealth to become the wealth guru and best-selling author he is today.

Robert Kiyosaki didn’t know ‘the how’, because hardly any of us do.  But, he knew ‘the where’.  He knew where he wanted to go, and kept moving forward, failure after failure until he got there.

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert Kiyosaki

11. Steve Harvey

Steve Harvey , the now famous American television presenter, comedian, actor, author, and game show host has a great motivational story. Harvey was once a struggling, starving artist. And before he would become the famous host of ‘Family Feud’, and essentially a household name, he had to conquer many obstacles first.

In Harvey’s early days, when he was just in grade school, after being asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he shared with his teacher and his entire class that he wanted to be on T.V. After speaking about his dreams, his teacher lambasted him, and assured him that he would never make it on Television. His teacher told him that his dream was impossible because no one in his community ever made it on T.V… Nor would he make it in the show business because he had a speech impediment.

But, Harvey didn’t let his teacher dismantle his dream. No, he would strive and struggle to make a name for himself after getting out of school. And for nearly 12 years after he turned 18, he would do small stand up comedy gigs, and local shows to break into show biz.

Interestingly, on the day he was considering giving up, instead of calling his dad to tell him he quit, he called an answering machine his parents set up for him for anyone who was looking to get in touch with him. And on that answering machine was a message from the Apollo Comedy Club inviting him to come on to their show.

Delighted by the invitation, Harvey pounced on the opportunity. And once he got on T.V., he never looked back. Steve Harvey has been on T.V. ever since.

“A person has to remember that the road to success is always under construction. You have to get that through your head. That it is not easy becoming successful.” – Steve Harvey

Bonus Motivational Story:

Here’s one last and final motivational story. It is one that you may already be familiar with as they made a movie about it. This story is about about Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger , a 5 foot 6 inch man who dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame.

Rudy was dyslexic, undersized, and wasn’t gifted with the exceptional speed or strength that’s typically found amongst many other football players. He didn’t receive any scholarships to play football, nor was he invited to play anywhere, but he stayed true to his dream, so he walked-on to the team.

As a member of the scout team, he tried and tried again to make the official team, striving to do whatever it took to suite up in the blue and gold and enter the arena as a Fighting Irish football player.

He would go on to struggle for four long years. He would pour his heart into each practice, giving each one his full effort, all for one single moment. Rudy poured his soul into everything he did, and he did it for one single opportunity to get on to the field and play.

His grit and dedication to reaching his life’s goal of getting on that field inspired his entire team, community, and thousands of Fighting Irish fans. Rudy’s determination, heart, and commitment to never quitting helped him finally fulfill his dream of playing for the Fighting Irish.

On the last three plays of the last game of the season, Rudy finally got his shot. His coach put him in with very little time left on the clock, but Rudy seized his moment of glory. And on the final play of the game, Rudy sacked the quarterback.

Rudy’s persistence, dogged determination, and commitment to his dream, led him to becoming the first player in Notre Dame history to ever get carried off the field by his teammates.

“Sometimes a winner is a dreamer who just won’t quit.” – Rudy

Related: Keep Moving Forward Quotes

The key takeaways from these motivational stories is the following: No does not mean never, and the struggle won’t last forever, but if you lack staying power, success will inevitably evade you altogether.

The road to success is filled with no’s, rejections, mishaps and failures along the way.  But, despite all the obstacles, if you want to achieve your aims, you must decide to keep going every single day.

So, if you’ve learned anything from these motivational stories we hope it is this:  That there are only two rules when it comes to success.  Rule number one, never give up.  Rule number two, never forget rule number one .

Till next time,

PS – If you enjoyed these motivational stories about goals and achieving your dreams, and you’re looking for some more inspiration, then you’ll love these other powerful success stories that we’ve pulled together. But, if you’re just looking for some additional motivation, then you’ll these awesome quotes on motivation for winning will do the trick.

THE MARY KAY ASH STORY

Mary Kay Ash  was one of the most inspiring entrepreneurial leaders in modern history. She was the founder of the multi-billion dollar corporation Mary Kay Cosmetics. She also authored multiple best-selling books like The Mary Kay Way , Miracles Happen , You Can Have It All , and many others. And to this day, her legacy lives on, positively impacting people all over the world.

With that being said, we aim to explore how this remarkable human came to be known as America’s Greatest Woman entrepreneur in this Mary Kay Ash story of success.

We believe success leaves clues, which is why we cover stories of accomplished and inspiring people like Mary Kay Ash. We also choose to highlight individuals who have extraordinary stories that can inspire us to create successful lives for ourselves.

Each story possesses hidden insights that can teach us, guide us, and give us the advantage we all seek to get ahead in life. So, without further ado, if you’re ready to learn how Mary Kay Ash achieved the impossible, let’s dive in:

Mary Kay Ash Story | Early Days

Mary Kay was born in 1918 in the small Texas town of Hot Wells just outside of Houston, TX. Upon graduating high school in 1934, she got married soon after and started a family at the age of 17. They eventually had a total of three children together, and Mary Kay nurtured and raised her children while her husband was away serving military duty overseas during WWII.

Eventually, when the war ended and her husband returned home in 1945, they chose to get a divorce. Mary would go on to support herself and her kids with various sales jobs.

At one point she sold books door-to-door to make ends meet. Fortunately she would eventually hit her stride in sales, and go on to become a top salesperson for Stanley Home products.

In fact, Mary Kay became so good at selling, especially in the home party environment, that she would eventually get offered an even better opportunity with the company World Gifts which she took advantage of.

After spending over a decade working for other people, Mary Kay would eventually get disenchanted with being overlooked for promotions and internal opportunities that she believed she deserved. She often felt overlooked because because she was a woman.

So, in 1963 at the age of 45 when all of her children were already grown and young adults, Mary Kay decided to retire from her 25 year-long career in direct sales, as a Director of Training. But, while enjoying her early retirement she eventually grew bothered by the idea that her hard work and abilities were never truly and justly rewarded.

Certainly, she was already successful, but she grew frustrated with the memory of having so many opportunities pass her by throughout her sales career primarily because she was a woman. As such, she ultimately decided to squash the negative thoughts and recurring doubts she was having by creating a business that she believed could keep help women avoid such unfairness altogether.

So, not knowing anything about starting a business, she decided to take ownership of her situation, and took a chance at becoming the owner of a business that would operate by the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”.

Inspired to call the shots, and earn the recognition she felt she (and all other women) deserved, she went on to form a cosmetics business named Beauty by Mary Kay with one of her sons. After procuring the ingredients and formulas for lotions and other feminine cosmetic products, she went on to open up her first store front in Dallas Texas.

Seized Opportunity

But Mary Kay didn’t want to just create any business, she wanted to create something that truly empowered others. She wanted to create a business that would create more opportunities for women, and that would give them the support needed for them to be successful.

As such, she organized her business in a format that she was familiar with, the direct-selling format . Mary Kay felt that this business model would empower her sales reps and put them in true control of their own future especially when combined with her ‘Golden Rule’ philosophy.

Mary Kay’s new business incentivized entrepreneurial-minded women who were eager to work independently to build a business with low start-up and overhead costs. As such, her business not only created new opportunities for women, but it gave them an opportunity to take control of their financial situation, while maintaining the flexibility to do it on their own terms.

Mary Kay Ash was a hard working woman, and she had a passion for helping other women get ahead. She was a strong leader.

And as highlighted earlier, she was a big believer in the Golden Rule from the Bible. Thus, she believed that anyone could get ahead if they would lead their lives according to good moral principles and the Golden Rule.

As such, Mary Kay became a big advocate for pursuing business from a position of principles and integrity, and she coached and led her sales people to live by these guiding rules. Mary Kay was also a big believer in listening, in treating people like she would want to be treated, in relationship building, and in the idea that when you aim to do good not just for yourself, but for others, you too will do well.

The results of her leadership speak for themselves, as she managed to create many successful entrepreneurs and millionaires , and in the process the world-renowned multi-billion dollar business franchise now known as Mary Kay Cosmetics .

Indeed, her leadership helped her achieve extreme financial and business success, but most importantly, here leadership helped her create a movement that inspired, and continues to inspire the hearts and minds of women all over the world.

Mary Kay Ash Accolades

No doubt the achievements just mentioned above are remarkable on their own, but, Mary Kay Ash also managed to accumulate an impressive list of additional accolades that are worthy of our admiration, and here are a just a few of them:

• Awarded ‘Greatest Female Entrepreneur in American History’ Award by Baylor University
• Named as ‘One of 25 Greatest Business Leaders of Our Time’ by Wharton School of Business
• Awarded the ‘Humanitarian Rose Award’
• Awarded the ‘Golden Plate Award’
• Honored with the ‘Horatio Alger Award’
• Inducted into Junior Achievements U.S. Business Hall of Fame

Success Ethos | In Her Own Words

A handful of qualities contributed to Mary Kay Ash’s achievement of success. In observing her story, it is apparent that she was a go-getter who didn’t wait for opportunity to come to her, but instead seized and created opportunities for herself.

Her story also shows us that success doesn’t always arrive quickly, and that it sometimes takes a lot of frustrating experiences, challenges, and even failures before we hit our stride.

With that being said, here are a few additional Mary Kay Ash takes on success that demonstrates the type of thinking and mindset that helped her (and that can help you) achieve success.

