Most don’t come from wealth or fame…most work for wealth or fame
Most of us didn’t grow up in luxury and we certainly didn’t have a say in who our parents were or what level of success they reached in their lives. Even though we had no control or say over our beginnings, many use their past as an excuse to prevent them from achieving their future.
We plot our own course in life
Nonetheless, in spite of our humble beginnings, we can make the decision and take the action to end up where we want to be in our life.
An example of BIG dreams and BIGGER accomplishments
Many years ago on a desolate beach near Barranquilla, Colombia, a young girl would spend her Sundays dreaming about her future. Those weekend trips were the backdrop for her thoughts of traveling to foreign countries and becoming a well-known celebrity.
An unlikely place for fame to germinate and grow
This seemed an unlikely place for a child to grow up and become a superstar in the entertainment world. Just a childhood thought you may say? Well, after years of holding these lofty thoughts in her mind, they manifested on a large scale for Isabel Mebarak Ripoll. Miss Ripoll, better known to the world as Shakira, became a successful singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, actress and philanthropist as a result of her thoughts. Shakira could have used her humble beginnings as an excuse for remaining in a life of poverty…thankfully, she didn’t.
Poor beginnings wasn’t an excuse
Then there’s the amazing story of the most successful jockey in history who was inducted into The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958. Edward (Eddie) Arcaro was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1916, the son of a poor taxi driver. Although he had very poor beginnings, he didn’t let anything stand in his way of success.
100 defeats before 1 victory
When he started his career as a jockey he lost the first 100 races he entered. During his early days, he broke bones and never crossed the finish line first, nevertheless, he still hung-on tenaciously to his dreams.
An amazing career
Eddie’s career spanned 30 years and during that time he won 4779 races and notched up the highest earnings of any jockey to date. He also won The Kentucky Derby five times and The Triple Crown of Racing twice, in 1941 and again in 1948. Eddie Arcaro didn’t let his early life take away his future dreams.
Your present doesn’t dictate your future
We have read that many super stars grew-up in poverty and virtually had nothing, living in a bad part of town with a single parent and having no food, no money, and no heat in the winter time to keep them warm. If they would have let the reality of the moment take over their dreams, they never would have made it to be the legends we admire.
Create your future…by choice, not by default
Some of us are creating a future by choice while others are creating a future by default. Don’t use the past as an excuse for your present or your future. Plot your own course for success and don’t allow excuses to get in your way for the future you deserve.