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  • Inspiring Stories

Inspiring Stories, hosted by Tim McMillan each week will speak to great Australians who have made their mark on our state and our country.

This Sunday night from 6:00pm – 7:00pm on 882 6PR.

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Inspiring Stories: Jo McManus

On Inspiring Stories each week Tim McMillan delves into the lives of Western Australian identities from all walks of life in this uplifting interview series thanks to Bowra & O'Dea Funeral Directors .

Veteran broadcaster McManus has shaped the careers of many Western Australian media personalities, she has lived through unimaginable personal battles over the last eight years.

Jo spoke about the highs and lows of her personal and professional career, from being in newsrooms around the country for decades and educating the next generation of West Aussie media stars, to personal family tragedies.

Catch up on the episode in full in the podcast playlist below and also enjoy all the past interviews as well.

Hear Inspiring Stories every Sunday night on 6PR 882 in Perth at 6pm AWST.

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13 Inspirational Short Stories of Hope With Strong Morals

Posted on Published: April 26, 2021  - Last updated: January 9, 2024

Home » Mindful Parenting » 13 Inspirational Short Stories of Hope With Strong Morals

Motivational stories are a powerful force and great tradition for teaching strong morals to kids, and these inspirational stories of hope also include a selection to encourage and inspire a positive impact on attitude and mindset.

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Inspirational Stories of Hope Are a Powerful Tool For Teaching Principles

Motivational stories | Inspirational stories of hope | Image shows a line of children laying down with their heads in their hands.

Inspirational stories are probably the oldest and most enduring form of entertainment we have, and for good reason .

From the moment we’re able to understand, young or old we love a good plot line.

Around the world bedtime stories are enjoyed as a rite of passage, by young and old. Audio, motivational books, or played out on the big screen, we all buy into the joy of an inspired short story unfolding.

And one of the best-loved formats is a timeless parable.

The below inspirational stories of great success and hope have been around for so long in some cases that their author is unknown. Yet they live on.

Motivational Stories Reinforce Moral Values

Each of these anecdotes is either a famous and inspiring story of hope that I recall from my school days, or one I’ve heard more recently. But they all share a common theme: 

They each carry a unique moral lesson and serve as powerful metaphors for life.

And there’s something special about these messages being relayed in short motivational story form which makes them perfect for recounting their wisdom to young minds to carry into their futures, inspiring hard work, dedication, and positive change.

Short Fables and Inspiring Stories, For Children and Adults

The captivating short stories included in this article cultivate and promote the following values:

  • Determination
  • Thoughtfulness
  • Perspective
  • Graciousness

I was moved to put this list of fables together at a time when I’m needing to be reminded of the good in the world.

I hope you too will find something in this selection of inspirational life stories, which offer comfort and hope. And will hopefully leave a positive lasting impression.

13 Best Inspirational Short Stories For Kids

Perfect for young children, college students, and adults, some of the best short stories to inspire at any age, these 13 motivational short stories are bound to be enjoyable for all.

1. Socrates’ ‘triple-filter’ test – kindness

In ancient times the famous philosopher, Socrates, was visited in Greece by an acquaintance of his.

Eager to share some gossip the acquaintance asked Socrates, ‘Would you like to know what I just heard about your friend?’ Socrates replied that before the man spoke, he must first pass the ‘Triple-Filter’ test. ‘The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?’ ‘Well, no,’ the young man said, ‘actually I just heard about it and…’ ‘Alright,’ said Socrates. ‘So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?’ ‘Uh, no, on the contrary…’ ‘So,’ Socrates continued, ‘you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one more filter. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?’ ‘No, not really.’ ‘Well,’ concluded Socrates, ‘if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?’

Moral of the story: be kind, always, and don’t spread gossip.

2. Potatoes, eggs, and coffee beans – mindset

Once upon a time in a small Italian town, a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it better.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed like life was one problem after the next.

The next day her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them to sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter.

The daughter moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. 

Turning to his daughter, he asked. ‘What do you see?’

‘Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,’ she replied.

‘Look closer,’ he said, ‘and touch the potatoes.’ She did and noted that they were soft. He asked her to take an egg and break it; pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. 

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

‘Father, what does this mean?’ she asked. He explained that the potatoes, the eggs, and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently:

The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but the boiling water made it soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior. But once placed in boiling water, the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new and wonderful.

‘Which are you,’ he asked his daughter. ‘When the face of adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? ‘

Moral of the story: change your mindset to change your life.

3. Stop wasting your time complaining – positivity

Moral stories focus on the good instead of the bad.

A wise man received a stream of visitors complaining about the same problems over and over again. One day, he decided to tell them a joke and they all roared with laughter.

After a few minutes, he told them the same joke and only a few of them smiled.

He told the same joke a third time, but no one laughed or smiled anymore.

The wise man smiled and said: ‘You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over, so why lament the same problem?’

Moral of the story: focus on the good instead of the bad and enjoy a positive attitude.

More Stories For Motivation

4. box full of kisses – love.

A businessman scolded his three year old girl for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Tough times meant financial hardships and he became cross when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. He was not a wealthy man times were hard.

Nevertheless, the little business owner’s daughter brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, ‘Daddy, this is for you.’

The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his irritation flared again when he found the box was empty. He yelled at the young girl, stating, ‘When you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside!’

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, ‘Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty; I blew kisses into the box. They’re all for you, Daddy.’

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl and he begged for her forgiveness.

A short time later, an accident took the life of the girl.

It is told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and whenever he was discouraged by life’s challenges, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

Moral of the story: there is no possession in life greater than unconditional love.

5. The two mice – determination

Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned.

The second little mouse, wouldn’t quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out.

Inspirational stories for kids | Image shows a group of children listening and interacting with a teach telling a story.

Moral of the story: don’t quit.

6. Think before you speak – thoughtfulness

There once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. His father decided to teach him a valuable lesson.

He handed him a bag of nails and said that every time the boy lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence.

On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into that fence.

The boy gradually began to control his temper over the next few weeks, and the number of nails he was hammering into the fence slowly decreased.

He discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer those nails into the fence.

Eventually the fine day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all and he proudly told his father the news. The father suggested that the boy should now pull out a nail every day he kept his temper under control.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

‘You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out again. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.’

Moral of the story: be careful with your words.

More Inspirational Stories For Kids

7. is the jar full – priorities.

A university professor that wanted to make a point about the importance of prioritising how we spend our time.

The professor stood in front of her class with a display of items, she took a large empty jar and filled it with small rocks. She asked the class if the jar was full and they agreed yes, the jar was full.

The professor took a bowl of white pebbles, added them to the jar, and gave it a little shake to move the pebbles into the open areas around the rocks.