“Opportunities have always and will always be around. You simply have to take advantage of them.” – Mary Kay Ash

“Honesty is the cornerstone of all success, without which confidence and ability to perform shall cease to exist.” – Mary Kay Ash

“One of the secrets of success is to refuse to let temporary setbacks defeat us.” – Mary Kay Ash

“Throw out the words ‘If I can’, ‘I hope’, and ‘maybe’, and replace them with ‘I can, I will, I must.” – Mary Kay Ash

Related: Mary Kay Ash Quotes

Key Takeaways of The Mary Kay Ash Story

There you have it, the inspiring Mary Kay Ash story that proves that anything is possible, and that you can find more success in your life or in your business if you put people first, listen more, and most importantly, seek to follow the ‘Golden Rule’.

Lastly, one the most important takeaway’s from her story is this; that you’re never too old to start something amazing. As Mary Kay Ash’s life has proven, the end of your career or the last phase of your life can become the beginning of your legacy. In short, your past up until this point, can be the stepping stone to your greater future .

DEFYING THE ODDS: HOW THIS YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR BUILT HIS $25M+ COMPANY WITH JUST $600

Wilbur You is the founder and CEO of Youtech. He is a Chinese-American immigrant who moved to the United States at the age of two when he and his widowed mother decided to leave Brazil to pursue a better life. They settled in the Chicago suburb, Naperville, where his mother worked long hours to support their family while simultaneously attending college. From this, Wilbur witnessed first-hand the result of combining one’s current resources with determination to achieve goals at any age. 

In The Beginning 

Wilbur found his knack for problem-solving at 10 years old when he developed an online game, attracting over 10,000 active and daily paying users. Though the game would eventually get shut down for copyright infringement, this ignited his entrepreneurial fire.

Wilbur later attended Northern Illinois University where he studied computer science. Usually one of the busiest times in one’s life, Wilbur was determined to start a successful business while still just a college student.

He failed at this not once, but twice. While deciding to further his education through DeVry University’s Business Management School and after working as a marketing coordinator for a short while, Wilbur tried for a final time (and with a little more knowledge and experience) to launch a company. This is when Youtech was born.

Wilbur started Youtech & Associates as a one-man operation at the age of 21. It was by no means an easy start. Wilbur’s primary goal was to build something from nothing to create a positive change in the world. While his mission was clear, reality quickly set in when he realized that Youtech was merely an idea and that there was a tremendous amount of work that still needed to be done.

The challenges of launching a business started early on as the company had no money, no connections, and most importantly, no customers. Wilbur began working out of the basement of his childhood home, making over 100 cold calls every day asking every business he could find to give him a chance at building their professional websites for a small fee.

The company (Wilbur) knew that to be successful , he needed to take on anyone and any project, large or small, to build a significant client base.

As his small business grew, Wilbur recruited two of his best friends to help get the initial $600 investment off the ground. This grassroots effort required the team to work up to 80 hours a week but they pushed through each challenging day for months.

Slowly but surely their hard work began to pay off. They were now on the receiving end of those phone calls. At this point, Youtech was able to save enough from various projects to open a small office near Chicago and hire a few additional team members with experience in web design, marketing, client relations, and more.

By expanding services, Youtech’s preliminary roster of clients grew faster than Wilbur could have imagined. 

Fast forward eight years, the team now consists of over 60 employees throughout its offices in Chicago, Arizona and most recently, Texas. The company has been ranked in Inc.’s Fastest Growing Companies in the country for four years running. 

Youtech Today

Today, Wilbur reflects on his (and his team’s) setbacks, failures, and hardships, and is proud of this challenging journey. The idea of Youtech created a full-fledged integrated marketing agency that is now the home of a hodgepodge of extremely creative individuals that have serviced over 1,000 clients in various industries including MillerCoors, Chick-fil-A, and 3M. 

Wilbur and his team recognize that today’s marketing landscape is moving quickly. Platforms are always changing and algorithms are changing even faster. So, every day, the Youtech team makes it a priority to learn how to best optimize leads and conversions to enhance their resources for current and future clients. 

Opportunities Available 

As a result of his dedication and work ethic , Wilbur has been able to secure opportunities for awards, speaking engagements, and more.

After only a decade in the marketing and advertising industry, Wilbur was selected by Forbes’ notable 30 Under 30 2021 Class for his achievements with Youtech. He has a unique ability to construct personalized marketing strategies for clients and is able to effortlessly bridge the gap between traditional and digital marketing methods.

As the visionary architect behind Youtech’s ever-growing marketing empire, Wilbur knows how to bootstrap a business from the ground up and keep the arrow pointing in the right direction without outside funding.

In addition to this, Wilbur was selected to serve on the advisory board of The Alkaline Water Company (the #1 bulk water brand in North America), where he consults on e-commerce and marketing. Wilbur also volunteers annually to speak to Naperville Central High School students about entrepreneurship. Additionally, Wilbur is a published author who published the inspiring must-read memoir, Happy, Humble, Motivated .

Wilbur and Youtech’s journey has not been easy but they have certainly come a long way from building $500 websites in a basement. Wilbur’s hard work opened various doors and he is now the mastermind behind million-dollar marketing, app development, and web design deals.

Wilbur always notes that education is something that nobody can ever take away from you. Expanding your knowledge and continuously learning can bring you a sense of satisfaction without settling for less than you deserve. 

As Wilbur continually states, the most important thing for any business is the people with whom you surround yourself. He looks for candidates who don’t necessarily have the best resume and seeks out those who he can sense are high achievers at the end of the day.

His method is to find employees who are better than him in a particular area, like marketing or graphic design, and then welcomes them with open arms.

Wilbur said what he is most proud of, though, is that Youtech was built the right way and created an environment where each of his team members is significant and feels like a valuable asset to the company each and every day.

Until you reach your aims,

PS – If you enjoyed this success story about Wilbur You, then you’ll love these handful of success stories from other inspiring young entrepreneurs as well.

THE SUZE ORMAN SUCCESS STORY

Suze Orman , a highly successful personal finance expert and advisor, is best known for her TV show, podcast, and numerous New York Times bestsellers. In the late 80’s, she founded the Suze Orman Financial Group. And she eventually ran a show on CNBC for 13 years where she shared helpful financial tips so people could learn how to manage their money better.

Time has named Orman one of the Top 100 most influential people on multiple occasions, and she has won numerous awards. Needless to say, she knows a thing or two about success and money, which is why we’ve decided to publish the Suze Orman Success Story in more detail.

“People First, Then Money, Then Things.” – suze orman –

It is important to take a closer look at why some people are more successful than others. That way, we can learn from some of the mistakes that they made without having to make them ourselves, while also following in the footsteps of what made them successful. Indeed, just about every success story leaves a blueprint.

Having said that, this Suze Orman’s success story is not straightforward. However, by taking a closer look at her journey we can find some inspiration, and maybe even discover a few success clues along the way that can help us move our dreams forward.

THE SUZE ORMAN STORY OF SUCCESS

Early Days: Speech Issues Make Life Hard

Suze Orman was born in Chicago, IL in 1951 to immigrant parents from eastern Europe. While growing she had a difficult time pronouncing letters such as R, S, and T. This meant that she had a hard time learning how to say certain words. For example, she had difficulty saying the word “beautiful,” and she had trouble saying words like “fair” and “shouldn’t” properly. [1]

Because she could not speak very well, she also could not read very well. She was consistently among the lowest-scoring students in the class in reading and writing, and she was often ostracized from the rest of her classmates because of her low test scores. 

Barely Scraping By: Going To College

Even though she scored poorly on tests, including the SAT, she decided to go to college anyway. Her family was having a difficult time with money . While some students had parents who could pay for their education, and other students were receiving scholarships because of their academic achievements, Suze Orman had neither.

Her parents were struggling to get by, and she knew she would have to pay for her college education herself. That meant that she had to put in the work to apply to all the state schools and community colleges.

To her surprise, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign accepted her.

When Suze Orman walked through the school doors for the first time, she met a guidance counselor who would guide her in her class choices. Her dream was to be a brain surgeon. However, the guidance counselor immediately thought that she did not have what it took.

So, Orman got to work doing some research. She realized that the easiest major was social work, as such, that’s what she signed up for. [2]

The Language Issues Resurface

She knew that she needed to make enough money to pay for her college education, so she got a job working in the dish room of her college dorm seven days per week just to make enough money to pay the bills. She even shared a one-bedroom apartment with two friends she had met in her dorm.

Even though her social life was looking up, her language skills would eventually come back to haunt her. Even though her expected graduation year was 1973, she could not graduate. She did not have her language requirement, and this time, it would be a foreign language.

Suze Orman knew that she was having a difficult time speaking the English language, so how on Earth would she learn a foreign language? So she decided not to put herself through the trauma, and essentially dropped out of college.

But all of her hopes and dream weren’t crushed. She still had a passion for travel and adventure. So she set off to travel across the country to see the Grand Canyon. 

She would have to make enough money to hitchhike across the country, so she worked some odd jobs as she explored everything the country had to offer. Eventually, she felt ashamed of not finishing her college degree, so she decided to take some Spanish classes at one of the local universities.

Finally, in 1976, three whole years after her scheduled graduation, she graduated and earned her degree from the University of Illinois. 

