This is one of the SADDEST stories ever told in Hollywood.

His
name is Sylvestar Stallone. One of the BIGGEST and Most famous
American Movie superstars. Back in the day,Stallone was a
struggling actor in every definition. At some point,he got so broke
that he stole his wife's jewellery and sold it. Things got so bad
that he even ended up homeless. Yes,he slept at the New York
bus station for 3 days. Unable to pay rent or afford food. His
lowest point came when he tried to sell his dog at the liquor store
to any
stranger. He didnt have money to feed the dog anymore. He sold
it at $25 only. He says he walked away crying.
Two weeks later,he saw a boxing match between Mohammed Ali
and Chuck Wepner and that match gave him the inspiration to
write the script for the famous movie,ROCKY. He wrote the
script for 20 hours! He tried to sell it and got an offer for
$125,000 for the script. But he had just ONE REQUEST. He wanted
to STAR in
the movie. He wanted to be the MAIN ACTOR. Rocky himself. But
the studio said NO. They wanted a REAL STAR.
They said he "Looked funny and talked funny". He left with his
script. Afew weeks later,the studio offered him $250,000 for the
script. He refused. They even offered $350,000. He still refused.
They wanted his movie. But NOT him. He said NO. He had to be
IN THAT MOVIE.
After a while,the studio agreed,gave him $35,000 for the script
and let him star in it! The rest is history! The movie won Best
Picture,Best Directing and Best Film Editing at the prestigious
Oscar Awards. He was even nominated for BEST ACTOR! The
Movie ROCKY was even inducted into the American National Film
Registry as one of the greatest movies ever!
And do You know the first thing he bought with the $35,000? THE
DOG HE SOLD. Yes,Stallone LOVED HIS DOG SO MUCH that he
stood at the liquor store for 3 days waiting for the man he sold
his dog to. And on the 3rd day,he saw the man coming with the
dog. Stallone explained why he sold the dog and begged for the
dog back. The man refused. Stallone offered him $100. The
man refused. He offered him $500. And the guy refused. Yes,he
refused even $1000. And,Believe it or Not,Stallone had to pay

$15,000 for the same,same dog he sold at $25 only! And he

finally got his dog back!
And today,the same Stallone who slept in the streets and sold his
dog JUST BECAUSE he couldnt even feed it anymore,is one of the
GREATEST Movie Stars who ever walked the Earth!
Being broke is BAD. Really BAD. Have You ever had a dream? A
wonderful dream? But You are too broke to implement it? Too tiny
to do it? Too small to accomplish it? Damn! I've been there too
many times!
Life is tough. Opportunities will pass you by,just because you are
a
NOBODY. People will want your products but NOT YOU. Its a tough
world. If you aint already famous,or rich or "connected",You will
find it rough.
Doors will be shut on You. People will steal your glory and crash
your hopes.You will push and push. And yet NOTHING WILL
HAPPEN.
And then your hopes will be crashed.You will be broke. Damn
broke. You will do odd jobs for survival. You will be unable to feed
yourself. And Yes,you may end up sleeping in the streets.
It happens. Yes,it does.
BUT NEVER LET THEM CRUSH THAT DREAM. Whatever happens to
You,Keep Dreaming. Even when they crush your hopes,Keep
Dreaming. Even when they turn you away,Keep Dreaming.
Even when they shut you down,Keep Dreaming.
NO ONE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF EXCEPT YOURSELF!
People will judge You by HOW you look. And by WHAT You have.
But please,Fight on! Fight for Your place in history. Fight for your
glory. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!
Even if it means selling all your clothes and sleeping with the
dogs,ITS OKAY! But AS LONG AS YOU ARE STILL ALIVE,Your STORY
IS NOT OVER. TRUST ME.
Keep Up the Fight. Keep your dreams and hope alive. Go gerrit.

Love is about feeling your best when youre in the company of

someone who cares for you despite of how you may look or how
crappy you might feel that day. Love is about knowing that you
can come home on any given day and someone will always be
looking forward to having you by her side again, just to celebrate
you for no particular reason at all.The sweetest most touching
foreword.... Everybody has a story, but when its true... We are all
one.

When I flew in to Sydney for Edwin and Juanittas pre-wedding photo session,
I was excited to meet this super bubbly couple. What was beyond my
expectation was the lesson I got from their relationship. Edwin and Juanitta
studied in Sydney, met in Sydney and started dating in Sydney. Its only
natural that they wanted to do have their session in the place where their
hearts once found a home. They are the happy-go-lucky couple, cruising
through life without a care in the world, and enjoying each others company
with every beat of their hearts. Enjoying each others company well, thats a
big thing. You see, sometimes, when we fall in love, we expect the glamorous,
hot, new, and different. We often make the mistake of preferring the flaming
feelings of infatuation to the comfort of a real home in someones heart,
because we thought it boring. But actually, thats what a relationship is all
about all the supposedly boring things that happen between the big
moments. Love is about feeling your best when youre in the company of
someone who cares for you despite of how you may look or how crappy you
might feel that day. Love is about knowing that you can come home on any
given day and someone will always be looking forward to having you by her
side again, just to celebrate you for no particular reason at all. That is love.
Thats the love lesson I got from watching Edwin and Juanitta for the few days
during their session. For them, laughing with and at each other is what makes
their everyday so colorful. They are not only lovers, they are the best of
friends. And now, they are best friends for life. Cong