The professor asked the class again if the jar was full and again they agreed that yes, it was full.

Finally, the professor took a box of sand and added it to the jar, filling the spaces between the rocks and the pebbles. She asked again, is the jar full now, and they laughed and agreed yes, it’s full.

This jar represents your life. 

The big rocks signify the really important things in your life, such as physical and mental health, family, and friends. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life, such as work or school.  And the sand signifies the remaining small stuff, such as material possessions.

Now, if you were to reverse the order of filling the jar and add the sand first there would not be enough room for the rocks and the pebbles.

The same principle applies to your own life. If you spend too much time on the small stuff you won’t have enough space or time to focus on the things that are truly important: those little rocks.

Moral of the story: prioritise the rocks first. Practice self-care , spend quality time with the people you love. The rest is just pebbles and sand, and they will always find some space.

8. The lame dog – compassion

A small business owner had some puppies for sale. He hung a sign in his window advertising the puppies and shortly thereafter a small boy entered the shop.

‘Mister,’ said the boy, ‘I’d like to buy one of your puppies.’

‘Well,’ said the old man, ‘these puppies come from fine parents and cost a large sum of money.’

The young boy from humble beginnings reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of gold coins and held it up. ‘I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?’

‘Sure,’ said the store owner. And with that he let out a whistle. ‘Here, girl!’ he called. A dog ran over followed by by her four puppies.

The little boy pressed his face against the glass and his eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way across, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.

Slowly another little ball of fur appeared, this one noticeably smaller. In a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up.

‘I want that one,’ the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The old man knelt down at the boy’s side and said, ‘Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.’

With that the little boy stepped back, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. He revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg, and attached to a specially made shoe. 

Looking back up at the old man, he said, ‘You see sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.’

With tears in his eyes, the old man reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy. ‘How much?’ asked the little boy.

‘No charge,’ answered the old man.

Moral of the story: everyone deserves love and understanding.

9. Shake off your problems – perspective

Once in a small village, a man’s favourite donkey falls into a deep pit; he can’t pull it out no matter how hard he tries. He eventually decides to bury it alive.

Soil is poured onto the donkey from above. The donkey feels the load, shakes it off, and steps on it; more soil is poured. The donkey shakes it off and steps up.

The more the soil was poured, the higher it rose. By noon, the donkey was grazing in green pastures.

Moral of the story: after much shaking off (of problems) and stepping up (learning from them), one will graze in green pastures.

A Classic and Inspiring Story About Determination

10. the hare and the tortoise – humility.

A hare was making fun of a tortoise for being so slow. The tortoise, tiring of the hare’s taunts eventually challenged the hare to a race. 

‘I’ll race you, hare,’ he said; ‘and I bet I’ll win.’ The hare readily agreed to the challenge.

When the race started, the hare bounded off. He was so far ahead of the tortoise that he decided to stop and take a rest. However, the hare fell fast asleep, while the tortoise continued to plod along at his slow pace. 

After a long time, he reached the finish-line and won the race.

When the hare woke up, he was furious at himself. He ran off towards the finish line as fast as he could, but it was too late: the tortoise had already won.

Moral of the story: don’t be too quick to write somebody off, they might just surprise you. A little modesty can carry you far too!

Moral stories pin

11. The dish of ice cream – graciousness

Back when an ice cream sundaes cost far less, a young boy entered a cafe and sat at the counter. The waitress put a glass of water in front of him and asked what he’d like.

‘How much is an ice cream sundae?’ he asked.

’50 cents,’ replied the waitress.

The boy pulled a handful of change out of his pocket and studied his small collection of coins.

‘How much is a dish of plain ice cream?’ he enquired.

Some other customers were now waiting to be served and the waitress grew a bit impatient.

’35 cents,’ she said in an abrupt and frustrated tone.

The boy again counted his coins, then said, ‘I’ll have the plain ice cream please.’ The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the counter and walked away.

The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.

When the waitress came back, she started wiping down the counter and then began to cry at what she saw.

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, was 15 cents – her tip.

Moral of the story: no matter what the circumstances, always treat others as you would wish to be treated. 

12. The blind girl – gratitude

A blind girl hated herself for being unable to see. She had grown resentful and bitter of the world, and the only person she didn’t hate was her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her and she said that if only she could see, she would marry him.

One day, some good fortune fell upon the young couple when someone donated a pair of eyes to her. Finally she would have the opportunity to see everything, including her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend then said, ‘Now that you can see, will you marry me?’

The girl, no longer blind, was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and she refused. Her boyfriend was crushed and walked away defeated. 

Later, he wrote a note to her that said simply… ‘Just take care of my eyes’.

Moral of the story: practice gratitude and appreciate the good in your life.

13. Footprints in the sand – judgement

One stormy night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many hard times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. ‘Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most difficult times of my life, there was only one set of footprints.

I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.’

He whispered, ‘My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.’

Moral of the story: reserve judgement and always give the benefit of the doubt.

Inspirational Stories Promote Strong Principles

They’re short and to the point, and the valuable life lessons they communicate are poignant and unmistakable.

While some of these may have heartbreaking or even shocking punchlines, the capacity of such stories to move us is undeniable.

In some cases they even be so profound and poignant as to make us want to live a better life, use our inner strength to get ourselves into a better place; perhaps even change us into a better person.

That’s why they survive telling after telling and remain so well-loved… 

They’re short and to the point, and the important lessons they communicate are poignant and unmistakable.

Which is what makes these classic short inspirational stories such great things and a wonderful way to engage young people around the often complex subject of morals and ethics.

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Top 19 Unbelievably Motivational and Inspirational Stories (that will make you go after your dreams)

Whether you’re deep in to a personal project (such as starting your own business, creating a new invention, or making a movie, etc), just starting out on a new venture, or just looking for some good old inspiration, motivational stories and inspirational stories can be just what you need to give you a bit of a boost.

Sometimes it’s useful to hear the stories of people who we admire, people who have come before us, and people who have done great things, so that we know others have been through similar (or harder) struggles. This can help us to focus and realise that what we want is within reach, no matter how difficult the circumstances.

So here I have compiled a list of the best true motivational stories to help give you that juice you need. My hope is that these real life inspirational stories encourage you to keep going when things feel tough, to realise that there is always a way, and that if you want something, you have to fight for it.

While you are reading these motivational success stories, be sure to take notes. Don’t just read them passively. This does not have to be just another list of a bunch of inspirational people with inspiring stories. Ask what you can learn from each inspirational story and then write it down. Ask yourself what the inspirational messages are in each story.

Notice how the people in this list overcame adversity. Notice how they never gave up on what they wanted. Their life stories can inform you as you go forwards. You can remember what they did and then do the same if a similar situation applies to you.