A Desire To Own Her Own Restaurant

One of the jobs that she worked while she explored the country was waitressing. While she enjoyed it, she wanted to own her own restaurant. Her parents did not have the money to finance her restaurant, and she did not know what she would do.

She talked to her brother, who gave her some money, along with numerous other generous people to help her make her dream come true. Orman eventually collected over $50K from friends and patrons who supported her dream.

One of her patron’s advised her to deposit the money into a money market account. However, a bad-seed at the brokerage where she went to deposit the money, advised her to instead invest the funds into a speculative and high-risk investment so she could earn more money from her invested money while she saved the rest to meet her savings goal.

Sadly, just three months after she put the money in the account, it was all gone. All of the money given to her by her patron Fred, and her other supporters had been drained through those speculative investments. She believed her dream was within reach, and then suddenly, she lost the money.

This prompted Suze Orman to decide that she did not want something like this to happen to anybody else, so she decided to become a financial advisor. Orman felt like there were not a lot of female role models from which to learn, so she decided to change that fact by getting into the financial advising industry.

Founding the Suze Orman Financial Group

So in short order, she decided to join Merrill Lynch, where she completed her training. After some time she moved overt to Prudential securities to become a vice-president, and then after she felt like she really knew her stuff, she resigned and founded her own financial group. [3]

After leading numerous customers and clients to financial success, demand grew for her services. In fact, demand for her services grew so fast, that her financial group became the go-to for financial advising.

Thus, in short order she became a household name, especially when she started writing books. Suze Orman has since written ten consecutive New York Times bestsellers about personal finance. She has also earned two Emmy Awards and eight Gracie Awards.

She’s also appeared as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live nearly 30 times. And she gained her greatest fame for her show on CNBC.

These days, Suze Orman still pops up on various shows or podcasts, offering her helpful insights to all who listen.

Related: Suze Orman Quotes

So, there it is. The Suze Orman story. No doubt, her journey is rife with lots of challenges and adventures, but it is also one filled with helpful advice on how everyone, including you, can navigate an eventful life where everything doesn’t goes as planned, to eventually coming out on top as a success, both financially and professionally.

That said, if if you’re looking to learn more about Suze Orman and her wonderful financial philosophy, her website is a good place to start .

PS – If you enjoyed this Suze Orman success story, then you’ll probably enjoy learning about the success journeys of fellow financial experts like Dave Ramsey or Robert Kiyosaki .

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6 Awesome Scholarship Essays That Worked

When it comes to paying for college, scholarships are the best form of financial aid, since they offer students free money that never needs to be repaid. But let’s face it: completing scholarship applications, especially the essays, can feel overwhelming. The scholarship essay is arguably the most important part of the application and should be well-thought-out. In this article, we’ll walk  through five scholarship essay examples and explain why they worked, so that you can write your own winning scholarship essays .

Here are 6 winning scholarship essay examples that worked:

Why this scholarship essay example worked:, how could this essay have been better , want more resources on writing your scholarship essay, get started with your scholarship essay.

The essay is your chance to let your personality and life experiences shine through, giving you the opportunity to stand out from other applicants.

The best way to get an idea of what scholarship committees are looking for is to look over scholarship essay examples from past winners. Take some time to analyze the writing style, think about the strong points, and consider how you can improve. Below, we’ll show you just how you might dissect a scholarship essay.

1. Going Merry Scholarship Success Story by Gabby DeMott

What’s a winning scholarship essay look like? Check out this Going Merry success story with Gabby DeMott.

ESSAY PROMPT: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

“There were only a few minutes to go and our eyes were glued to the screen. On the edge of our seats, clutching whoever happened to be next to us, we watched as the referee blew his whistle and the German players took their free kick. The ball was hit with precision and skill; it flew up over the Swedish players, past their goalie, and was caught safely in the back of the opposing team’s net. We all jumped up and screamed, a mixture of German and English, of excitement and relief, of pride and anticipation.

We stood, enraptured, for the last several minutes of the game as Germany kept its 2-1 lead over Sweden. The horde of us, Germans and Americans alike, hugged and cheered and made our way out onto the balcony, where we chanted “Deutschland! Deutschland! Deutschland!” for the whole village, the whole country, the whole world to hear. Never have I felt so accepted while being an outsider, so proud of a country that isn’t even mine, so part of something I didn’t really belong to.

My German friends didn’t care that we were from different countries; they didn’t care that we would only be staying for three weeks. They accepted us into their homes and their daily lives, their traditions and their celebrations. In watching that World Cup game, it didn’t matter that we were from different places; we were all cheering for the same team. The acceptance I felt in Germany extended beyond that living room. I came to the country on a three week exchange with ten other students from my school.

We each stayed with host families and attended the Wildermuth Gymnasium, which was surprisingly accommodating to a gaggle of loud American teenagers. The teachers were friendly and welcoming, the students treated us like ordinary peers, and even the people I interacted with in public were understanding.

Before coming to Germany I feared judgment based on my level of the language (which is nowhere near as good as the German students’ English) and American politics. It was intimidating to be in a country with limited knowledge of the language and the customs, even though everyone was welcoming. People did ask myself and the other students about the US’s political climate, but no one blamed us for it. They recognized that we were outsiders, that the place we came from had flaws, and they accepted us anyway.

Since that trip, I’ve found myself trying to provide that acceptance to people in my own country. For example, I work at a canoe livery and we receive a lot of visitors with limited English. Some of my coworkers will avoid such customers because they don’t want to take the time to explain things, to exercise patience with someone who may not understand them. If people had done this to me in Germany, my time there would have been much less enjoyable; in fact, I would have been offended.

So now when someone walks up to me at the livery and asks a question in English that isn’t perfect, I smile and welcome them. I take my time to make sure they understand, that they can have a good time, and that they feel accepted. It’s a small action, but I know firsthand that it can make a big impact, at my place of work and in the world. “

• It shares a personal story of realization. Gabby’s essay throws us right in the middle of the action in her story, from her perspective. She paints a clear picture of where she is, how she feels, and what her goals were in that moment. She then goes on to explain the unity of the German and American students to introduce other people in the essay. LESSON TO TAKE : When including additional people in an essay, introduce them early on so you can continue telling your story in an organic way.
• She reflects on her previous fears and explains how she’s moved past those to grow. In the fifth paragraph, Gabby shares how she feared judgment due to her level of the German language and American politics. As Gabby became more familiar with the host families and her German friends, she realizes they accepted her, and she relaxes. LESSON TO TAKE: Sharing a story in sequential order can help illustrate personal growth and how your character changed for the better.
• She answers the prompt and demonstrates how she’ll put her newfound knowledge in action. Once Gabby realized her German friends and host family accepted her, regardless of her fears, that sparked a realization for her when she returned home to America. Gabby concludes her essay by explaining how she’s providing that same acceptance she received in another country to acquaintances and people in her country, to be patient, help them enjoy themselves, and to welcome them.  LESSON TO TAKE : Consider concluding your essay with a wrap-up of what you learned, and how you plan to apply that lesson in your life.

2. Who is a “Good” Doctor? by Joseph Lee

Below is a winning essay from Joseph Lee, Rush Medical College for the Giva Scholarship.

ESSAY PROMPT: Who is (or what makes) a good doctor?

“Had you asked me the same question one year ago, my answer would have been vastly different to the one I will give today. In the summer of 2012, with my first year of medical school completed, I embarked upon my last official summer vacation with two things in mind: a basketball tournament in Dallas and one in Atlanta. My closest friends and I had been playing in tournaments for the past 10 summers, and it was a sacred bond forged together in the name of competition. However, two weeks before our first tournament, I became instantly and overwhelmingly short of breath. Having been born to Korean immigrant parents, I was raised to utilize the hospital in emergency cases only, and I knew this was such a case. A few scans later, doctors discovered numerous pulmonary emboli (PE), caused by a subclavian deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and just like that, I was lying in a bed of a major hospital for a life threatening condition.

Fast forward a few months, and I am lying in a similar bed to treat the underlying cause of the subclavian DVT: a first rib removal. There is little that can adequately prepare someone physically, emotionally or spiritually to undergo surgery; and my thoughts continued to race in the days following. In addition to the expected physical pain, isolation, fear and frustration were a few of the emotions I experienced in the four day ordeal. The procedure went according to plan thanks to a skilled surgeon and his team, but the attributes that made the doctor “good” went far beyond his ability to operate.

“Wow. I’m glad you are feeling better” and “I can’t believe you went through that” are common reactions people have when they see the scars on my upper chest. Quite frankly, the past nine months have been difficult, literally full of blood, sweat and tears. But through it all, I have been able to maintain my positivity and gratitude knowing that I have gained the invaluable experience of being a patient and discovering the vulnerability and trust that patients give their doctors. Patients indulge information to doctors that they may have never told anyone in their life and in doing so, place a great deal of trust and responsibility in the hands of a doctor. Many patients will not understand the mechanism of disease behind their condition and anticipate that the doctor will explain to them and their family why it is that they are feeling the way they are and ultimately heal them. And that is precisely what my surgeon understood: the privilege of being able to care for patients and the intimacy of the doctor-patient relationship. And as I awoke to the care of my worried parents, the first thing they wanted to discuss was the details of the procedure that was methodically and patiently explained to them by my “good” doctor.

