Surviving the Rags to Get to the Riches

Celebrity Advice on how they Stayed Afloat before Success

Jerry Seinfeld, the multi-millionaire of the Seinfeld fame, was a light-bulb salesman before making it as a celebrated New York stand-up act.

Amy Adams, like many other aspiring actresses, was bussing tables as a hooters waitress before being an academy award nominated actress.

Madonna, the queen of pop, was making ends meet by working at a Dunkin Donuts while waiting for her break.

Ozzy Osbourne, the consummate rocker, got his musical break while working at a slaughter house in England.

Tom Cruise, the famed superstar/actor from Top Gun, Risky Business and jumping on Oprah’s couch, was a Bellhop at a hotel.

America’s sweetheart, Jennifer Aniston, did quite a few odd jobs to support herself like waitress-ing and cleaning toilet bowls before she became the movie-star she is today.

Tom Hanks, one of the most recognizable and loved movie-stars across the globe, had humble beginnings selling popcorn and peanuts at a coliseum in Oakland.

Hugh Jackman, the talented Tony winning actor and movie star, earned his living as a party clown before making it big.

The notorious hunk Warren Beatty was a professional rat catcher before making it as a hearth throb of millions.

The golden boy living the all American dream, Brad Pitt, was once a limo driver in Hollywood chaperoning and driving strippers across town.

These are only a few of the plethora of celebrities that have had to keep afloat doing odd jobs whilst they were looking for their proverbial “big break.” If it was easy to live a life of fame and comfort wouldn’t everyone have it but as we all know that is not how it works. There are a lot of blood, sweat and talent involved in getting to a point of prestige in a culture and society.

There are a number of us going through the same struggles of making ends meet like the glitterati did when they were living anonymous lives and they did. Unless you are born a prince or a princess, you need to learn to struggle to make your dreams come true and have your talent recognized. Survival of the fittest is more a testament of the practical world that we would ever like to admit.

To keep them motivated and focused on a life of success that was yet to be most celebrities had to put up with buildings of cards stacked against them. This is why we have put together this article to give you an insight into what these celebs did to keep it together and what will help you to.

What these famous faces did to beat the drone of a 9 to 5 job might just be what you need to get through the days before you become a fixture of popular society. Some nuggets of advice that celebrities have shared through interviews and other forums have all been concentrated to give you a comprehensive look at what it takes to make it.

1. Motivation

The single most important thing, we found, that kept the now famous celebrities going was the right motivation. Motivation drives a person’s belief system and their confidence to achieve amazing things at least that is what celebrities tell us.

Take Sarah Jessica Parker, she started her acting career early, starring as Annie on Broadway she says that ever since she got that first taste of fame it drove her through years of hard work to get to her goal of becoming a successful actress. If that is not motivation, what is?

The famous rapper Eminem, even tried killing himself after his first album bombed but his motivation came from giving his daughter a better life than he had. That is what drove him to pour his frustrations in ‘Slim Shady’ while supporting his mother, daughter and then girlfriend Kim Mathers.

Motivation is a powerful thing and working a lot of odd jobs to make ends meet so that you can make your dreams come true is a small price to pay. Just keep yourself motivated and know what you are doing all the work for.

2. Talent

A critical self-assessment of talent and your strong points is a must if you are to succeed at achieving any sort of fame. As an illustration, imagine taking expensive vocal/singing lessons and not getting anywhere after auditions when your real talent lies in dancing or playing an instrument can be detrimental to both your career and your self-esteem.

One of the biggest names in pop music for decades Madonna, her name synonymous with success in the music industry says her fame is based on both her talent and her personality. In her own words, “If I weren’t as talented as I am ambitious, I would be a gross monstrosity.”

3. Confidence

“I am beautiful, famous and gorgeous.” – Anna Kournikova

You might have heard, “confidence is sexy” in many movies, TV shows and commercials and there is a lot of truth to that. Confidence is a very attractive attribute to have in your arsenal when you are starting out. Its just not enough to have talent, to be successful in a dog eat dog world you need to believe in that talent and your ability to make it.

Though most celebrities think it’s a tight rope between confidence and humility that is both admired and often meets with success. Fame is not for wall-flowers and Lady Gaga in all her glorious outrageousness is testament to that. Using Madonna as a guru on fame we will quote the famous diva here, “I’m tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.”

Bottom line is, confidence is what takes your fifteen minutes of fame and stretches it out to a lifetime. So, believe in yourself and no matter where you are in life right now have a quite confidence that you will one day be all that you ever hoped.

4. Focus

Driving focus to your ultimate goal as a career and a lifestyle choice will help you stay both motivated and driven. Working long hours, endless meaningless chores and general exhaustion in life can make you often question what the point of it all is.

When you are happy just enjoying your days in the sun, why struggle for something else and that is where you will have to, like many celebrities, tell yourself what the end-result is. If you have an audition and a great catering gig for a night you will have to decide which to take based on that very driving focus.

In an interview with a magazine, Jennifer Aniston said that she did not mind being a waitress while she was waiting for her break but she added “people used to say to me, ‘You need to focus on having ambition,’ and I guess sort of following that advice allowed a lot to come to me.” Often criticized for her awkward nose and physical appearance the Model turned actress Jennifer Aniston never gave up on her dreams and look at where she is now.

Having focus in your life will see you through a lot of tough decisions and the strength of that focus will determine where you end up in life.

5. Resilience

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” – Mark Victor Hansen

The art of brushing yourself off and getting back on a horse that is hell bound to throwing you off again is resilience. The business of getting rich, making it big in any industry will have you kiss the ground several times before you are accepted as a member. Paying your dues in life take more than just cash, it takes a lot of heartache, tough decisions and a lot of strength of character.

Hearing one no after the other can be and is damaging to anyone’s self-esteem and that is where your quite self confidence like that of Marilyn Monroe will come in. If you truly believe you have something to offer the world, keep knocking on doors till one of them opens.

6. Support

Having a loyal support base is crucial for anyone going through a tough time in their life and the search for riches and fame is just that; a tough road. Having friends or family support you during your time of need even if by just lending an ear will mean a great deal.

If you plan on beating out the competition it will be a great confidence booster to know that you will have someone to celebrate this once you get there. Even when you are running short on time take the extra minute to talk to a confidante it will see you through many hours of struggling ahead.

If you follow the advice of the celebrities you might have an easier time getting to the top and what they did isn’t rocket science its just common sense. Believe in yourself and have a great work ethic and you will get the respect, fame and riches you deserve.

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