So let’s crack on with these real life inspirational stories (in no particular order) from inspirational people and learn some valuable lessons!

Mahatma Gandhi inspirational quote - “Be the change 
that you wish 
to see in 
the world.”

Dashrath Manjhi’s true inspiring story

Dashrath Manjhi was born in to the lowest rung of India’s caste system in Gehlaur village, India, and ended up working in coal mines.

When he was an adult, his wife was injured and died because the nearest doctor was in a town 34 miles away.

Because of this experience, Manjhi decided that he was going to make a new roadway through a ridge of hills, in order to make his village more accessible.

Manjhi ended up carving a 110m long path, completing it in 22 years (between 1960 and 1982), using only a hammer and a chisel.

Ultimately, Manjhi’s road reduced the distance between the start and finish areas from 34 miles to 9.3 miles.

Neil Gaiman motivational story quote - “Fairy tales are 
more than true: 
not because they 
tell us that 
dragons exist, 
but because they 
tell us that 
dragons 
can be beaten.”

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Harriet Tubman’s encouraging story

Harriet Tubman’s is one of the most encouraging and inspiring of these motivaitonal stories.

Born as a salve in Maryland, Harriet Tubman received numerous injuries at the hands of her owners over her time spent in slavery. In 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, but returned to Maryland to rescue her family.

Working by night and in secrecy, Tubman rescued members of her family, bringing them out of the state with her. She eventually brought other slaves with her, making 13 missions and rescuing somewhere around 70 slaves.

When the Civil War began in America, Tubman became the first woman to lead an armed expedition.

Harriet Tubman’s devotion to her cause of freeing as many slaves as possible using the Underground Railroad, and then helping them to find work, means she easily makes this list of real life inspirational stories.

Thomas Edison motivational inspirational story quote - “I have not failed. 
I've just found 
10,000 ways 
that won't work.”

Desmond Doss’ incredibly inspirational story

Desmond Doss was a United States Army corporal who served as a combat medic in World War 2. Doss was a conscientious objector, and was picked on by his fellow soldiers, who labelled him a coward. He was made fun of because he did not want to carry a gun and because he did not work on Saturdays because of his religious beliefs.

He became the only conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor when he single-handedly saved the lives of 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa, in the process, having his left arm fractured by a sniper’s bullet and 17 pieces of shrapnel in his body.

Wanting to help in the war effort whilst sticking to his personal beliefs, suffering the abuse he did, and then going on to single-handedly save as many men as he did, means that Desmond Doss’ story deserves to be considered as one of the most inspirational stories in history.

George Eliot inspirational message quote - “It is never too 
late to be what 
you might 
have been.”

Oprah Winfrey’s story is one big inspirational message

Oprah Winfrey has built a billion-dollar empire, and, in 2017, was placed 1st on Forbes’ list of America’s richest female entertainers.

But life was not easy for Oprah growing up, and she went through a great deal of adversity to have this real life inspirational success story.

You see, Winfrey originally grew up in Mississippi with her grandmother before she was sent to live with her mother in Wisconsin when she was 6. This move was disruptive and she felt alone and abandoned. But, before she could get comfortable in Wisconsin, she was sent to live with her father in Tennessee, before moving back to live with her mother again.

During this time, Winfrey was abused by her family members. Her grandmother whipped her, leaving her with welts over her body. When she was 9 years old, a 19 year old cousin of hers raped her. She was also sexually assaulted by other relatives between the ages of 10 and 14. Winfrey became pregnant aged 14 and considered committing suicide. Ultimately, the baby was born prematurely and died in the hospital. Winfrey knew this was her second chance at life.

Despite her difficult childhood, Winfrey went on to become one of the most powerful women in in the world and is an inspiration to the world.

George Bernard Shaw inspirational message about life - “Life isn't about 
finding yourself. 
Life is about 
creating yourself.”

Colonel Sanders has one of the most motivational success stories

Earning his place on this best motivational stories list is KFC’s Colonel Harland Sanders .

Sanders worked a number of jobs, such as a steam engine stoker, filling station operator and an insurance salesman, but it wasn’t until his time running his restaurant in Kentucky that he made what would make him famous. While there, he developed his secret recipe and method of cooking chicken.

Sanders proceeded to go around USA trying to sell his chicken recipe to restaurants. His idea was to give them the recipe for free and then take a percentage on each chicken dish sold.

Colonel Sanders was rejected 1009 times before he got his first “yes”.

Colonel Sanders proves that sometimes you just need to keep going if you want to be successful.

Helen Keller inspirational stories about life - “When one door of 
happiness closes, 
another opens; 
but often we look 
so long at 
the closed door 
that we do not 
see the one 
which has been 
opened for us.”

Rudy Ruettiger’s true motivational story

Made famous by the movie “Rudy”, where he was played by Sean Astin, Rudy Ruettiger ‘s college football career must be one of the best motivational stories to ever have been told.

Growing up, Ruettiger dreamed of playing for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish American football team. He was considered to be short (5’6”) and certainly not a typical American football player.

But after some extreme levels of hard work, Ruettiger managed to get on to the Notre Dame scout team, helping the varsity team practise for games.

Ruettiger was noted for his levels of hard work and desire to play for the team, and coach Dan Devine decided to put Ruettiger in to the final game he could possibly play in.

Ruettiger ended up getting a sack on the game’s final play, and became the first player in Notre Dame football history to be carried off the field by his teammates.

Sylvester Stallone’s real life success story

Sylvester Stallone ‘s true inspirational story is stuff of legends among filmmakers and screenwriters.

A struggling actor, Stallone was so broke at one point that he sold his wife’s jewellery. He ended up becoming homeless, sleeping in a bus station, and struggled to afford food.

In the end, he managed to get a small amount of money in his pocket by selling his dog for $25.

Soon after, Stallone decided to take his career in to his own hands and write a movie role for himself. After watching a boxing match, Stallone wrote the script for Rocky very quickly, and soon studios wanted to buy the screenplay to make.

Stallone was offered $125,000 for the Rocky script, but the trouble for the studios was that Stallone wanted to star in the movie. Stallone was dead broke and turned down $125,000 in order to chase his dream.

After being rejected on that idea because he “looked and talked funny”, Stallone was then offered $250,000 for the screenplay. He refused unless he could star.

He was then offered $350,000. He rejected it unless he could star in it.

The studio wanted this screenplay so badly, but were not willing to risk the money on this unknown actor.

Stallone stayed strong, and eventually the studio gave him a small amount for the script and let him star.

With his fortunes up, Stallone went to buy back his dog, but the guy he sold it to would not sell him back. Stallone offered the man $1000 for the dog, but the man refused.