In study after study, patients have reported dissatisfaction with their medical care, not because of lack of knowledge or health outcome, but because their doctors did not show enough warmth in the encounter or listen to the patient’s questions and concerns. There are few times where a patient and their loved ones are more vulnerable and in need of compassion than when dealing with a hospitalization. And for some doctors, a patient may be another item on a checklist, but that patient is someone’s mother or father, son or daughter, sister or brother. My “good” doctor understood this and would often say “If you were my son…” when discussing treatment options, reflecting on the type of care he would want for his family and treating me similarly. Such ideals are rooted in love and compassion for patients, not as clients in the health care system, but as fellow human beings striving to make something of themselves and the world around them (I).

Unfortunately, the ordeal of living with a chronic illness or undergoing a major operation extends beyond the confines of the hospital. Whether it is creditors harassing patients for medical bills, prescriptions that need to be refilled, or lifestyle modifications that need to be made, the health care experience doesn’t end when a patient walks out of the hospital doors. It often takes merely a minute, as in the case of the “good” doctor who told me that as a student I could apply to get the procedure financially covered by the hospital. Such foresight in anticipating financial concerns and directing me on the next steps to be taken provided relief in the surmounting stress.

Lastly, the “good” doctor understands that as our patients are human, so are we. This means we will make mistakes, some of which can result in life-threatening consequences. With that said, the “good” doctor practices humility and honesty, apologizing and sharing as much information with patients as possible. Although no one strives to make mistakes, they will happen, and how one reacts to them is a distinguishing feature of the “good” doctor (II).

Of all the qualities I tried to explain in what makes a “good” doctor, there was no emphasis on skill and knowledge. And while being able to fulfill the duties of making the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment plans is expected, the intangibles of love, compassion, foresight and honesty is what makes a doctor, “good”. I learned such lessons in the purest manner possible, by being a patient myself, and will use them to guide me in all future patient encounters, as I strive to be a “good” doctor.”

• It tells a captivating story. This essay immediately pulls the reader in, immersing the audience right in the story. . We want to know how Joseph’s definition of a good doctor changed and why it did so. Hooking your reader from the first sentence of your essay or even the first paragraph is a surefire way to keep your reader engaged in the story you’re telling. The story itself is also told really well, with good pacing and just enough detail to elicit empathy without causing boredom. (He could have easily given too much scientific/medical detail!)  LESSON TO TAKE : When telling an anecdote, consider how much detail is the right amount, to make it engaging.
• It’s a list, without you realizing it’s a list. After the first 2 paragraphs (which are mostly story-telling), the rest of the essay is effectively a list of ways that doctors are “good”: they recognize the intimacy and trust involved in the doctor-patient relationship (paragraphs 3-4), they anticipate future sources of patient stress (paragraph 5), and they exercise humility (paragraph 6). Joseph could have easily structured the essay simply by saying “There are 3 main things that make a doctor good” and then explaining each idea. However, that would have been much more boring! Instead, he expertly hides the list format, by couching it in an engaging story. LESSON TO TAKE: Not all list-type essays need to feel like lists.
• It’s personal and believable. Joseph takes a negative personal experience, shows what he learned from it and how it caused him to grow as a person. Sometimes essays about singular, defining moments or experiences can seem blown out of proportion and thus not credible. This one feels right: a big ordeal in his life that has therefore shifted his perspective.  LESSON TO TAKE : Consider which personal stories to tell, and make sure the “size” of the story feels right.

3. Life Happens Scholarship by Emily Trader

Here is an example of a moving scholarship essay on the topic of family loss by Emily Trader for the Life Happens award.

ESSAY PROMPT: How has the death of a parent or guardian impacted your life financially and emotionally? Be sure to describe how the loss of your parent/guardian impacted your college plans, and explain how the lack of adequate (or any) life insurance coverage has impacted your family’s financial situation.

“When I was seventeen years old, my father lost his battle with kidney failure and cardiovascular disease. As long as I shall live, I do not believe that I will ever forget the first moment I saw my father’s once vibrant face in that cold and unforgiving casket. I won’t forget his lifeless and defeated hands, or how his pale lips would never utter another joke or speak to his grandchildren. Even though the day of his funeral was undoubtedly the worst day of my life, I wish I could relive it just to be with him one more time. Since that moment, I have felt as if all of my grief and longing resides underneath my skin with nothing to relieve the pressure. On September 8th, 2016, I lost my voice of reason, my confidant, my cheerleader, and my best friend.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had lost so much more. Upon my father’s passing, he left us with funeral and medical expenses that his insurance would not cover. Because he did not have any form of life insurance, the financial burden of his death was now the responsibility of my mother and me. Even though my mother works night shifts as a neonatal nurse and her commute is nearly two hours, she was forced to pick up extra shifts to support my family. Though I already had a job and I worked about ten hours a week, I now work anywhere from twenty-five to thirty-five hours a week, and I am also a full-time high honor student. Even though the death of my father forced me to realize the importance of cherishing time with my family, I do not see them very often because of our busy schedules. I also sacrificed my social life and the joy that every senior in high school should experience. Instead of football games and homecoming, I had to deal with mourning and the possibility that I would not attend college because of my family’s financial troubles.

If my father had a life insurance policy, we would not have to work ourselves to the bone and sacrifice our physical and emotional well-being to keep up with expenses. I would not have to worry so intensely about the future of my education on top of the crippling grief that I have felt over the last five months. If this devastating experience has taught me anything, it is this: financial planning for these situations is absolutely invaluable. I will not soon forget the stress and despair that I have experienced, and I now realize that to have a life insurance policy is to throw your surviving family members a crucial lifeline. Though no one can ever prepare you for the trauma of losing a parent, life insurance allows you to grieve without the constant stress of financial burden, and for that reason, it is an absolutely essential precaution.

I love and miss you so much, Dad. Thank God I will see you again.”

• She answers the prompt . It would be easy to write an essay that just spoke to her grief, or to what her father was like and how much he meant to her. But the essay prompt asks applicants to reflect on how the loss has affected the student emotionally and financially. Emily does a great job of this, by connecting the financial parts (she and her mother needing to pick up extra hours of work), with the emotional (due to the work schedule, the family not being able to spend as much time together). She also addresses how this might affect her college plans. LESSON TO TAKE : 
• She provides (beautiful) detail. The first paragraph immediately pulls the reader in because of the detailed description she provides (“ his lifeless and defeated hands”, “pale lips” ). Similarly, the specificity of how her family is shouldering the financial burden (e.g. her working 25-to-35-hour weeks) make it feel more real rather than generic.  LESSON TO TAKE : Use details and descriptions to make something feel more emotional and tangible.
• She knows her audience . This scholarship is funded by Life Happens, an organization formed by seven leading insurance providers, in order to educate the public about important insurance planning topics. Clearly Emily researched the provider and understood that an essay that spoke to the importance of insurance planning would be well-received by the essay readers. LESSON TO TAKE : Research the scholarship provider and adjust your content to fit the organization’s or company’s mission statement (or business model).

4. Going Merry Scholarship Success Story by Jesus Adrian Arroyo-Ramirez

Jesús Adrian Arroyo-Ramirez wrote a winning scholarship essay (and video!) that he submitted on Going Merry . He earned an outstanding $40,000 through the Golden Door Scholarship.

ESSAY PROMPT: What differentiates you from the hundreds of DACA students who apply to our scholarship? Use one of those opportunities to tell us something else we cannot see just by looking at your grades, test scores, and transcripts.

“I always knew I was different than my friends in some way. Growing up, I struggled to speak English while everyone else had little to no problems. I needed extra help in school while my friends coasted by with ease. My friends would hop on planes and travel all around the world while I had to stay at home. At the age of 13 all of my friends started driving while I still couldn’t.

I built up the courage and asked my mother why I did not have access to the simple liberties everyone else did. My name Is Jesus Adrian Arroyo-Ramirez, and I was illegally brought to this country when I was just six years old. At the time I had no clue that I was breaking any laws, and I did not realize the fact that my life was going to change forever. Growing up with a different citizenship situation than my peers was and still is the biggest challenge I have to face in my life.

Looking back there is not a single thing that I would change. Knowing that I had to work harder than everyone else lead me to be the person that I am today. I took that fire inside of me, pushed myself, graduated first in my class with a cumulative 4.0 GPA, became a Kansas Scholar, and graduated High School with a semester’s worth of college credit. In November of 2016, everything began to look up for me. I received a work permit and a social security card all thanks to the DACA program. I was finally able to get my license, get a job, and most importantly attend college.

I plan to continue my success in the classroom and do everything to the best of my ability as I know that under my current circumstances it can all be ripped away from me at any moment. Growing up with my situation has taught me to not take advantage of a single opportunity. There has been continued support around me past and current and I know there are people out there rooting for my success. I will strive to be the first generation in my family to graduate from an American University and I will set a stepping stone for my future family so they will not have to struggle as I did. My citizenship is not a setback, it is a mere obstacle that I will always learn to work around if it means giving my future children a better life, just like my mother did for me.”

