What Do All These People Have In Common?

When I’m feeling down or unsuccessful, I can take inspiration from several famous names. Here are a few, just off the top of my head:

Billy Ray Cyrus
Whoopi Goldberg
Howard Stern
Tom Joyner
Kelsey Grammer
George Lopez
J.K. Rowling
Sylvester Stallone
Paula Deen
Michael Jordan
Oprah Winfrey

They all have several things in common:

1. They’re alive. All of them are living at the time of this writing.
2. They’re rich. All of them are millionaires many times over.
3. They’re famous. All of them are household names.
4. They’re working. You can connect them to what they’re famous for.
5. They ALL overcame tremendous obstacles before becoming rich and famous.

Billy Ray Cyrus’ wife left him just before he became rich and famous for his Achy Breaky Heart.

Oscar winner and host Whoopi Goldberg admits to an early history of heroin abuse.

Howard Stern was harassed and physically beaten daily by some of his high school classmates. Two years ago, he signed a contact with Sirius satellite radio for half a billion dollars. That’s “billion”, with a “b”.

Tom Joyner was a failed TV show host before he became the multi-million dollar “fly jock”, and most influential Black broadcaster in America. In college, he quit a singing group that went on to become the Commodores. He was replaced by some guy named Lionel Richie.

Just a few years after his father had been gunned down hear his home, Kelsey Grammer was called to identify the body of his murdered sister in 1975. Kelsey, then 20 years old, became depressed and battled substance abuse for many years before, and during, his celebrated role of “Dr. Frasier Crane”.

Long before his successful comedy career, George Lopez grew up in a home so abusive he suffered kidney damage that required a transplant (from his wife!) a few years ago.

Billionaire J.K. Rowling was on welfare before her first Harry Potter book was published.

Sylvester Stallone was rejected about a thousand times and starred in a little-known porn movie to pay the bills before Rocky was born.

Paula Deen was a broke single mom on the verge of bankruptcy before she started cooking lunches for office and construction workers in her home kitchen. The rest is history.

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team because he “wasn’t good enough”. Imagine!

Oprah Winfrey was emotionally scarred by sexual abuse as a child, yet went on to become an Academy Award nominated actress, the richest woman in Black entertainment, and the second richest Black woman in the country.

What these people dealt with make my “problems” seem small.

You can probably add some people to the list if you think about it.