King’s life demonstrates how failure may lead to achievement if we learn from it.
Stephen King is a successful writer who has produced over 50 books and 200 short stories. He is currently 69 years old (born in 1947).
Richard Bachman was the pen name he used for numerous of his writings. Over 350 million copies of his novels have been sold worldwide, and some of his books have also garnered him numerous accolades.
But, as we all know, every achievement is accompanied by some failures.
And, more often than not, the losses occur at the beginning of that fantastic thing. When one can stay tough and struggle until a breakthrough occurs, success begins to emerge gradually.
King’s attitude towards rejection:
Stephen has had a passion for writing since he was a child. While still in elementary school, he began writing for fun.
His mum paid him 25 cents per item. It was an attempt to persuade King to keep writing. He had received more rejection papers than acceptance letters by the time he was a teenager.
He didn’t allow the rejections to get to him, though. What exactly did he do? He nailed his rejection slips to the wall and hung them up. However, the nail soon became too weak to support the weight of all the rejection papers. He replaced that with a spike and resumed writing.
King earned a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Maine in 1970. To sustain himself and pay for his studies, he had to take various jobs, including gas station attendant, janitor, and worker at an industrial laundry.
Stephen King used to live in a double-wide trailer with his wife and two children a few years later and drove an old car that broke down frequently. They also lacked a telephone due to financial constraints, and they were dreadful.
Journey of Carrie:
When King first began writing Carrie, he only completed three pages before quitting. However, he was overcome with depression before he could finish the script. He crumpled the pages and tossed them in the garbage can, furious.
Fortunately, his wife discovered the wrinkled sheets in the trash the next day and encouraged him to keep writing.
The book was completed nine months later. He emailed it to a list of potential publishers, and it was turned down by 30 publishers.
King received a telegram from editor Bill Thompson shortly after that, informing him that Carrie had been accepted for publication and would receive a $2500 advance.
A phone call a few months later changed everything:
Bill Thompson was on the line once more. Before telling him the news that would transform his life, he asked King if he was sitting down.
He informed him that the paperback rights belonged to Signet Books and that he would be paid $200,000. King published more than 50 books, all of which have become international bestsellers.
More than 350 million copies of his books have been printed, many of them being converted into films, television series, and comic comics.
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” _Stephen King.
There are many beautiful examples in the history of successful people who struggled but never gave up! Unless you fail at least once, you will never know what you are truly capable of.
Because with each setback, you learn… and you increase your efforts till you reach your goal. Allowing failures to pull you down and cause you to lose faith in yourself is never a good idea. Don’t squander your time moaning about your shortcomings. Please try again!
When you fail, you feel weak, but your ability to stand up and face your shortcomings defines you. People who readily give up after failing do not prosper in life.
Let one thing illuminate your path on your route to achievement, which is paved with many failures: Optimism.