• He shares how hardships made him who he is today. Right off the bat, Jesus sets the tone for his essay by sharing how he struggled to speak English and that he was not given the same opportunities as his peers. He shares his mother’s explanation on why he lived a different life, along with his honesty in the challenges of growing up with a different citizenship situation than the teens around him. LESSON TO TAKE : Share personal details (as you feel comfortable), and consider including a defining memory or conversation hat contributes to your story. This can help paint a picture of your beginnings or your inspirations.
• He includes emotional details. Although Jesus grew up with hardships, he persevered and mentions he wouldn’t change anything. It may have taken a little longer than his peers to get his license, but he also excelled in school, pushed himself to graduate first in class, and take college courses on top of all that. LESSON TO TAKE : Tell your story with details, feelings, thoughts and emotions to explain where you came from and where you are now.
• He plans for the future . Jesus shared his personal story with us, and then explains how he plans to continue his success without letting anything get in the way of his path. He goes on to say his citizenship is not a setback, and that he works to provide a better life for himself and for his future children. LESSON TO TAKE : Include your plan at the end of the essay. Consider how you’ve grown and how you will bring these lessons learned with you to help your future.

5. Why College Is Important to Me by Nicole Kuznetsov

Here’s an example of a simple yet creative and heartfelt essay on the popular prompt, Why is college important to you?

ESSAY PROMPT: Why do you want to go to college? Why is it important to you?

“As a child, my life had structure. Coloring books had lines, letters took on very specific shapes, and a system of rules governed everything from board games to the classroom. I found comfort in the fact that my future had an easy-to-follow template: elementary, middle, and high school, college, job, family retirement, “happily ever after” ending. When I graduated from elementary school I was told I completed 25% of my education. During my middle school graduation, I was told I was halfway there and I know I’ll be told I’m 75% done when I throw my cap in the air this June. College was always factored into the percentage and the overall formula for life. And I never questioned its importance. I always figured it is important because it is necessary.

Going to college makes sense. From helping my parents land stable jobs after coming to America to giving my brother the chance to gain work experience at some of the top financial firms, college educations have shown their worth in my family. Yet I didn’t think about what actually goes on inside the magical universities until I entered high school. Applying to the Academy for Math, Science, and Engineering was the first time I had actively made a decision in my education. With the encouragement of my parents and favorite science teacher who recognized that I would excel in the challenging environment of like-minded students, I applied. Four years later, I can confidently say they were right.

My class of twenty-six has shown me the benefits of a collaborative rather than a competitive environment, especially the impact that camaraderie with my peers has on our collective learning experience. Each student has an inspiring level of passion and motivation that made me excited to learn, work on projects, and participate in discussions both in and out of the classroom. I used my education to gain skills and open doors for myself such as an internship at my local hospital. I gained confidence in my abilities to communicate with individuals from strangers my age to practicing professionals. I was thinking longer and harder than I ever had before to solve individual problems and large-scale challenges. In all honesty, I was having fun.

Looking back on my years at the Academy I realize how big of an impact the school made on how I view education. I wasn’t coming to school to mark another day off my calendar and inch closer to finishing the next 25%. I came to school to learn and question and push myself. Now, as a senior, I’m excited. I’m thankful for the sample that my high school gave me of what learning is supposed to be like and thankful that it left me wanting more. I’m entering college in August with a new understanding of its importance. It is important because it is what I want for my future.”

• It finds structure through chronology . This essay is basically structured like a chronological timeline: As a child, I believed this. Then I applied to this high school (my first active academic decision). Then the high school changed me. Now I’m a senior and I believe this. Not all stories are best told in time order, but the simplest stories often are. And simple stories provide structure, which scholarship committees love. LESSON TO TAKE: Consider structuring your essay like a timeline, emphasizing the milestones along the way that have led you to where you are today. 
• It is simply told . While the essay is descriptive, it doesn’t try to get fancy with overly flowery language or unnecessarily long SAT words. And that’s the strength of it. For instance, this passage [“ College was always factored into the percentage and the overall formula for life. And I never questioned its importance. I always figured it is important because it is necessary” ] explains her child’s logic in a really clear and well-written way. 
• It’s got (mostly) great topic sentences . We here at Going Merry love a good topic sentence– that is, a sentence at the beginning (or end) of a paragraph that summarizes the rest of the paragraph. It helps “signpost” the most important parts of your essay. Here, three of the four paragraphs (1, 2, and 4) have strong and concise topic sentences. “As a child, my life had structure” sets up the rest of the paragraph to explain what these structures and unquestioned rules were. “Going to college makes sense” sets up why college made sense to her parents. 

6. Financial Literacy for Hispanic Women by Rosaisha Ozoria

The inaugural Founder’s Scholarship supported by the New York Women’s Bond Club in honor of Michaela Walsh goes to two New York City public high school students who won an essay competition writing about their hopes for the future of women and girls worldwide . Winners of this scholarship won a trip to accompany Women’s World Banking to Amman, Jordan for their biennial gathering of WWB network members.

PROMPT: Write about your hopes for the future of women and girls worldwide.

WINNING ESSAY:

“Twice a week I head down to volunteer at the Los Sures Social Services office, situated next to the local senior citizen home, to help at the food pantry. We distribute food to people in my neighborhood. Many are familiar faces. Many are middle-aged Hispanic women with children dangling from their hips like grass skirts. These women are there as a result of their culture and lack of financial knowledge. In our Spanish culture, patriarchy prevents women from preparing for themselves as much as they should. This leads to Hispanic women having little or no money management skills. Financial illiteracy is a major issue in my neighborhood, and that is why I hope to give Hispanic women a chance for a better future through financial education.

While I was volunteering I met a woman who happened to live in the same building as my aunt. Unemployed with two young children, and a husband earning minimum wage at a fast food restaurant, she struggled to get by every day. I thought to myself – many in my community are just like her. Then I realized I could do something to help. How? I can start a financial literacy program, which teaches Hispanic women to earn and manage money. Once a woman becomes financially literate, she is capable of making good personal and professional decisions, empowering her to improve her family’s financial well-being. Moreover, such a program will help Hispanic women become competitive employees, even in a slow recovering economy such as the one we are experiencing now.

Participating in the 2013 Women’s World Banking Global Meeting in Amman, Jordan gives me access to invaluable resources that will help me achieve this goal. I hope to find mentors from a roomful of inspiring, experienced leaders who will offer me their guidance. Also, meeting accomplished women from other countries means access to new ideas and unique perspectives. And if I am lucky, I may even come across individuals who can provide financial support to jumpstart my financial literacy program for Hispanic women. Lastly, I will tell my idea to everyone I meet in Jordan, a baby step to help Hispanic women rise from poverty.

The world continues to change rapidly, especially with globalization. It is about time that Hispanic women strive for gender equality. Thus, it is essential that Hispanic women increase their roles and knowledge in finance. The women in my neighborhood shall no longer be left out. I will task myself to help these women become better, stronger and most importantly, take control of their lives. I want to be involved so that they can save themselves from any unforeseen financial crisis. This is a tremendous goal, but for me, it is an opportunity to make a difference – in my neighborhood and for my Spanish community.”

• There is clear structure . Right off the bat, the introduction summarizes what the reader can expect to find in the body of the essay. In particular, the closing line of the first paragraph (“ Financial illiteracy is a major issue in my neighborhood, and that is why I hope to give Hispanic women a chance for a better future through financial education”) works as an effective topic sentence, tying together the anecdote and the reason she’s interested in networking with the scholarship provider, Women’s World Banking. The last 2 paragraphs also serve clear, independent purposes: the penultimate one establishes what she would do with the scholarship (the trip to Amman), and the final paragraph explains why her particular interest is important for the larger Hispanic community. LESSON TO TAKE: Clear structure helps the reader follow your point better (especially if they’re skimming, which scholarship essay readers almost definitely are!) So include a summarizing topic sentence at the beginning or end of your first paragraph, and make sure each subsequent paragraph serves a purpose that moves forward your argument or story. 
• The author’s passion shines. Rosaisha, the scholarship winner, is clearly passionate about serving her Hispanic community of women.  And rather than simply saying that, she shows us how she cares by using personal examples from her volunteer work. LESSON TO TAKE : Show, don’t tell. Use specific personal examples, and don’t be afraid to show your emotions.
• She stays positive.   Even though Rosaisha discusses what might be considered a  difficult and personal topic, she keeps the tone light and inspirational. She expresses hope and her desire to make a change in the world, answering the essay in a positive tone.  It’s important to make sure your essay is not too depressing to read. (Essays about personal trauma are a bad idea.) This is a scholarship provider, not a therapist! 

While this was a winning essay, we note that it did have two points of weakness: 

• The second paragraph lacks a bit of structure. Her point ends up feeling a bit generic, and it’s unclear what she is thinking versus planning or actually doing . For instance, she realized she could start a financial literacy program. Did she then do so? It’s unclear. 
• The last paragraph is again a bit general. Often scholarship committees want to see what concrete steps will be taken, using the scholarship award. Here she speaks in lofty terms about what goals she hopes to accomplish, without explaining ways she might accomplish this goal. 

For more information on writing a killer scholarship essay, check out our list of helpful tips .

Also check out these related blog posts: 

• 6 tips for writing scholarship essays about academic goals
• How to write the best personal statement, with examples
• How to write an awesome essay about your career goals

You can start writing your winning scholarship essay today and submit it to thousands of scholarship applications, all in one place. Sign up for Going Merry today to put your pro scholarship essay writing skills to practice. Going Merry is your one-stop scholarship shop to search and apply for scholarships to get you on the right foot for funding your future.

