9 Moving Stories From People Who Turned Struggles Into Silver Linings

People
year ago

Hardships are a part of life and sometimes we can’t control them. However, it is important to realize that they don’t last forever. We can either deal with them by ourselves or we can count on the help of good people in our lives. The content of this article is proof that things really do get better!

Bright Side stands for positivity and optimism, and that’s why it is important for us to share these 9 anecdotes from people whose stories have happy endings! There are a few very inspiring bonus stories at the end, so don’t miss them.

Due to a lack of funding, Walt Disney had to declare bankruptcy just a year after opening his company. But he didn’t let that knock him down. He spent the last bit of money he had to buy a ticket to Hollywood, and the rest is history.

When Michael Jordan was a sophomore in high school he didn’t get selected for the basketball team. He used that as motivation to work harder and it paid off as he went on to win 6 NBA rings.

Sylvester Stallone had people telling him that he wasn’t going to make it. At the lowest point of his life, he wrote the script for Rocky and offered the rights to it for $350,000, but refused to sell it unless he also got the starring role.

Jim Carrey and his dad lived in a van and were poor. Carrey quit school at 15 to begin working as a janitor and then at a tire factory to help support his family. His tough childhood didn’t stop him from becoming one of the greats in Hollywood and his legacy will live on forever.

Steve Jobs got fired from his own company. He said that that was the best thing that ever happened to him, because it set him free and let him enter into the most creative period of his life. His return to Apple was proof of that.

Albert Einstein skipped classes and used to copy notes so he could pass his exams. After graduating, he couldn’t get a job in physics for 2 years. But despite all that, he won a Nobel Prize and his name is synonymous with genius.

Tom Cruise had a tough upbringing with his father being abusive and living in poverty. When he was 12 he managed to escape along with his mother and sister. Cruise went on to become one of the most successful actors.

Oprah Winfrey endured a terrible childhood, which included physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and poverty up until the age of 13 when she finally ran away from home and went to live with her father. He made her focus on education and her path to an amazing career began once she got accepted to Tennessee State University.

Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, was rejected 30 times, even he himself rejected it, but his wife persisted. He never stopped writing and eventually he became the man he is today.

And here are the bonus stories we promised:

Chris had one year left to live, so his 2 friends Dillon and Clay quit college to help him with his bucket list. Dillon received an award for their story, which reached 11,000 people and one of them saved Chris’ life by donating their bone marrow.

She waited years for this beautiful moment.

We encourage you all to share your hardships with us in the comments and tell us how you overcame them. You never know how much someone reading this might need it!

Please note: This article was updated in April 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.
Preview photo credit AP/East News

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When I was in 6th grade my friend and I were playing on a 5m platform diving board. I witnessed my friend fall from the platform and become seriously injured. She was in the hospital for about one month. I was so happy she made a full recovery. Yet I remember it being very difficult to go to school. Everyone would ask me questions about what happened. Some would even bully me in that it was my fault. I remember feeling like the fox from the Disney movie the fox and the hound when I wasn't allowed to spend time with my friend anymore. Her parents did not want me to play with their daughter (my friend). I suppose it is second nature for a parent to protect their child yet again I carried a false sense of shame that was incongruent with the truth.
I would get panic attacks every so often. As a young person I initially thought I was having a heart attack. I stayed at home alot and didn't talk to my friends over a period of several months because I felt ashamed of my panic attacks. I felt drawn to watching Dr. Phil every day after school. Learning about psychology informally was an unrealized interest of mine at the time.
I would spontaneously journal as a young person. From doing so I gained a high level of empathy for others and deep sense of intuition.
I found inspiration in helping others to be safe. I became a lifeguard at 16 years old then at age 21 I earned my license as a Registered Nurse. I currently assist in delivering babies.
I have learned that: 1 the very thing that we think is holding us back can actually be the very thing that is developing and strengthening the character.

2 and it is better to suffer a bit to achieve your dreams than it is to significantly suffer by not making change and staying stagnant.

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This is a very interesting story :)
When I was a kid, english was a hard subject for me. Also, at the age of 12 we had to move and I had to go to another school, where most of the kids didn't like me and I got bullied. Though I have managed to find a couple of friends there.
For our English lessons students were separateed into 3 small groups, with 10 people max per group. Sadly, the cheaters decided who goes where and I was put into the group, while all my friends wwent to others. I remember when lesson started, I didn't want to enter the class room, I stayed next to the door crying from fear, because I performed bad at english lessons, and it make other kids bully me even more.
My mom found it out and signed me up for english courses and hired the tutor for me.
I have C1 in English now, got a lot of friends and travelled to many countries :)

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