Colonel Harland Sanders

More than 2 billion “finger lickin’ good” chicken dinners are served every year in over 80 countries around the world. It all began when an entrepreneur in his sixties, living on social security, had faith in his idea. Born 9 September 1890, Harland Sanders learned how to cook when he was six. His father had just died, his mother was forced to work, and it fell to Harland to put meals on the table. He started working at 12, first on a farm, then as a streetcar conductor, a 16 year-old soldier in Cuba, and a railroad fireman. He studied law by correspondence, sold insurance and tyres, operated an Ohio River steamboat ferry, and ran gas stations.

When he was 40, Sanders began cooking for hungry travelers at his gas station in Corbin, Kentucky, serving their meals at the dining table in his own living quarters. Soon people came just for the food and he opened a 142-seat restaurant across the road. Over the nine years, he perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and the basic cooking technique that is still used today. His fame grew. He was made a Kentucky Colonel in 1935 for his contribution to the State’s cuisine. But when a new interstate highway bypassed Corbin in the early 1950s, Colonel Sanders was forced to sell up. After paying off his depts, he was reduced to living on his $105 social security cheques.

But the Colonel had a vision: confident of his fried chicken formula, he started franchising his recipe in 1952. The 65 year-old drove across America, cooking batches of chicken for restaurant owners. If they liked what they tasted, he did a handshake agreement that he would be paid a nickel for each chicken they cooked and sold. By 1964 the sprightly Colonel had more than 600 franchised outlets in the US and Canada, and sold his interest for $2 million to a group of investors. He stayed on as public spokesman and by 1976 he was ranked the world’s second most recognizable celebrity.

Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation went public in 1966. In 1971 it was acquired by Heublein, Inc. for $285 million, which in turn was acquired by tobacco giant RJ Reynolds. The Colonel still travelled 250,000 miles a year visiting the KFC empire he founded until his death at the age of 90 in 1980. In October 1986 PepsiCo, Inc. acquired KFC for $840 million.

Levi Strauss

Levi Strauss came to fame when he decided to sell clothing and supplies to prospectors in the Californian Gold Rush. He headed west to San Francisco in 1850 with a load of “dry goods”. He soon sold out of pants, and with business booming decided to make work trousers out of the canvas he’d brought to sell for tents and covered wagons. Canvas, he figured, could survive the rough conditions of the California Rockies. His first pants were cut from sailcloth, but while they wore superbly they abraded his customer’s skin.

And that is when opportunity knocked. Strauss switched to a tough blue yarn cross-woven with white called denim, softer and more comfortable than canvas but almost as tough. He then nailed copper rivets at the seam junctions to guarantee they wouldn’t come apart under stress.

While most prospectors went home empty-handed, Levi Strauss had struck gold. His blue jeans soon traveled all over America and on to Europe. By the turn of the century, Levi Strauss was the largest producer of branded clothing in the world. First worn by working men and cowboys, American culture took Levi’s to its heart in the 1950s and 1960s.

Duncan Black and Alonzo G. Decker

They proved how the power of a great idea could change an entrepreneur’s fortunes. They started off manufacturing some rather unusual pieces of machinery in Baltimore. Machines that put caps on milk bottles were one line; currency cutters for the US Mint were another. Then they made history. In 1916, they invented the world’s first portable electric hand drill. Black and Decker revolutionized life for builders and home handymen, Their finest achievement came on the Apollo 15 space mission: a Black and Decker Drill dug out the first samples from the surface of the moon.

King C. Gillette

King C. Gillette was born in 1855 in Chicago, and named after a prominent judge who was a family friend. The young man became a traveling salesman. In 1891 he went to work for William Painter, the man who had invented the cork-lined bottle cap. Painter suggested that Gillette should invent “something that once used is thrown away, so the customer comes back for more.” Inspired, young Gillette looked for an opportunity.

In those days, most American men went to barbers for a shave. Long, “cut-throat” razors were used which lasted indefinitely and were stropped on leather straps to keep their cutting edges sharp. Gillette, who spent a lot of time travelling and shaving on swaying trains, concluded that all he had to do was perfect the cutting edge of a razor in a smaller, safer form. By 1899 he had designed a compact razor blade holder with disposable blades. He found a partner, engineer William Nickerson, who perfected a blade from ribbon steel.

In 1903 the Gillette razor was launched. (Nickerson decline publicity because he felt that his name was inappropriate for a safety razor!) They charged $5 for the ‘handle’ and $1.20 for twenty blades. It sold so well they reduced the number of blades in a pack to 12 and sold them for $1, effectively increasing their profit margin by 40%.

Most of this profit went into advertising. Gillette’s face appeared on the packaging and in the ads which he wrote himself. In 1903 he had sold 51 razors and 168 blades. By 1917, he was selling 120 million blades a year. By 1920s, Gillette had perfected its mass marketing technique: the “handles” were basically sold at cost, thus encouraging every man to shave himself daily, and the company lived off the sales and profits of its famous blue blades.

