Many celebs start their careers with menial jobs, discovered their destiny after blundering through diverse career paths, find success when others are retiring, never went to college, struggled to earn some money, and worked multiple jobs while fighting the world which had written them off. So what better source for career advice than the biggest stars today?
Bill Gates: Never stop learning
He is 63, founded a very successful company that changed our world. He, with wife Melinda, also heads the largest private charity in the world. Though wealthy, intelligent and a great success, he is constantly expanding his educational horizons. During his college days, he attended classes not enrolled in, and studied more than his peers, getting mostly A’s. His passion for learning is vast and the global education sector is a major recipient of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s funds.
J.K. Rowling: Believe in creating a better world
J.K. Rowling the creator of the most successful literary Universes, (not to forget the super-popular cinematic gems of Harry Potter it spawned) was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. How Potter’s world inspired her when she was at the nadir of her life, is well known. She worked hard for her huge success, going from welfare recipient to become the very first billionaire writer. She never desisted from helping others. In 2012 alone, she donated a whopping $160 million to charity, as she believes in a better world. A world she can create. A world she created in her books, bringing her success.
Mindy Kaling: Create your own place
Take destiny into your own hands and write your own part though you work harder. You assess your strengths and if you identify them, none can stop you. When Kaling started out, others advised about who she was and what she could do and should not do. Among them was her first agent who harped on her to lose weight, else nobody would cast her. But Kaling, with immense self-confidence, cast negativity aside along with her agent, and charted her own future in the entertainment industry.
Idris Elba: You are your own biggest competition
Idris Elba knew hardship growing up at London’s Canning Town, among the most underprivileged areas in UK. At school he discovered a passion for acting. To support his dreams of becoming an actor, he worked as a DJ, a cold caller, in auto shops and even in night shifts in a Ford factory. At 30, his major break came with HBO’s ‘The Wire’, but worked hard at his ambitions. He charted his path, never competing with others, and defeated his own limitations, such as trying to learn an American accent for three years or feeling insecure about his humble beginnings. You make your own luck, and you work hard to keep it.
Amy Poehler: Know your potential and recognize your limits
Amy Poehler is one of Saturday Night Live’s most successful stars, a brand name in Hollywood, having steadily worked her way to the top and never ceased learned. She believes in never accepting limits to success by remaining open to new and potentially scary things. But belief in your potential never stops short of recognizing your limitations. Always admit if you are wrong, and never argue just to win, especially if others know better.