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Essays on Success Story

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College Admissions , College Essays

The personal statement might just be the hardest part of your college application. Mostly this is because it has the least guidance and is the most open-ended. One way to understand what colleges are looking for when they ask you to write an essay is to check out the essays of students who already got in—college essays that actually worked. After all, they must be among the most successful of this weird literary genre.

In this article, I'll go through general guidelines for what makes great college essays great. I've also compiled an enormous list of 100+ actual sample college essays from 11 different schools. Finally, I'll break down two of these published college essay examples and explain why and how they work. With links to 177 full essays and essay excerpts , this article is a great resource for learning how to craft your own personal college admissions essay!

What Excellent College Essays Have in Common

Even though in many ways these sample college essays are very different from one other, they do share some traits you should try to emulate as you write your own essay.

Visible Signs of Planning

Building out from a narrow, concrete focus. You'll see a similar structure in many of the essays. The author starts with a very detailed story of an event or description of a person or place. After this sense-heavy imagery, the essay expands out to make a broader point about the author, and connects this very memorable experience to the author's present situation, state of mind, newfound understanding, or maturity level.

Knowing how to tell a story. Some of the experiences in these essays are one-of-a-kind. But most deal with the stuff of everyday life. What sets them apart is the way the author approaches the topic: analyzing it for drama and humor, for its moving qualities, for what it says about the author's world, and for how it connects to the author's emotional life.

Stellar Execution

A killer first sentence. You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: you have to suck the reader in, and the best place to do that is the first sentence. Great first sentences are punchy. They are like cliffhangers, setting up an exciting scene or an unusual situation with an unclear conclusion, in order to make the reader want to know more. Don't take my word for it—check out these 22 first sentences from Stanford applicants and tell me you don't want to read the rest of those essays to find out what happens!

A lively, individual voice. Writing is for readers. In this case, your reader is an admissions officer who has read thousands of essays before yours and will read thousands after. Your goal? Don't bore your reader. Use interesting descriptions, stay away from clichés, include your own offbeat observations—anything that makes this essay sounds like you and not like anyone else.

Technical correctness. No spelling mistakes, no grammar weirdness, no syntax issues, no punctuation snafus—each of these sample college essays has been formatted and proofread perfectly. If this kind of exactness is not your strong suit, you're in luck! All colleges advise applicants to have their essays looked over several times by parents, teachers, mentors, and anyone else who can spot a comma splice. Your essay must be your own work, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help polishing it.

And if you need more guidance, connect with PrepScholar's expert admissions consultants . These expert writers know exactly what college admissions committees look for in an admissions essay and chan help you craft an essay that boosts your chances of getting into your dream school.

Check out PrepScholar's Essay Editing and Coaching progra m for more details!

Links to Full College Essay Examples

Some colleges publish a selection of their favorite accepted college essays that worked, and I've put together a selection of over 100 of these.

Common App Essay Samples

Please note that some of these college essay examples may be responding to prompts that are no longer in use. The current Common App prompts are as follows:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? 4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you? 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of 177 college essay examples responding to current and past Common App essay prompts. 

Connecticut college.

• 12 Common Application essays from the classes of 2022-2025

Hamilton College

• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2026
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2022
• 7 Common Application essays from the class of 2018
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2012
• 8 Common Application essays from the class of 2007

Johns Hopkins

These essays are answers to past prompts from either the Common Application or the Coalition Application (which Johns Hopkins used to accept).

• 1 Common Application or Coalition Application essay from the class of 2026
• 6 Common Application or Coalition Application essays from the class of 2025
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2024
• 6 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2023
• 7 Common Application of Universal Application essays from the class of 2022
• 5 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2021
• 7 Common Application or Universal Application essays from the class of 2020

Essay Examples Published by Other Websites

• 2 Common Application essays ( 1st essay , 2nd essay ) from applicants admitted to Columbia

Other Sample College Essays

Here is a collection of essays that are college-specific.

Babson College

• 4 essays (and 1 video response) on "Why Babson" from the class of 2020

Emory University

• 5 essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) from the class of 2020 along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on why the essays were exceptional
• 5 more recent essay examples ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ) along with analysis from Emory admissions staff on what made these essays stand out

University of Georgia

• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2019
• 1 “strong essay” sample from 2018
• 10 Harvard essays from 2023
• 10 Harvard essays from 2022
• 10 Harvard essays from 2021
• 10 Harvard essays from 2020
• 10 Harvard essays from 2019
• 10 Harvard essays from 2018
• 6 essays from admitted MIT students

Smith College

• 6 "best gift" essays from the class of 2018

Books of College Essays

If you're looking for even more sample college essays, consider purchasing a college essay book. The best of these include dozens of essays that worked and feedback from real admissions officers.

College Essays That Made a Difference —This detailed guide from Princeton Review includes not only successful essays, but also interviews with admissions officers and full student profiles.

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson—A must for anyone aspiring to Harvard .

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays and 50 Successful Stanford Application Essays by Gen and Kelly Tanabe—For essays from other top schools, check out this venerated series, which is regularly updated with new essays.

Heavenly Essays by Janine W. Robinson—This collection from the popular blogger behind Essay Hell includes a wider range of schools, as well as helpful tips on honing your own essay.

Analyzing Great Common App Essays That Worked

I've picked two essays from the examples collected above to examine in more depth so that you can see exactly what makes a successful college essay work. Full credit for these essays goes to the original authors and the schools that published them.

Example 1: "Breaking Into Cars," by Stephen, Johns Hopkins Class of '19 (Common App Essay, 636 words long)

I had never broken into a car before.

We were in Laredo, having just finished our first day at a Habitat for Humanity work site. The Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van.

Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back.

"Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?"

"Why me?" I thought.

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. "The water's on fire! Clear a hole!" he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I'm still unconvinced about that particular lesson's practicality, my Dad's overarching message is unequivocally true: much of life is unexpected, and you have to deal with the twists and turns.

Living in my family, days rarely unfolded as planned. A bit overlooked, a little pushed around, I learned to roll with reality, negotiate a quick deal, and give the improbable a try. I don't sweat the small stuff, and I definitely don't expect perfect fairness. So what if our dining room table only has six chairs for seven people? Someone learns the importance of punctuality every night.

But more than punctuality and a special affinity for musical chairs, my family life has taught me to thrive in situations over which I have no power. Growing up, I never controlled my older siblings, but I learned how to thwart their attempts to control me. I forged alliances, and realigned them as necessary. Sometimes, I was the poor, defenseless little brother; sometimes I was the omniscient elder. Different things to different people, as the situation demanded. I learned to adapt.

Back then, these techniques were merely reactions undertaken to ensure my survival. But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The question caught me off guard, much like the question posed to me in Laredo. Then, I realized I knew the answer. I knew why the coat hanger had been handed to me.

Growing up as the middle child in my family, I was a vital participant in a thing I did not govern, in the company of people I did not choose. It's family. It's society. And often, it's chaos. You participate by letting go of the small stuff, not expecting order and perfection, and facing the unexpected with confidence, optimism, and preparedness. My family experience taught me to face a serendipitous world with confidence.

What Makes This Essay Tick?

It's very helpful to take writing apart in order to see just how it accomplishes its objectives. Stephen's essay is very effective. Let's find out why!

An Opening Line That Draws You In

In just eight words, we get: scene-setting (he is standing next to a car about to break in), the idea of crossing a boundary (he is maybe about to do an illegal thing for the first time), and a cliffhanger (we are thinking: is he going to get caught? Is he headed for a life of crime? Is he about to be scared straight?).

Great, Detailed Opening Story

More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window's seal like I'd seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame.

It's the details that really make this small experience come alive. Notice how whenever he can, Stephen uses a more specific, descriptive word in place of a more generic one. The volunteers aren't going to get food or dinner; they're going for "Texas BBQ." The coat hanger comes from "a dumpster." Stephen doesn't just move the coat hanger—he "jiggles" it.

Details also help us visualize the emotions of the people in the scene. The person who hands Stephen the coat hanger isn't just uncomfortable or nervous; he "takes a few steps back"—a description of movement that conveys feelings. Finally, the detail of actual speech makes the scene pop. Instead of writing that the other guy asked him to unlock the van, Stephen has the guy actually say his own words in a way that sounds like a teenager talking.

Turning a Specific Incident Into a Deeper Insight

Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I'd been in this type of situation before. In fact, I'd been born into this type of situation.

Stephen makes the locked car experience a meaningful illustration of how he has learned to be resourceful and ready for anything, and he also makes this turn from the specific to the broad through an elegant play on the two meanings of the word "click."

Using Concrete Examples When Making Abstract Claims

My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally.

"Unpredictability and chaos" are very abstract, not easily visualized concepts. They could also mean any number of things—violence, abandonment, poverty, mental instability. By instantly following up with highly finite and unambiguous illustrations like "family of seven" and "siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing," Stephen grounds the abstraction in something that is easy to picture: a large, noisy family.

Using Small Bits of Humor and Casual Word Choice

My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed.

Obviously, knowing how to clean burning oil is not high on the list of things every 9-year-old needs to know. To emphasize this, Stephen uses sarcasm by bringing up a situation that is clearly over-the-top: "in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed."

