4 Stories of Influential People that Will Motivate You

We all know that failure can be demoralizing. It can even change how we perceive life and cause all sorts of emotional turmoil.

Sure enough, we all have different day-to-day struggles. Then again, greatness is still locked within ourselves no matter how we keep on denying it. It’s only a matter of breaking free from our cages and go down the road to greatness.

There are some people who, despite all their fears and doubts, came on top. These are the people that saw life from a more positive perspective. They see all negative criticisms and struggles as a motivational experience.

On that note, the people that are listed here are well-known because they’ve shown us how common people can attempt the impossible and end up triumphant in the end. Here are four of these people I look up to:

1. J.K Rowling

J.K Rowling, the lady behind the Harry Potter series, has one of the most inspiring stories. Before reaching the limelight as a children’s novelist, she had gone through all the pains and struggles of life.

In 1994 Rowling got herself into government-assisted welfare, got divorced and couldn’t even feed her baby just before the first Harry Potter book was published.

At the point, she experienced constant bouts of depression. When she tried to pitch her book to various publishers, she was rejected a couple of times - until Bloomsbury gave her a shot.

In 1998, her book won awards and, a few years later, it was adapted into a well-loved film series which further cemented her reputation as one of the highest-paid authors in the UK.

2. Colonel (Harland) Sanders

The man behind the world-famous fried chicken chain, Sanders himself had his fair share of turndowns. He was rejected throughout his search for a stable job until he landed at a Shell Service Station where he started cooking fried chicken.

Within 10 years of perfection, Sanders would develop his "Secret Recipe" and establish a fast-food empire. He had gone through the worse a man could endure, include the closure of his business, sleeping in his car and getting rejected about 1,000 times. Then again, the Colonel rose above these experiences and cemented his reputation as part of fast-food royalty.

3. Bill Gates

Bill Gates himself, before becoming one of the world's richest businessmen, suffered a lot of problems back in the day. He struggled with setting up his very first business. He never stopped and his hard work eventually paid off when he and his associates founded Microsoft, which is considered to be the first of many Silicon Valley giants.

4. Oprah Winfrey

One of the most influential women in the world, Oprah Winfrey experienced a lot of bad times in her life. If we're going to look at her childhood life, she faced a lot of gruesome experiences. At a young age, she was a victim of sexual abuse by the very people she was close with.

These experiences resulted in her conceiving a child who passed away two weeks later. Oprah went back with a renewed passion for life and decided to make positive changes. She finished her studies and worked her way towards T.V. stardom. She's now a worldwide sensation, a philanthropist, and an owner of her very own network.