Want to get more inspired? Read my post under the category Inspiration/Motivation.

Recently I came across an article that summarizes 3 amazing success stories of real-life. I felt extremely motivated after reading this article, and I believe that you will be the same.

Oprah Winfrey – Street urchin to talk show host extraordinary

What would you say of a child who was born to a single 13-year-old mother who was struggling to survive on the streets? What would you say if I told you that this child became the victim of multiple physical and sexual abuses before the age of thirteen herself? She later became pregnant and gave birth to a still-born baby.

She often got into trouble with the law before the age of fifteen. You wouldn’t bet too much hope on her future would you? What if I told you that this person was Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest and most successful women in the United States? And she is an Afro-American as well. Before this, I have also posted about Oprah Winfrey, you can read the full cover story here, very inspiring, The Oprah Winfrey Success Story.

Superman to Paraplegic…and now an Inspiration to all

Now, think of Christopher Reeve. Many of us remember Reeves as invincible Superman. He not only had super strength but super powers, he could literally fly. More than that, Christopher Reeve had the fantastic physique to make the role he played to super stardom, magical and believable.

Then, in 1994, a tragic horse riding accident left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down for life! Initially, the meaning he attached to the accident was that his life was over and that he would be a burden to everyone.

Utterly depressed Reeve wanted his doctors to take him off life support and allow him to die. It was his wife who asked him to give himself (and his family) two years. If, at the end of the two years, he felt the same way, they would find a way to let him go.

But as Reeve‘s rehabilitation began, surrounded by his very loving and supportive family and friends, he started to attach a totally different meaning to his disability. He began to see that he (because of his fame) could become an inspiration and symbol to all those who are suffering from various disabilities, and who have lost hope.

The meaning he gave to his experience put him in a resourceful state. As he continued to bear his massive disability stoically and improve, bit by bit, he started to write what went to become a best-selling book called ‘Nothing is Impossible’.

Though imprisoned in his body, Reeve gave hundreds of moving speeches and inspiring seminars; he even directed a movie and won an academy award.

Millions around the world have been inspired by Reeve indomitable spirit and he has raised millions through the Christopher Reeve foundation.

Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope

Heard of Terry Fox, Canadian marathon runner? Well, at 18 Terry was diagnosed with cancer and had to have his right leg amputated. Most people would see this as a tragedy and never, in their wildest dreams, would they see themselves running. Not Terry Fox.

This courageous man decided that he would use this experience to raise money for cancer research and make a difference to all cancer sufferers. So, despite having only one leg, Terry started to run across Canada to raise a million dollars.

Sadly, half way through his journey, Terry contracted another cancer, this time in his lungs. He was forced to stop his run and died on June 28, 1981. However, because of the inspiration that his courage had created, he raised over US$24 million for his cause.

Today, over $330 million has been raised around the world through the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope.

In all of our lives, there will always come a time when things seem unfair, that no matter how hard we work for something, we did not get what we believed we deserved. It may even be a terrible tragedy. Many people allow events such as these to destroy their self-esteem, their faith and belief about themselves and the essential goodness of others.

If you let all the events that are happening around you control your life, then you will never EVER achieve any success. You have to control and take charge of your life. Sometimes, even if something terrible happens to you, you may still choose to look at it from the brighter side. This is a post that can change your life forever, Event + Response = Outcome.

Today, I’m going to share a very inspiring story with you. I believe that this real-life story can motivates you and inspires you to take even more actions in your life. After I read this story, I felt that I’m not using my full potential in life, and I’m so motivated after reading it.

Have you ever heard of this woman, maybe you have but you didn’t know of her background. This woman was born to an unwed 13 year old mother. Alright, with no father, because her mother was raped and she was the result of the rape. Now if you think of a woman like that would you think that she would have a bright future? Probably not.

So when she was born she was abandoned by her mother. She had no family and she was adopted. But to her misfortune when she was adopted the people who adopted her were irresponsible, were very cruel, they sexually and physically abused her over a period of 15 years. She was forced to take drugs, she was sent to a juvenile home for delinquency.

She went in and out of rehabilitation for cocaine abuse. She was forced to steal. But the sad and ironic thing is this. At 13 year old herself, she was also raped. She got pregnant and she gave birth to a still born child. Now as I told you the story of this woman, would you feel sorry for her? A lot of us would. And let’s say today this woman is a complete wreck, totally depressed, on drugs, would you blame her? A lot of people won’t blame her, they will say it’s not her fault it is the environment.

But what if I tell you what happened to this woman today, she is one of the most successful respected and wealthiest women in the world today. Oprah Winfrey. Have you ever heard of Oprah Winfrey. How many of you have watched her show Oprah Prime Time? Is it inspiring? And on the show she talks about things that inspire people. She talks about social issues; she interviews celebrities like Bill Clinton, Tom Cruise etc.