The humor also feels relaxed. Part of this is because he introduces it with the colloquial phrase "you know," so it sounds like he is talking to us in person. This approach also diffuses the potential discomfort of the reader with his father's strictness—since he is making jokes about it, clearly he is OK. Notice, though, that this doesn't occur very much in the essay. This helps keep the tone meaningful and serious rather than flippant.

An Ending That Stretches the Insight Into the Future

But one day this fall, Dr. Hicks, our Head of School, asked me a question that he hoped all seniors would reflect on throughout the year: "How can I participate in a thing I do not govern, in the company of people I did not choose?"

The ending of the essay reveals that Stephen's life has been one long preparation for the future. He has emerged from chaos and his dad's approach to parenting as a person who can thrive in a world that he can't control.

This connection of past experience to current maturity and self-knowledge is a key element in all successful personal essays. Colleges are very much looking for mature, self-aware applicants. These are the qualities of successful college students, who will be able to navigate the independence college classes require and the responsibility and quasi-adulthood of college life.

What Could This Essay Do Even Better?

Even the best essays aren't perfect, and even the world's greatest writers will tell you that writing is never "finished"—just "due." So what would we tweak in this essay if we could?

Replace some of the clichéd language. Stephen uses handy phrases like "twists and turns" and "don't sweat the small stuff" as a kind of shorthand for explaining his relationship to chaos and unpredictability. But using too many of these ready-made expressions runs the risk of clouding out your own voice and replacing it with something expected and boring.

Use another example from recent life. Stephen's first example (breaking into the van in Laredo) is a great illustration of being resourceful in an unexpected situation. But his essay also emphasizes that he "learned to adapt" by being "different things to different people." It would be great to see how this plays out outside his family, either in the situation in Laredo or another context.

Example 2: By Renner Kwittken, Tufts Class of '23 (Common App Essay, 645 words long)

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver. I saw it in my favorite book, Richard Scarry's "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go," and for some reason, I was absolutely obsessed with the idea of driving a giant pickle. Much to the discontent of my younger sister, I insisted that my parents read us that book as many nights as possible so we could find goldbug, a small little golden bug, on every page. I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Then I discovered a real goldbug: gold nanoparticles that can reprogram macrophages to assist in killing tumors, produce clear images of them without sacrificing the subject, and heat them to obliteration.

Suddenly the destination of my pickle was clear.

I quickly became enveloped by the world of nanomedicine; I scoured articles about liposomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, targeting ligands, and self-assembling nanoparticles, all conquering cancer in some exotic way. Completely absorbed, I set out to find a mentor to dive even deeper into these topics. After several rejections, I was immensely grateful to receive an invitation to work alongside Dr. Sangeeta Ray at Johns Hopkins.

In the lab, Dr. Ray encouraged a great amount of autonomy to design and implement my own procedures. I chose to attack a problem that affects the entire field of nanomedicine: nanoparticles consistently fail to translate from animal studies into clinical trials. Jumping off recent literature, I set out to see if a pre-dose of a common chemotherapeutic could enhance nanoparticle delivery in aggressive prostate cancer, creating three novel constructs based on three different linear polymers, each using fluorescent dye (although no gold, sorry goldbug!). Though using radioactive isotopes like Gallium and Yttrium would have been incredible, as a 17-year-old, I unfortunately wasn't allowed in the same room as these radioactive materials (even though I took a Geiger counter to a pair of shoes and found them to be slightly dangerous).

I hadn't expected my hypothesis to work, as the research project would have ideally been led across two full years. Yet while there are still many optimizations and revisions to be done, I was thrilled to find -- with completely new nanoparticles that may one day mean future trials will use particles with the initials "RK-1" -- thatcyclophosphamide did indeed increase nanoparticle delivery to the tumor in a statistically significant way.

A secondary, unexpected research project was living alone in Baltimore, a new city to me, surrounded by people much older than I. Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research. Whether in a presentation or in a casual conversation, making others interested in science is perhaps more exciting to me than the research itself. This solidified a new pursuit to angle my love for writing towards illuminating science in ways people can understand, adding value to a society that can certainly benefit from more scientific literacy.

It seems fitting that my goals are still transforming: in Scarry's book, there is not just one goldbug, there is one on every page. With each new experience, I'm learning that it isn't the goldbug itself, but rather the act of searching for the goldbugs that will encourage, shape, and refine my ever-evolving passions. Regardless of the goldbug I seek -- I know my pickle truck has just begun its journey.

Renner takes a somewhat different approach than Stephen, but their essay is just as detailed and engaging. Let's go through some of the strengths of this essay.

One Clear Governing Metaphor

This essay is ultimately about two things: Renner’s dreams and future career goals, and Renner’s philosophy on goal-setting and achieving one’s dreams.

But instead of listing off all the amazing things they’ve done to pursue their dream of working in nanomedicine, Renner tells a powerful, unique story instead. To set up the narrative, Renner opens the essay by connecting their experiences with goal-setting and dream-chasing all the way back to a memorable childhood experience:

This lighthearted–but relevant!--story about the moment when Renner first developed a passion for a specific career (“finding the goldbug”) provides an anchor point for the rest of the essay. As Renner pivots to describing their current dreams and goals–working in nanomedicine–the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” is reflected in Renner’s experiments, rejections, and new discoveries.

Though Renner tells multiple stories about their quest to “find the goldbug,” or, in other words, pursue their passion, each story is connected by a unifying theme; namely, that as we search and grow over time, our goals will transform…and that’s okay! By the end of the essay, Renner uses the metaphor of “finding the goldbug” to reiterate the relevance of the opening story:

While the earlier parts of the essay convey Renner’s core message by showing, the final, concluding paragraph sums up Renner’s insights by telling. By briefly and clearly stating the relevance of the goldbug metaphor to their own philosophy on goals and dreams, Renner demonstrates their creativity, insight, and eagerness to grow and evolve as the journey continues into college.

An Engaging, Individual Voice

This essay uses many techniques that make Renner sound genuine and make the reader feel like we already know them.

Technique #1: humor. Notice Renner's gentle and relaxed humor that lightly mocks their younger self's grand ambitions (this is different from the more sarcastic kind of humor used by Stephen in the first essay—you could never mistake one writer for the other).

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver.

I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon.

Renner gives a great example of how to use humor to your advantage in college essays. You don’t want to come off as too self-deprecating or sarcastic, but telling a lightheartedly humorous story about your younger self that also showcases how you’ve grown and changed over time can set the right tone for your entire essay.

Technique #2: intentional, eye-catching structure. The second technique is the way Renner uses a unique structure to bolster the tone and themes of their essay . The structure of your essay can have a major impact on how your ideas come across…so it’s important to give it just as much thought as the content of your essay!

For instance, Renner does a great job of using one-line paragraphs to create dramatic emphasis and to make clear transitions from one phase of the story to the next:

Suddenly the destination of my pickle car was clear.

Not only does the one-liner above signal that Renner is moving into a new phase of the narrative (their nanoparticle research experiences), it also tells the reader that this is a big moment in Renner’s story. It’s clear that Renner made a major discovery that changed the course of their goal pursuit and dream-chasing. Through structure, Renner conveys excitement and entices the reader to keep pushing forward to the next part of the story.

Technique #3: playing with syntax. The third technique is to use sentences of varying length, syntax, and structure. Most of the essay's written in standard English and uses grammatically correct sentences. However, at key moments, Renner emphasizes that the reader needs to sit up and pay attention by switching to short, colloquial, differently punctuated, and sometimes fragmented sentences.

Even with moving frequently between hotels, AirBnB's, and students' apartments, I strangely reveled in the freedom I had to enjoy my surroundings and form new friendships with graduate school students from the lab. We explored The Inner Harbor at night, attended a concert together one weekend, and even got to watch the Orioles lose (to nobody's surprise). Ironically, it's through these new friendships I discovered something unexpected: what I truly love is sharing research.

In the examples above, Renner switches adeptly between long, flowing sentences and quippy, telegraphic ones. At the same time, Renner uses these different sentence lengths intentionally. As they describe their experiences in new places, they use longer sentences to immerse the reader in the sights, smells, and sounds of those experiences. And when it’s time to get a big, key idea across, Renner switches to a short, punchy sentence to stop the reader in their tracks.

The varying syntax and sentence lengths pull the reader into the narrative and set up crucial “aha” moments when it’s most important…which is a surefire way to make any college essay stand out.

Renner's essay is very strong, but there are still a few little things that could be improved.

Connecting the research experiences to the theme of “finding the goldbug.”  The essay begins and ends with Renner’s connection to the idea of “finding the goldbug.” And while this metaphor is deftly tied into the essay’s intro and conclusion, it isn’t entirely clear what Renner’s big findings were during the research experiences that are described in the middle of the essay. It would be great to add a sentence or two stating what Renner’s big takeaways (or “goldbugs”) were from these experiences, which add more cohesion to the essay as a whole.

Give more details about discovering the world of nanomedicine. It makes sense that Renner wants to get into the details of their big research experiences as quickly as possible. After all, these are the details that show Renner’s dedication to nanomedicine! But a smoother transition from the opening pickle car/goldbug story to Renner’s “real goldbug” of nanoparticles would help the reader understand why nanoparticles became Renner’s goldbug. Finding out why Renner is so motivated to study nanomedicine–and perhaps what put them on to this field of study–would help readers fully understand why Renner chose this path in the first place.

