Dear Steemers,
Today, I met my past.
And I discovered something you will enjoy. It is what I found out a couple of years ago while reading blogs. I don't remember who talked about it first, or what the article was about...
But a part of me was changed.
In fact, it is the reason I started blogging.
Because I remember this lady from that article. She was somewhat successful and her picture captured my attention.
Her name is C.J. Walker and here she is:
And let me tell you, this lady could have...
Because:
First, from what I remember, she was selling hair products door-to-door.
I just know she was successful, so I decided to check her out.
And here's what I found:
Walker was born in Louisiana.
Poor.
On a farm.
In 1865.
Now this wasn't a good time especially if you are:
- A woman
- African American
Add to that, there were plenty of other challenges.
Walker's parents were slaves.
Then she lost her mom at the age of 5.
Two years later, her dad passed away.
At the age of 7, she was an orphan.
Age 10, started working.
At 14, married.
And mother at 17.
Then a widow at 20.
Jeez.
Life was never easy for her. And to support her daughter, she worked several hours long, picking cottons, to earn $2 a day.
And if you thought you had it rough, let me tell you:
At the age of 24, Walker developed a condition that made her hairs weak.
She started balding.
Can you imagine?
Having gone through all this, the last thing you want is to lose your hairs.
She faced it all.
And in times like this, all that matters is your courage, isn't it?
Perhaps your determination.
Then your willpower.
And it looked like Walker had it in her.
And so she looked for a solution to fix this problem. First, she started by observing the possible solutions out there.
And next, she discovered what was wrong with these solutions.
Then, like an entrepreneur, she invented her own solution, which later turned into a hair product.
Her. Own. Hair. Product.
Amazing, isn't it?
Yet Walker never had any much money.
No big budget to promote.
So she looked beyond that....
And did what most never do:
Imagine the number of times she knocked on those doors.
The number of times she was rejected?
Even insulted?
And I am betting even threatened back in those days.
But that never stopped her.
She knocked one door after the another.
Took rejections.
Insults.
And threats.
Yet kept moving...
To the point that she sold more hair products than possible...
And setup her own factories.
One after the another.
Which made her the:
Here's Walker again:
What a story, isn't it?
She made a million bucks.
All by herself.
Held her head high...
Moved forward despite those battles...
Threw her past behind...
And created newer opportunities.
All while smiling.
As I think about it, I am reminded of my mother.
Both faced their fears.
Fought their challenges.
And rewrote their destiny.
Like many wonderful women in this world, they truly are:
Which brings me to the point:
We should have absolutely NO excuse for failure...
Because if we have to strive for something in life, let's strive for success.
Yeah, sure, failure is part of life.
We all fail.
Heck, I have failed many times.
I failed to please people.
Failed to write... and was called illiterate.
Failed to work on projects...
Failed to scale my operations....
And failed at hundreds of things...
But you know what?
It isn't the failure that holds us back:
That truly matters.
Most cling onto failures for a lifetime.
In fact the other day, a friend said his dad was depressed since 2000.
Reason?
Business partner cheated.
No one said it's easy...
But get up.
Look up.
And keep walking.
That's all there is to life. And this is the only message I wish to share with you...
Because if you ever felt life was unfair to you, and things are not working out as you once wished, while hoping for a change...
Then remember these four words:
Now is the time....
To change.
To face fears.
To work harder.
And to knock on those doors.
With this, I hope and wish you enjoy these valuable lessons.
I hope and wish you achieve everything you wished for.
And I hope and wish you will chase your dreams now.
With a BIG smile on your face....
Like I am having one right now writing this article, with fever and eye infection by my side...
Cheers,
Sid