Eventually, the man accepted $15,000 for the dog.

And this is why Stallone has deserved his success and why he is on this list of the best motivational stories – because he was willing to do whatever it takes to get his dream.

Simon Fitzmaurice’s is one of the most inspirational and motivational life stories

Next on this list of inspirational stories is a filmmaker called Simon Fitzmaurice . Now, it’s unlikely you have heard of Simon, but I had to put him on this list as I had the pleasure of meeting him personally and seeing what he achieved for myself, and I found it to be incredibly inspiring.

Simon was a filmmaker who was going about living his life making his films when he was suddenly diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

This disease caused Simon to become compeltely paralyzed and unable to talk, ultimately meaning his only form of communication came through the use of an eye-tracking computer on his electric wheelchair.

Yet, with this disease, Simon wrote and directed the feature film My Name is Emily (starring Evanna Lynch, Michael Smiley and George Webster). The film was nominated for eight Irish Film and Television Awards.

The sheer effort needed to make a feature film, in and of itself, is impressive enough. But doing it whilst completely paralyzed and only being able to communicate through an eye-tracking computer means Simon more than deserves to be on this list of inspirational people.

Chen Zhou’s encouraging story

Chen Zhou came to fame when he attempted to climb the 1100 meter high summit of Mount Lao.

Now, by itself, that might not seem so amazing. But what if I tell you that Chen Zhou lost both his legs in a car accident and so was climbing the mountain using only his arms and hands? At 11 years old.

He used wooden boxes for shoes on his hands, but ultimately did not make it to the top.

Regardless of this, Chen Zhou deserves to be on this list as it is an inspirational story about life – that you have to keep living it even when things go wrong.

Emilia Clarke’s motivational story

You may know Emilia Clarke from her role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. But what you may not know is that, during the early seasons of Game of Thrones, she suffered from two brain aneurysms that almost killed her.

Just before the first season of Game of Thrones, Emilia had stabbing, shooting pains in her head during a workout. She had an MRI scan, which showed the aneurysm, and was required to have surgery.

During the recovery period of her surgery, she could not string coherent sentences together and even forgot her name. She panicked and felt extreme fear over her situation.

After recovering, she went back to Game of Thrones duties, only to find she had another aneurysm which also needed to be operated on. By the third season of the show, it had doubled in size.

After the operation for this second aneurysm, Emilia awoke in massive amounts of pain. The procedure had failed and it was made clear her chances of survival were not good if they did not operate again.

This operation took place, which was successful. But the recovery process was much harder. Emilia suffered from panic attacks, and in her worst moments, the asked the medical staff to let her die.

Fortunately, Emilia recovered and is now without the aneurysms.

But to go through this and still push yourself to be at the top of your game on a major TV show deserves a lot of admiration, hence, Emilia certainly makes it on to this list as an inspirational story about life.

JK Rowling’s inspirational message

If writing one of the most successful book series and movie franchises of all time does not deserve to be on this list, I don’t know what does.

JK Rowling ‘s motivational story is one of a woman who was completely broke, living off of benefits with her daughter, writing away at this story of a boy that does not know he is a wizard.

Her famed story was rejected by 12 publishers before it was finally picked up by Bloomsbury.

So if you are a writer or artist looking to get your work out in to the world, stick with it, and one day you may have a great motivational story of your own.

J K Rowling true life story quote - “To the 
well-organized 
mind, 
death is but 
the next 
great adventure.”

Stephen Hawking’s story is motivational

Soon after his 21st birthday, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), causing him to be unable to use most of his muscles.

Being told her only had between 2 and 4 years left to live, Hawking decided to put his energy in to learning as much as possible in the time he had left. In fact, Hawking attributed his success to his condition, as he was bored with life before he was diagnosed.

Hawking ultimately went on to live until the age of 76, having had a huge impact on science through his life’s work.

Helen Keller’s life story is inspiring

Helen Keller was both deaf and blind, yet became a famous author, lecturer and activist. She was heavily involved in the areas of workers’ rights and woman’s suffrage. Keller was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, and was inducted in to the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 1971.

Keller’s life story shows that you can overcome adversity to live a great life full of meaning. It would have been easy for Keller to give up, but she is one of the most inspirational people in history because of the desire she had to help the world and not let her disabilities get in the way.

Les Brown’s motivational success story

Les Brown was born with his twin brother in an abandoned building in the late 1950s. They were given up for adoption and raised by a single mother on welfare for their entire childhood.

Les struggled in school and was held back twice. He was told that he had a learning disability and would never amount to anything.

Despite this, Les has gone on to become one of the most successful motivational speakers in history, and is an inspiration to people all over the world.

Les’ true inspirational story is well worth listening to by the man himself.

Oskar Schindler’s truly inspiring story

You may know of Oskar Schindler because of the Steven Spielberg movie, Schindler’s List. But having a movie made about him is not reason enough to be on this list of most inspirational stories. It’s what he did to have a movie made about him that makes him one of the most inspirational people in history.

Schindler was a German industrialist and saved the lives of 1200 Jews during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. He employed them in his factories in Poland. Schindler did all that he could for the Jewish employees working in his factories, so that they would be protected from deportation and execution at the hands of the Nazis.

By the end of the war, Schindler had spent his entire fortune on bribes and black market purchases that kept his workers alive.

Mary Edwards Walker’s real life inspirational story

Mary Edwards Walker received her medical degree in 1855, married, and started a medical practise with her husband. When the American Civil War started, Mary Edwards Walker volunteered as a surgeon, but was rejected because she was a woman, despite having had her practise for years by then.

She was offered to be a nurse but decided to volunteer as a surgeon as a civilian.

As the US Army had no female surgeon, she was only allowed to practise as a nurse, but eventually became the first female surgeon of the Union Army.

She was eventually captured by Confederate forces and accused of being a spy, when she was found behind enemy lines having treating wounded civilians.

It was her dedication to treating the wounded during the Civil War that ultimately caused her to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Not only was this the only military decoration during the Civil War, but Mary Edwards Walker is the only woman to have received the Medal of Honor.

Now that is a pretty inspiring real life motivational story!

Sojourner Truth’s story of overcoming adversity

Sojourner Truth was an advocate for equality between races and sexes. She was born in to slavery in 1797 until she escaped to freedom in 1826 along with her infant daughter.

In 1828, Sojourner learned that her son (who was five years old) had been illegally sold by her previous owner to another owner in Alabama, and took her case to court. By doing this, Sojourner became one of the first black women to go to court and win the case with a white man as the opposition party.

She became known for her speeches for women’s rights and against slavery, and undoubtedly has one of the most inspiring life stories.

