“Though he fall, he shall not be
utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.”—Psalm 37:24 (KJV)
In my last article,
I gave two solutions for dealing with setbacks: chip away at challenges little
by little, and wait it out. Today I am presenting four sterling examples of fighting
stereotypes to become trailblazers. These people didn’t just rise above their
labels; they tore them off.
You’ll
recognize all the names, I’m sure. One was born a slave in biblical times. Two
of the well-known modern figures began as simple martial artists; one started
out as a body builder.
Moses
In the
beginning: He was born a Hebrew slave in Egypt. When Moses was a baby, his mother
and sister conspired to get him taken into Pharaoh’s house. He was raised as royalty.
When Moses killed an Egyptian, he fled Egypt.
In the
middle: For 40 years, he lived in the wilderness.
The glorious
end: The prophet was brought back to lead the Israelites out of 400 years of bondage.
He had many setbacks, including a lack of confidence (possible depression) and the
disobedience of those he was with.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (a.k.a. Arnie
[You know you’re really famous when
people define you by only your first name, or a nickname] b. 1947)
In the
beginning: He was born in Austria. He
was a famous body builder. Some individuals told him his accent was so thick,
he’d never go beyond body building.
In the
middle: He expanded into acting. Arnold starred in the Terminator and Conan the
Barbarian movie series. In 1987, he expanded into romance and comedy with Kindergarten Cop.
More
recently: Mr. Schwarzenegger showed his comedic talent in the film, Around the World in 80 Days. He is a savvy businessman with a hefty
financial portfolio. He’s an owner of the restaurant, Planet Hollywood. Arnie
may best be known as the former governor of California.
Jackie Chan (b. 1954)
In the
beginning: Mr. Chan was born in Hong Kong. He became well known there for his
martial arts films.
In the
middle: His career enlarged beyond Asia. He did the Rush Hour movie series with Chris Tucker. He became known for his comedic
timing, stunts, and improvised weapons.
More
recently: He added depth to his cinematic credits with remakes of The Karate Kid and Around the World in 80 Days.
His latest films delve into mystery and break all molds. 2016’s highest paid
actor in the world is also a philanthropist and an operatically-trained singer.
He even sings the theme songs for some of his movies.
Bruce Lee (1940-1973)
In the
beginning: This icon of martial arts was also born in Hong Kong. He, too, was
successful there before he was able to break out of the Asian film market. Lee’s
early movies were predictable and thematic. They were solely about martial
arts. The simple plots involved the martial arts master helping the good guys
win against ridiculous odds. His voice was dubbed.
In the
middle: His films became more
complicated. He landed the stereotypical
role of Cato in the television show, “The Green Hornet”. Lee also expected to land the lead role of
Kwai Chang Caine in the TV series, “Kung Fu”, but it went to David Carradine.
He married a white American lady, which was uncommon at that time. They encountered
tremendous opposition.
In the end:
Lee has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His personal style of martial
arts and philosophy of life have been passed down through the generations.
Quotes on Never Admitting Defeat from
Bruce Lee
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000
kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
************
“Don’t fear failure.—Not failure, but
low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”
************
“Defeat is a state of mind; no one is
ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.”
My Conclusion
People may
not have always believed in you. Naysayers may have spoken discouraging words,
such as:
- “Seriously? You can’t do this.”
- “You don’t have enough of that.”
- “Accept your limitations.”
Don’t listen
to them! Some of the most influential individuals in the world have torn off
hundreds of labels to rise out of obscurity.
Related Posts
Are you refusing to restrict your
capabilities?
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