In 1966, a dyslexic sixteenyearold boy dropped out

of school.
With the help of a friend, he started a magazine for
students and made money by selling advertisements
to local businesses. With only a little bit of money to

get started, he ran the operation out of the crypt

inside a local church.
Four years later, he was looking for ways to grow his
small magazine and started selling mail order records
to the students who bought the magazine. The
records sold well enough that he built his first record
store the next year. After two years of selling records,
he decided to open his own record label and
recording studio.
He rented the recording studio out to local artists,
including one named Mike Oldfield. In that small
recording studio, Oldfield created his hit song,
Tubular Bells, which became the record labels first
release. The song went on to sell over 5 million copies.
Over the next decade, the young boy grew his record
label by adding bands like the Sex Pistols, Culture
Club, and the Rolling Stones. Along the way, he
continued starting companies: an airline business,
then trains, then mobile phones, and on and on.
Almost 50 years later, there were over 400 companies
under his direction.

Today, that young boy who dropped out of school and

kept starting things despite his inexperience and lack
of knowledge is a billionaire. His name is Sir Richard
Branson.

How I Met Sir Richard Branson

A few months ago, I walked into a conference room in
Moscow, Russia and sat down ten feet from Branson.
There were 100 other people around us, but it felt like
we were having a conversation in my living room. He
was smiling and laughing. His answers seemed
unrehearsed and genuine.
At one point, he told the story of how he started
Virgin Airlines, a tale that seems to capture his entire
approach to business and life.
Heres the version he told us, as best I can remember
it:
I was in my late twenties, so I had a business, but
nobody knew who I was at the time. I was headed to
the Virgin Islands and I had a very pretty girl waiting
for me, so I was -- umm -- determined to get there on
time.

At the airport, my final flight to the Virgin Islands was

cancelled because of maintenance or something. It
was the last flight out that night. I thought this was
ridiculous, so I went and chartered a private airplane
to take me to the Virgin Islands, which I did not have
the money to do.
Then, I picked up a small blackboard, wrote Virgin
Airlines. $29. on it, and went over to the group of
people who had been on the flight that was cancelled.
I sold tickets for the rest of the seats on the charter
plane, used their money to pay for the plane, and we
all went to the Virgin Islands that night.
I took this photo right after he told that story.

Sir Richard Branson in Moscow, Russia. Photo by

James Clear.

What Makes the Difference?

After speaking with our group, Branson sat on a
panel with industry experts to talk about the future of

business.
As everyone around him was filling the air with
business buzzwords and talking about complex ideas
for mapping out our future, Branson was saying
things like: Screw it, just get on and do it.
As I looked up at that panel, I realized that the person
who sounded the most simplistic was also the only
one who was a billionaire. Which prompted me to
wonder, Whats the difference between Branson and
everyone else in the room?
Heres what I think makes all the difference:
Branson doesnt merely say things like, Screw it, just
get on and do it. He actually lives his life that way.
He drops out of school and starts a business. He signs
the Sex Pistols to his record label when everyone else
says they are too controversial. He charters a plane
when he doesnt have the money.
When everyone else balks or comes up with a good
reason for why the time isnt right, Branson gets
started.

Start Before You Feel Ready

Branson is an extreme example, but we could all learn
something from his approach.
If you want to summarize the habits of successful
people into one phrase, its this: successful people
start before they feel ready.
If there was ever someone who embodied the idea of
starting before they felt ready to do so, its Branson.
The very name of his business empire, Virgin, was
chosen because when Branson and his partners
started they were virgins when it came to business.
Branson has started so many businesses, ventures,
charities, and expeditions that its simply not possible
for him to have felt prepared, qualified, and ready to
start all of them. In fact, its unlikely that he was
qualified or prepared to start any of them.
He had never flown a plane and didnt know anything
about the engineering of planes, but he started an
airline company anyway.

If youre working on something important, then youll

never feel ready. A side effect of doing challenging
work is that youre pulled by excitement and pushed
by confusion at the same time.
Youre bound to feel uncertain, unprepared, and
unqualified. But let me assure you of this: what you
have right now is enough. You can plan, delay, and
revise all you want, but trust me, what you have now
is enough to start.
It doesn't matter if you're trying to start a business,
lose weight, write a book, or achieve any number of
goals... who you are, what you have, and what you
know right now is good enough to get going.
We all start in the same place: no money, no resources,
no contacts, no experience. The difference is that some
people the winners choose to start anyway.
No matter where you are in the world and regardless
of what youre working on, I hope youll start before
you feel ready.
And if youre having trouble getting started, then read
this article: How to Stop Procrastinating

James Clear writes at JamesClear.com, where he uses a

blend of real-world experiences and proven research to share
ideas for rethinking and improving your life. For fresh ideas
on how to live a healthy life -- both mentally and physically
-- join his free newsletter.