Paulo Coelho’s life story

One of the world’s best-selling authors, known mostly for his book The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho grew up knowing he wanted to be a writer. The trouble was that being a writer was considered to be a dangerous profession in a country under military rule.

He read a lot, was very shy, and did not socialise very easily. His parents didn’t know what to do with him, and sent him to a lunatic asylum when he was just 17 years old.

Paulo never saw himself as a victim, and even understands his parents’ position when looked at from their point of view. He understands they loved him and just wanted to help him.

Ultimately, Paulo Coelho escaped the asylum three times before being released in 1967.

Difficulties come in many forms, and Paulo Coelho is inspiring for not only coming out of his experiences on the other side as a best-selling author, but also for putting in the effort to understand his parents and forgive them. His is a motivational success story that shows that anyone with any difficult upbringing can make a success of themselves.

Walt Disney has one of the most inspirational stories and it’s clear why

When it comes to inspirational stories, Walt Disney’s must be one of the most well-known true motivational stories.

In 1919, Walt Disney moved to Kansas City to become a newspaper artist, eventually making commercials for an ad company using cut-out animation.

Disney started to experiment with his stories using a camera, hand-drawing animations for the camera. Disney took to this, and soon opened up his own animation business.

Disney and his employee, Fred Harman, made a deal with a Kansas City theatre to screen their cartoons. They were very popular, and Disney used the profits he made to start his own studio.

Disney expanded, but, by 1923, had to declare bankruptcy.

Moving to Hollywood with his brother Roy and cartoonist Ub Iwerks, the group started the Disney Brother’s Cartoon Studio, which soon changed its name to Walt Disney Studios.

From there, they were on their way up. They made the character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and, soon after, created Mickey Mouse and associated characters, with the first successful Mickey Mouse film being a short called “Steamboat Willie”.

After some setbacks, such as the character of Oswald having its rights stolen by his distributors, Disney soon found himself and his studio well on their way to great success.

From there, Disney went on to create hundreds of movies, as well as Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida.

Walt Disney’s is a great motivational success story. It’s about a man who had a dream and put his entire effort in to making it happen. Whenever there were setbacks, Disney kept going to make his dream come alive.

The inspirational message to take from Disney’s story is to keep your dream in your sights and to go after it with all of your faith, trust, belief and joy. If you can dream it, you can achieve it.

Other Motivational Stories and Inspirational Stories

Do you know of any other current or historical figures with motivational stories or inspirational life stories? If so, let me know in the comments. I will keep adding to this list, and hopefully it will become a resource for people to see the inspiring stories and motivational stories of people throughout history and in current times.

Have you found this post helpful? Please consider buying me a coffee!

It takes a great deal of work to put out this content and there are no ads on this site to help support it. It would be great if you would consider buying me a coffee or tipping what you can to help keep the site running and helping people. Thank you!

Mahatma Gandhi motivational quote - “Live as if you 
were to 
die tomorrow. 
Learn as if you 
were to 
live forever.”

Further Reading

If these motivational stories have inspired you to go after your dreams , but you are still a little unsure, that post is for you.

If you have become motivated to be successful in life by these inspirational stories, check out this post on exactly how to get success in life .

If you are inspired by these inspirational and motivational stories to overcome any difficulties you may face, no matter what, learn how to do it by keeping the phrase in your head “ when nothing goes right, go left “.

If you’ve been reading these motivational stories or the inspirational stories and you are left thinking “ why do I suck at everything ” when compared to these people, that post is for you.

And if you’ve been left thinking life sucks – well, sorry about that – but maybe these quotes about how life sucks are for you.

Featured Image: A still from Hacksaw Ridge, Copyright Summit Entertainment.

Incredibly Motivational True Stories and Inspirational Stories

Enjoy these 19 incredible motivational stories and inspirational stories that will get to you so much, you will want to be successful no matter what. These are all true motivational stories and true inspirational stories of people throughout history and present times who have done great things. Use them to inspire you to greatness! #success #inspiration #motivation via @humangrowthlab

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5 thoughts on “Top 19 Unbelievably Motivational and Inspirational Stories (that will make you go after your dreams)”

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Very nice stories, really motivational. Keep Sharing.

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Very Nice Post, Really Inspiring . Thank You so much for sharing.

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Thank you! I’m glad you liked it 🙂 .

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Very Nice Post Really Motivated. Great.

Thank so much your post very good Very nice post your u have inspired Sharing this post thank you so much

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“ vegan hamburgers ” by ariana tibi.

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The melting Arctic is a crime scene, and I am like CSI Ny-Ålesund. Trond is the anonymous perpetrator leaving evidence and clues for me to discover, like breadcrumbs leading back to him. “Jonna,” he had said, the day we first met at the research institute, “If you are going to make it up here, don’t lock your doors.” It seemed like a life philosophy, rather than a survival tip.It is ironic. Out on Kings Bay, the coal miners came first, then the science outposts. Trond was already out here mining the Arctic when I was sti...

“ The Porcelain Village ” by Jonathan Page

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My clay hands are becoming solid porcelain. I have always had potter’s hands. The throwing water absorbs the moisturizing oils of the skin. Leaves the hands rough. The clay paste dries and cracks the skin. Leaving it red. But now my hands are hardening. In the bisque firing, my hands harden like porous greenware. The cremated carbon and sulfur escape, exhuming my soul from the earthen clay, little by little, drawing it back to its source. The soul stews out in a boiling whistl...

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The Best Inspirational Short Stories

Sometimes you just need a story that’s going to lift you up. To make you believe that things will turn out all right, that hope and goodness will prevail, and that faith will guide you forward. When times are tough, it’s important to turn to things that inspire you.

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The newest inspirational short stories, fresh every week

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Whether you’re looking for a spiritual pick-me-up or just want to see the better side of humanity, these stories are exactly what you need to boost your spirits. Who knows, you may even discover the next great inspirational writer at their beginning!

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By Christine Ruggeri Leaders Staff

Christine Ruggeri

Christine Ruggeri

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Christine Ruggeri is a business and personal growth writer for Leaders Media. Previously, she worked as a senior content writer...

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Updated Aug 21, 2023

Reviewed by Hannah L. Miller

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Hannah L. Miller

Senior Editor

Hannah L. Miller, MA, is the senior editor for Leaders Media. Since graduating with her Master of Arts in 2015,...

10 Inspirational Stories to Develop Empathy, Critical Thinking, and Heightened Perspective

There’s a reason why we start hearing stories from the time we’re toddlers. The world’s obstacles and inevitable setbacks are portrayed in countless literary works, whether they are children’s books, short stories, memoirs, or biographies. Inspirational stories provide motivation and encouragement while offering a perspective that helps people contextualize their own adversities. 