But that was not how she started. When she started her talk show ten years ago she was a nobody, and being a black woman there was a lot of racism. And when she first started her talk shows, do you know who she interviewed? She interviewed people who had been raped, people who went through emotional trauma. People, who are divorced, people who have attempted suicide. And during her 1 hour talk show, she would inspire and counsel them. And people who have attended her talk show, they would say, “My life is better after talking to her and I will conquer the world”.

And when people saw her show on TV that’s how they became inspired and that’s how she also became as famous as Oprah. The woman can change lives. And recently someone interviewed her. And they asked her, Oprah, what gave you the ability to do what you do today? You know what she said?

It’s because of what happened to me last time. She says it’s because of my tough childhood because of the pain that I went through that it has made me a very strong woman. And today nothing can shake my foundation.

And she said when I look at the difficult issues at society, when I look at people suffering, I can talk about it, and I can connect with all these people, why? Because I can empathize, I was there before. And I can use my life as a role model to change their lives. That’s why I am Oprah Winfrey. So successful people they all believe one thing, it’s not what happens to us that defines who we become. It’s what we choose to do about it. And she also said one thing that really inspired me.

“Whatever happens to us, it happened for a reason.”

Do you believe that things happen for a reason? I don’t know about you, but I believe that everything in life happens for a reason. The worst things that happen to us happen for a reason. But the question is what the reason we want to give ourselves. Do we say for ourselves it is a curse? Or do we say to ourselves that it is a test? (“Why” Is More Important Than “How”)

I will leave this inspiring story for you to digest the meaning in it now. You have to find out the reason for yourself, only you will know why. I hope that this story inspires you as well. So if you were born ‘luckier’ than Oprah today, then make sure that you use your full potential to achieve amazing results in your life. You can also read this post of mine, The Commitment of Sylvester Stallone.

I don’t know whether you notice this, many successful people out there face a lot of setbacks before they actually achieve the amazing success they deserve. If you study the life stories of well-known people like, Sylvester Stallone, Richard Branson and Donald Trump, their tremendous success came only after the result of huge setbacks. Does this mean that you will have to go through failure first before you can achieve the success you wanted?

Well, everyone has their own thinking and mindset, for me, yes. You will need to fail first before you can achieve any amazing results. Did you think that Thomas Edison successfully invented the light bulb in just one try? He failed more than 10,000 times! What about everyone’s favorite, Robert Kiyosaki? Yes, he failed too before he finally achieves the financial level that he wanted. What does this mean? I guess, it means that life is throwing us failures, just to try out how committed we are toward the things that we want. So if you past this test of life, you will be rewards with what you want.

The Story of How Failure Transform Donald Trump Into Billionaire

In the early 1980s, American property tycoon, Donald Trump was riding high after a series of savvy property deals that allowed him to own a lot of the most sought after property in New York. He was personally worth almost a billion dollars at that time. It was also during this high time in his life that he wrote a book, ‘The Art of The Deal’. But the late 80s saw a worldwide recession that caused property prices to plunge and tumble. Within weeks, his best friends and he lost their entire fortune. From a billion dollars, he found himself approximately 750 million dollars in debt.

Many of his business partners suffered the same fate and took their own lives. It was at the lowest point of his life that his wife, Ivana Trump, instead of rallying behind her husband, filed for divorce and forced him to pay her off. But Trump decided to respond in a way that continued to empower him. He was going to turn things around no matter what. Within a year of shrewd business maneuvering, he turned things around and made around 3 billion dollars.

So you can see now, how failure can bring you to your goals. Here is a question that you should ask yourself before you keep on. “Do you think that Donald Trump can achieve the same results if he did not go through that disastrous experience?” Frankly, I don’t think so. A lot of things are going to change if he did not go through all those failures. This means that it is the failure that brings Donald Trump to success!

You Always Have A Choice

This is what, many people will give up and never ever attempt anything again whenever they face setbacks just a Barracuda. Only a small percentage of people who use the failures, challenges and setbacks as their stepping stone to achieve their goals. These people are those who are committed, they will do whatever it takes to be successful and they won’t give up even when they face the most unwanted situation in their life. This is the thing that you should learn today. Learn how to make use of failures, setbacks and challenges as lessons, and move on to the next level.

How we want to interpret these failures and setbacks is simply a matter of choice on our part. We always have a choice. You can choose to change your strategy and continue to strive for success or you can choose to give up and never to touch about it anymore. It is all in your hands. So make the right choice. There are always going to be times in our lives when life puts us to the ultimate test. If you can cope with it, then you will be rewarded with amazing fruits.

If you want motivation tips, read this, The 6 Motivation Tips That Never Fail.