4 Essential Tips for Writing Your Own Essay

How can you use this discussion to better your own college essay? Here are some suggestions for ways to use this resource effectively.

#1: Get Help From the Experts

Getting your college applications together takes a lot of work and can be pretty intimidatin g. Essays are even more important than ever now that admissions processes are changing and schools are going test-optional and removing diversity standards thanks to new Supreme Court rulings .  If you want certified expert help that really makes a difference, get started with  PrepScholar’s Essay Editing and Coaching program. Our program can help you put together an incredible essay from idea to completion so that your application stands out from the crowd. We've helped students get into the best colleges in the United States, including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.  If you're ready to take the next step and boost your odds of getting into your dream school, connect with our experts today .

#2: Read Other Essays to Get Ideas for Your Own

As you go through the essays we've compiled for you above, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can you explain to yourself (or someone else!) why the opening sentence works well?
• Look for the essay's detailed personal anecdote. What senses is the author describing? Can you easily picture the scene in your mind's eye?
• Find the place where this anecdote bridges into a larger insight about the author. How does the essay connect the two? How does the anecdote work as an example of the author's characteristic, trait, or skill?
• Check out the essay's tone. If it's funny, can you find the places where the humor comes from? If it's sad and moving, can you find the imagery and description of feelings that make you moved? If it's serious, can you see how word choice adds to this tone?

Make a note whenever you find an essay or part of an essay that you think was particularly well-written, and think about what you like about it . Is it funny? Does it help you really get to know the writer? Does it show what makes the writer unique? Once you have your list, keep it next to you while writing your essay to remind yourself to try and use those same techniques in your own essay.

#3: Find Your "A-Ha!" Moment

All of these essays rely on connecting with the reader through a heartfelt, highly descriptive scene from the author's life. It can either be very dramatic (did you survive a plane crash?) or it can be completely mundane (did you finally beat your dad at Scrabble?). Either way, it should be personal and revealing about you, your personality, and the way you are now that you are entering the adult world.

Check out essays by authors like John Jeremiah Sullivan , Leslie Jamison , Hanif Abdurraqib , and Esmé Weijun Wang to get more examples of how to craft a compelling personal narrative.

#4: Start Early, Revise Often

Let me level with you: the best writing isn't writing at all. It's rewriting. And in order to have time to rewrite, you have to start way before the application deadline. My advice is to write your first draft at least two months before your applications are due.

Let it sit for a few days untouched. Then come back to it with fresh eyes and think critically about what you've written. What's extra? What's missing? What is in the wrong place? What doesn't make sense? Don't be afraid to take it apart and rearrange sections. Do this several times over, and your essay will be much better for it!

For more editing tips, check out a style guide like Dreyer's English or Eats, Shoots & Leaves .

What's Next?

Still not sure which colleges you want to apply to? Our experts will show you how to make a college list that will help you choose a college that's right for you.

Interested in learning more about college essays? Check out our detailed breakdown of exactly how personal statements work in an application , some suggestions on what to avoid when writing your essay , and our guide to writing about your extracurricular activities .

Working on the rest of your application? Read what admissions officers wish applicants knew before applying .

The recommendations in this post are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Success — What is Success and How to Define It

What is Success and How to Define It

• Categories: Success

About this sample

Words: 1355 |

Published: Mar 1, 2019

Words: 1355 | Page: 1 | 7 min read

What is success?

Works cited.

• Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon & Schuster.
• Dweck, C. (2017). Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential. Robinson.
• Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company.
• Grant, A. (2013). Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success. Penguin Books.
• Hill, N. (2020). Think and Grow Rich. Independently published.
• Kipling, R. (1910). If. The National Review.
• Loehr, J., & Schwartz, T. (2003). The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. Free Press.
• Man's Search for Meaning (2006). Viktor E. Frankl. Beacon Press.
• Robbins, T. (2005). Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Financial Destiny!. Simon & Schuster.
• Tracy, B. (2004). The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible. Thomas Nelson.

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Failure and Success in Human Life Essay

Success if one of the major concerns of modern society, Nowadays, it serves as the main determiner of the significance of an individual and his/her position in society. For this reason, everyone tries to attain success and promote the further development of personality. However, there are numerous challenges a person might face while trying to improve his/her position in society. It is a complicated process that is comprised of numerous ups and downs. Besides, it is crucial to realize the fact that failure is an integral part of the life of a human being, and it helps to acquire the new experience and reconsider some approaches.

Revolving around the issue, one could remember his/her own failure. Sometimes it is rather painful and could result in disappointment and despair. Moreover, failure can make a person abandon some projects and accept his/her helplessness. As for me, I had a number of painful downs in my life, which impacted my personality and triggered a certain change process. However, at first, I was rather vulnerable, and any failure was a great tragedy. I was sure that it resulted from my inability to perform a certain kind of activity and evidenced the necessity of giving up. Yet, very soon, I realized that this approach could ruin my life and deprive me of any perspectives.

This recognition of this idea resulted in the reconsideration of my approach towards success and its main components. The fact is that failure is one of the major concerns related to the issue. However, it does not prove our weakness. It just serves as evidence that the chosen method or approach is not efficient enough to achieve the needed goal. In this regard, it is vital to analyze the main reasons that conditioned fiasco to acquire clear knowledge about the weaknesses of the plan and skill gaps. This investigation will promote a better understanding of the main vectors of the development of personality needed to become successful.

Revolving around my own experience, failures in various projects served as the positive reinforcement for me. I was not able to accept the idea that there were things not available to me. The absence of the result just evidenced the lack of preparation and the necessity of some additional effort. In this regard, the reconsideration of my personal attitude towards the issue promoted the significant improvement of my personality.

For instance, critical writing has always been one of my weak points, and I experienced a number of failures in the given sphere. Besides, realizing the necessity of writing skills and the impact they have on my further personal and professional development, I made efforts to improve this aspect. Analyzing my previous failures, I highlighted the weak points and created the plan to get rid of nagging mistakes. This fact evidences my own attitude towards failures and the necessity of their acceptance.

In conclusion, one should realize the fact that failure is not the sign of helplessness or the absence of any positive aspects. It just shows a person that he/she should work harder to attain success and contribute to his/her personal and professional development. In this regard, we should try to analyze them and determine the major concerns related to a certain issue or project as the lessons we take from failures are fundamental to later success.

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Steve Ballmer Research Paper

This essay about Steve Ballmer explores his significant contributions to the tech industry, from his early education in Detroit and Harvard to his leadership at Microsoft. It highlights his role in the company’s growth and innovation, especially during the tech boom and challenges of the new millennium. Despite criticisms of his leadership style, Ballmer’s influence is portrayed as extensive, affecting not only Microsoft but also the broader technological landscape through his initiatives in products like Windows and philanthropy in education and health.

How it works

In the grand tapestry of technological history, one luminary shines brightly: Steve Ballmer. His story transcends mere corporate success, weaving a narrative of innovation, resilience, and the ever-evolving dynamics of the tech landscape. This exploration aims to unravel the enigma of Ballmer’s journey, from his formative years as a math aficionado to his pivotal role in steering Microsoft through tumultuous seas of change.

Early Years and Intellectual Odyssey Hailing from the vibrant cityscape of Detroit, Ballmer’s upbringing was steeped in the ethos of middle-class ethos, with a penchant for numbers and a burgeoning fascination with the nascent world of technology.

His sojourn through the corridors of Harvard University culminated in a magna cum laude graduation, armed with a formidable arsenal of applied mathematics and economics, laying the foundation for his future exploits.

The Genesis of a Tech Colossus In the crucible of the 1980s, Ballmer made a momentous decision, forsaking the conventional path to immerse himself in the nascent realm of software. Joining forces with his erstwhile comrade Bill Gates, he became a linchpin in the embryonic enterprise known as Microsoft, spearheading strategic alliances and propelling the company towards unprecedented growth.

Ascension to the Throne The dawn of the new millennium heralded Ballmer’s ascent to the coveted role of CEO, succeeding the iconic Gates and inheriting the mantle of leadership in an era defined by rapid technological upheaval. His tenure at the helm marked a period of profound transformation for Microsoft, as the company pivoted towards diversification and innovation in the face of relentless competition.

Trials and Triumphs Yet, amidst the triumphs lay the crucible of adversity. Microsoft’s foray into the mobile arena proved to be a double-edged sword, while missed opportunities in emerging technologies cast shadows of doubt over Ballmer’s stewardship. Critics lambasted his leadership style as brash and confrontational, adding fuel to the flames of scrutiny.

Legacy of Innovation Nevertheless, Ballmer’s legacy transcends the confines of corporate corridors, permeating the very fabric of technological innovation. Microsoft’s indelible imprint on the digital landscape—embodied in products like Windows, Office, and Xbox—stands as a testament to his visionary zeal. Moreover, his philanthropic endeavors, underscored by a steadfast commitment to education and public health, epitomize the ethos of benevolence and altruism.

In summation, Steve Ballmer’s odyssey—from humble beginnings to tech titan—embodies the essence of human resilience and ingenuity. His impact on Microsoft and the broader tech ecosystem serves as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring innovators and leaders alike. As we navigate the ever-evolving currents of technological evolution, let us draw upon the lessons of Ballmer’s journey: that true greatness lies not in the accolades we amass but in the transformative impact we leave upon the world.

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