In fact, research in neuroscience suggests that reading fictional works helps people develop critical thinking, empathy, and theory of mind. 

The best short stories, in fiction and nonfiction genres, inspire people to pursue their dreams and overcome obstacles. They can remind people that they are not alone in their struggles and that others have persevered through similar challenges. Motivational stories can also help foster a sense of community and connection, creating a ripple effect of positivity that encourages people to support one another in their personal growth and development.

Reading and sharing short inspirational stories can be a powerful motivating tool that helps create a more positive and supportive world. In this article, you’ll learn about some of the most impactful short stories and memoirs that are often used to teach lessons and drive motivation. 

Top 10 Must-Read Inspirational Stories 

1. the parable of “the elephant rope” .

“The elephant was conditioned to believe he could never break away. He believed the rope could still hold him, so he never tried to break free.”

Summary: “The Elephant Rope” is a short motivational story about a young man who observes elephants at a circus and is amazed at how they are held in place by a simple rope tied to a stake in the ground, despite their massive size and strength. It was clear that the elephants could break away from their bonds but chose not to because they were conditioned to believe it wasn’t possible. 

Theme: “The Elephant Rope” is a story about limiting beliefs. The young man learns that the elephants were conditioned from a young age to believe that they could not break free from the rope. As a result, the elephants never tried to gain freedom again, even when they were fully grown and capable of doing so. 

Moral of the story: Limiting beliefs can hold us back from reaching our full potential. We may have been conditioned by our past experiences or beliefs to believe that we cannot achieve something, but in reality, we may be more capable than we think. By breaking free from our limiting beliefs and challenging ourselves, we can achieve great things.

2. “ The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry

“And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days, let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.” 

Summary: “The Gift of the Magi” is a short story written in 1905 by O. Henry. It’s about a young couple, Jim and Della, who are struggling to make ends meet during the Christmas season. Despite their financial difficulties, they each want to buy a special gift for the other. They end up making sacrifices to do so, each giving up something they treasure to please the other. 

Theme: “The Gift of the Magi” displays the true meaning of gift-giving, which is about the thought and love behind the gift rather than its material value. The couple’s gifts to each other are ultimately meaningless in terms of their practical use, but their representation of love and sacrifice proves to be invaluable for both Jim and Della. 

Moral of the story: The story highlights the benevolent spirit of gift-giving and reminds readers that the value of a gift is not in how much money was spent on it but in the thought and love behind it.

3. “The Man Who Planted Trees” by Jean Giono 

“For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities, one must have the good fortune to be able to observe its performance over many years.”

Summary: “The Man Who Planted Trees” is a short story by Jean Giono, first published in 1953. The story is a fictional account of a man named Elzéard Bouffier, who lives in a remote valley in the French Alps and spends his life planting trees. Over the course of several decades, Bouffier single-handedly transforms the barren and desolate landscape into a lush and thriving forest, which has a profound impact on the surrounding environment and community.

Theme: “The Man Who Planted Trees” highlights the power of individual action and the importance of environmental stewardship. The story emphasizes the transformative power of nature and highlights the impact that even one person can have on the world.

Moral of the story: The story shows that small actions can have a big impact on the world. It serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving and protecting the natural world, and of the power of individual action. It also encourages readers to take responsibility for the environment and to work toward a more sustainable and harmonious relationship with the natural world.

4. “The Three Questions” by Leo Tolstoy

“Remember then: there is only one time that is important—Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.”

Summary: “The Three Questions” is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy that was published in 1903. The story follows a king seeking answers to three questions: What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important person? What is the right thing to do? He offers a reward for the answers to these questions and consults with various advisors and wise men, but none can give him satisfactory responses. Eventually, he learns the answers to his questions through his own experiences and actions.

Theme: “The Three Questions” portrays the importance of living in the present moment and taking personal action. The story emphasizes the futility of worrying about the past or the future and highlights the importance of engaging fully in all of life’s moments.

Moral of the story: The story teaches that the answers to life’s big questions can only be found through action and experience rather than through intellectual inquiry alone. Tolstoy shows that the best way to live is with compassion and kindness toward others. It also encourages readers to cultivate a sense of mindfulness, rather than being preoccupied with the past or the future.

5. “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

“She was one of those pretty and charming women whose infatuation with luxury is their one form of heroism.” 

Summary: “The Necklace” is a short story by Guy de Maupassant, first published in 1884. It follows the life of a woman named Mathilde Loisel, who is unhappy with her modest lifestyle and longs for wealth and luxury. One day, her husband secures an invitation to a fancy ball, and Mathilde borrows a diamond necklace from a wealthy friend to wear to the event. However, after the ball, she discovers that she has lost the necklace and spends years working to pay off the debt incurred by replacing it, only to learn that the original necklace was fake.

Theme: The theme of “The Necklace” is the danger of materialism and the pursuit of social status. Mathilde’s obsession with wealth and status blinds her to the comforts she has in her current life and leads her to make poor decisions that ultimately ruin her chances of happiness. 

Moral of the story: The story is a cautionary tale that teaches readers that material possessions and social status are not the keys to happiness. Mathilde’s relentless pursuit of luxury leads her to a life of poverty and misery, and her true happiness is found only when she accepts her circumstances and learns to appreciate the blessings in her life. 

6. “To Build a Fire” by Jack London

“The trouble with him was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances. Fifty degrees below zero meant eighty-odd degrees of frost. Such fact impressed him as being cold and uncomfortable, and that was all.”

Summary: “To Build a Fire” is a short story by Jack London, first published in 1908. The story follows an unnamed man traveling through the Yukon wilderness on foot with his dog. Despite warnings from an experienced old-timer, the man sets out alone in frigid temperatures and attempts to build a fire to keep warm. However, when he encounters several setbacks, he ultimately succumbs to the cold while his dog manages to survive.

Theme: “To Build a Fire” portrays the power and indifference of nature. It highlights the brutal conditions of the Yukon wilderness and the harsh reality that even the most prepared and experienced individuals can be no match for the forces of nature. While it’s not inspirational in the traditional sense, it offers an important lesson about human fragility and our role in the world. 

Moral of the story: London’s story highlights the importance of respecting and understanding the power of nature while limiting overconfidence. This is a cautionary tale against arrogance and hubris, and it emphasizes the importance of caution and humility when facing the unpredictable and unforgiving forces of nature.

7. “The Parable of the Good Samaritan” From the Bible 

“But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.”

Summary: “The Parable of the Good Samaritan” is a story told by Jesus in the Bible, found in Luke 10: 25–37. It tells the story of a traveler who is beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite, who were both considered to be religious leaders, passed by the man without helping. Then a Samaritan, who was an outsider and often looked down upon, stopped to help the man, tending to his wounds and providing for his needs. The Samaritan put the traveler on his donkey and brought him to an innkeeper, who he paid to look after him. 

Theme: “The Parable of the Good Samaritan” is meant to teach people about the call to love and serve others, regardless of differences in background or status. It emphasizes the importance of acting with compassion, kindness, and generosity toward those in need.

Moral of the story: The parable shows readers that everyone is our neighbor, and we are called to love and serve others without discrimination or prejudice, even to those who are considered an enemy. 

8. The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner

“The future was uncertain, absolutely, and there were many hurdles, twists, and turns to come, but as long as I kept moving forward, one foot in front of the other, the voices of fear and shame, the messages from those who wanted me to believe that I wasn’t good enough, would be stilled.”

Summary: The Pursuit of Happyness is a memoir by Chris Gardner that was published in 2006. It’s an inspiring story that details Gardner’s journey from homelessness to success as a stockbroker. The memoir describes the challenges he faced as a single father trying to provide for his son while struggling with poverty, homelessness, and no college degree.

Theme: Gardner’s rags-to-riches story portrays a life of resilience and perseverance. Despite facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles, he refused to give up on his dreams and continued to work hard toward achieving them. He showed incredible resilience in the face of adversity and remained determined to create a better life for himself and his son.

Moral of the story: This story shows that with hard work, determination, and a positive attitude, anyone can achieve their dreams, no matter how difficult or impossible they may seem. It encourages readers to pursue their passions, never give up, and believe in themselves, even when others may doubt them.

9 . The Story of Colonel Sanders

“I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.”

Summary: The true-life account of Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), is an inspiring and motivational story of success despite many rejections. Sanders was born in Indiana in 1890 and worked a variety of odd jobs to support his siblings after his father’s death. At 40 years old, he began cooking and selling fried chicken out of a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky, in the 1930s. He developed his own blend of 11 herbs and spices, and after that, his business grew steadily over the next few decades, leading to the creation of the KFC franchise.

Theme: The story of Colonel Sanders portrays perseverance and determination, even in the face of numerous setbacks and obstacles. Sanders refused to give up on his dream of creating a successful fried chicken business, and he continued to work tirelessly to achieve his goals.

Moral of the story: Sanders’ achievements teach us that success often comes from hard work, perseverance, and a refusal to give up in the face of adversity. Even when things seem bleak or impossible, it’s important to keep pushing forward and striving to achieve your goals. With dedication and determination, anyone can achieve their dreams, just as Colonel Sanders did with his fried chicken empire.

10. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight 

“The cowards never started and the weak died along the way. That leaves us, ladies and gentlemen. Us.”

Summary: Shoe Dog is a memoir written by Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike, Inc. Published in 2016, this story is an inspirational depiction of Nike, from its humble beginnings as a small startup company to a global giant in the athletic shoe industry. Just out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched what would become one of the world’s most iconic and profitable brands. 

Theme: The motivational story of Phil Knight highlights themes of perseverance and determination. Knight and his team faced numerous challenges throughout the company’s journey, including financial difficulties, legal battles, and intense competition. However, they persevered and never gave up, ultimately achieving great success.

Moral of the story: Shoe Dog shows that success comes from a combination of passion, hard work, and perseverance. Knight’s story is an inspiring reminder that no matter how difficult the road may seem, if you believe in your vision and are willing to put in the effort, you can achieve great things.

What Makes for an Inspirational Story?

An inspirational story is one that motivates, encourages, and uplifts the reader. It’s used to teach a lesson and break barriers of false perception. 

Some key elements that can make a story inspirational include:

  • Overcoming Adversity: An impactful story often features protagonists who face significant challenges or adversity. They may struggle, fail, and experience setbacks, but ultimately find a way to overcome their challenges and achieve their goals.
  • Positive Messages: A motivational story often conveys a positive message of hope, perseverance, and resilience. The story should leave the reader feeling empowered and motivated to take action in their own lives, which is made possible when a relatable character or figure makes their own personal realization. 
  • Realistic: While an inspirational story may be fictional, it should be grounded in reality. The characters, situations, and challenges should be believable and relatable so that readers can see themselves within the story. 
  • Emotional Impact: An effective story should elicit an emotional response from readers. Whether it’s laughter, sadness, fear, or joy, the story should have a powerful emotional impact that allows its message to shine through. 
  • Empathy: An inspirational story should create empathy between the reader and the characters. The reader should care about the characters and their struggles and feel invested in their journey.
  • Universal Themes: When authors use universal themes that resonate with readers, such as love, courage, sacrifice, and self-discovery, they allow for inspirational real-life connections. 
  • Transformation: An inspiring story often features a protagonist or central figure who undergoes a transformation. They may start out feeling defeated or hopeless, but through their journey, they discover inner strength and achieve personal growth.
  • Memorable: Impactful stories should be memorable and leave a lasting impression on the reader. They should stick with the reader long after they finish reading it and inspire them to take action or make positive changes in their own lives.

Telling or reading empowering stories that are grounded in reality and convey positive messages is an impactful way to boost motivation, whether it’s at home, in the workplace, or for your own self-growth. 

To continue reading timeless literary works with powerful characters and themes, check out these top Ernest Hemingway books . 

Leaders Media has established sourcing guidelines and relies on relevant, and credible sources for the data, facts, and expert insights and analysis we reference. You can learn more about our mission, ethics, and how we cite sources in our editorial policy .

  • Seifert, C. (2020, May 28).  The Case for Reading Fiction . Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/03/the-case-for-reading-fiction
  • Khan, M. (n.d.).  The Elephant Rope (Belief) Story: don’t limit yourself to a belief that You Can’t! https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/elephant-rope-belief-story-dont-limit-yourself-you-cant-mobarza-khan/
  • A Summary and Analysis of O. Henry’s ‘The Gift of the Magi.’  (2023, March 18). Interesting Literature. https://interestingliterature.com/2021/12/o-henry-gift-of-the-magi-summary-analysis/
  • Green, C., Green, C., & Green, C. (2020b, April 21).  The Man Who Planted Trees Before His Time . Chelsea Green Publishing. https://www.chelseagreen.com/2020/the-man-who-planted-trees-before-his-time/
  • The Three Questions . (2023, February 11). Plough. https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/short-stories/the-three-questions
  • The Necklace: Summary, Themes, and a Short Story Analysis | Blog StudyCorgi.com . (2023, March 17). StudyCorgi.com. https://studycorgi.com/blog/the-necklace-summary-themes-and-a-short-story-analysis/
  • Summary Of To Build A Fire By Jack London – 1085 Words | Bartleby . (n.d.). https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Summary-Of-To-Build-A-Fire-By-PK6XJ6939A6
  • The Parable of the Good Samaritan – Morality  – GCSE Religious Studies Revision – WJEC – BBC Bitesize . (n.d.). BBC Bitesize. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zwxm97h/revision/6
  • Cheng, A. (2020, November 13).  The Pursuit of Happyness Book Summary, by Chris Gardner – Allen Cheng . Allen Cheng. https://www.allencheng.com/the-pursuit-of-happyness-book-summary-chris-gardner/
  • Culver, A. (2019, August 1).  The inspiring life story of KFC’s Colonel Sanders . Snagajob. https://www.snagajob.com/blog/post/the-inspiring-life-story-of-kfcs-colonel-sanders
  • Shoe Dog Summary: 10 Best Lessons from Phil Knight . (n.d.). Growth.me. https://growth.me/books/shoe-dog/
  • Baker, D. (2022, August 9).  How to Make Your Writing Inspirational – Supercharge Your Marketing . Super Copy Editors. https://supercopyeditors.com/blog/writing/make-writing-inspirational/

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Best Inspirational Stories – Transformative Tales to Empower and Motivate

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Inspirational stories have the power to lift our spirits, spark motivation, and teach valuable life lessons. These tales, whether based on true events or crafted from the imagination, serve as a reminder that human perseverance and resilience can help individuals overcome adversity and achieve success.

A well-told inspirational story can evoke emotions, prompt reflection, and encourage change. These narratives often share the journeys of extraordinary people who face incredible odds, yet still manage to triumph. 

Such stories can be found in a variety of formats, from books to films, allowing everyone to easily access a dose of motivation when needed.

As you explore the world of inspirational stories, you’ll discover that each one offers a unique message, often with a moral or life lesson. 

By engaging with these tales, you may find inspiration in your endeavours, learn new perspectives, and ultimately grow as an individual. Delving into these uplifting narratives can provide the push you need to embark on your journey.

Famous Inspirational Stories

Here are some stories to learn from:

Three Feet from Gold: 

This story teaches you the importance of perseverance and not giving up. A man named R. U. Darby stopped digging for gold just three feet away from a significant deposit, unknowingly quitting too soon. 

Had he kept digging a little longer, he would have struck gold and found great wealth. Remember, you never know how close you might be to your goal, so don’t give up too soon.

The Elephant Rope: 

This story reminds us of the power of our beliefs. A group of elephants was held in place only by a small rope tied to their front legs, without any chains or cages. 

They didn’t break the rope because they believed they weren’t capable of doing so. Often in life, your limitations are only set by your beliefs about your abilities, so don’t let them hold you back.

Harriet Tubman’s Courage: 

Harriet Tubman is an inspiring figure who escaped from slavery and went on to save countless others. Born a slave in Maryland, Tubman endured numerous injuries throughout her life. 

In 1849, she fled to Philadelphia but returned to Maryland to rescue her family. Her sheer determination, strength, and courage can inspire anyone to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

How to Hunt a Monkey: 

This story teaches the importance of letting go. Hunters used to trap monkeys by placing fruit in a container with a narrow opening. The monkey would reach in, and grab the fruit, but refuse to let go, trapping itself. 

If the monkey were willing to let go of the fruit, it would gain freedom. The moral of this story is not to hold on too tightly to things, as they might prevent you from moving forward.

These famous inspirational stories provide valuable life lessons, acting as a reminder that no matter the challenges you may face, perseverance, belief in your abilities, courage, and letting go can lead to success and personal growth.

Inspirational Stories from Sports

Sometimes, you might need a little inspiration to keep pushing through the challenges that come with sports. Here are a few remarkable stories from the world of sports that showcase the power of determination, perseverance, and courage.

John Starks’ Basketball Journey: 

A standout NBA player, John Starks began his career from humble beginnings. With only one year of high school basketball experience, he attended four different colleges in four years and even worked as a bagger at Safeway. 

Despite the odds, Starks eventually became an NBA All-Star and famously dunked on Michael Jordan. His story is a testament to hard work and never giving up on your dreams.

In athletics, numerous inspirational stories have touched the hearts of fans worldwide. For instance:

  • Derek Redmond’s Unforgettable Olympic Moment:  At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond tore his hamstring midway through the 400m semi-final race. Devastated but determined to finish, Redmond hobbled to the finish line with the help of his father, who entered the track to support him. Their emotional embrace at the finish line remains an iconic moment in Olympic history.
  • Kieran Behan, Gymnast:  At just 10 years old, doctors told Kieran Behan he would never walk again after a cancerous tumour was removed from his thigh. The operation resulted in significant nerve damage, but Behan refused to give up. He defied the odds by not only walking again but also becoming an accomplished gymnast, eventually representing Ireland in the Olympics.

In college sports, underdog stories consistently capture the hearts of fans:

  • Saint Peter’s 2022 Cinderella Story:  Entering the 2022 NCAA Tournament as a small school with a 19-11 record, few people expected the Saint Peter’s Peacocks to make an impact. However, the team from Jersey City, New Jersey, showcased immense tenacity and skill, defeating higher-ranked opponents and becoming the undisputed Cinderella standout of the tournament.

These inspirational sports stories serve as powerful reminders that with dedication, resilience, and self-belief, you can overcome the toughest obstacles in your path and reach incredible heights.

Overcoming Mental Health Challenges

Facing and managing mental health challenges can be incredibly difficult, but you’re not alone. Many people have openly shared their experiences and have managed to overcome these struggles. Reading about these inspirational stories can provide guidance, comfort, and hope.

One such story comes from Alikay Wood, who has compiled a collection of honest and touching accounts about coping with depression, anxiety, and mental illness. This can offer a sense of solidarity and understanding for those facing similar issues. 

Also, actor and writer Wil Wheaton has been open about his journey with depression and anxiety, proving that even those in the public eye battle their internal demons.

Organisations such as the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) have dedicated spaces where individuals can share their personal stories. 

Reading about others’ trials and triumphs can be incredibly beneficial, as it helps you realise that you’re not alone in your journey.

By engaging with these narratives, you may discover new coping mechanisms, and treatment options, or even just find solace in knowing that recovery is possible. 

Remember that every person’s journey is unique, but sharing experiences can help to build a supportive community and a path towards healing.

Stories about Compassion and Kindness

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s heartwarming to come across stories of compassion and kindness. These stories remind us of the importance of empathy and the power of human connection.

One such story is about first-grader Dylan Siegel, who learned that his friend Jonah had a rare liver disease. