Quote: JK Rowling on self-esteem

The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. 

-- JK Rowling

Quote: Plutarch on self-change

What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality 

-- Plutarch 

Before they were famous: JK Rowling

Reading on the life of JK Rowling was inspiring.  Her life spins a story of an ordinary woman with all the same weaknesses, foibles and fears that plague the most basic elements of our human nature, but one who has risen above all its pettiness to attain the purest expression of what our humanness is capable of achieving, i.e., the power to imagine, create, and persevere in the face of adversity.

In front of the camera, the public mostly sees the glamorous, perfect lives of the rich and famous, but in truth, many famous people had to suffer years of failures and hardships to achieve their dreams, in Rowling's case, it was seven years of it!

The Seven Dark Years of JK Rowling 

The first Harry Potter book took 7 years to complete, from its inception to actually getting it published. And in those long years, Rowling would suffer poverty, death of a loved one, a failed marriage, emotional trauma, rejection and depression.  But ultimately, there was light at the end of that long tunnel, where she found her own voice and inner strength to emerge, perhaps battle worn, but triumphant in overcoming her life's adversities.

Inspirational video: JK Rowling Harvard Commencement Speech

Be inspired by JK Rowlings words of wisdom about the "benefits of failure", and the power of imagination.  

Quote: JK Rowling on failure

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not lived at all 

-- JK Rowling 

Quote: James Cameron on setting goals

If you set your goals ridiculously high and its a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success 

-- James Cameron

James Cameron's secret to success

James Cameron may not actually be the "king of the world", but he's certainly accomplished some amazing things in his life: he's an A-list film producer, director, and screenplay writer, directing pioneering movies such as The Terminator, Titanic, and Avatar. A mixture of dreamy-eyed romantic meets computer-geek, Cameron has pushed the frontiers of CG cinemetics.

But few know that before he became Mr. Hollywood big-shot, he started out as a college dropout making ends meet by trucking.  But that didn't stop Cameron from fulfilling his star-filled destiny.

How did Cameron achieve success?  

                                        Guts, Grits, and Passion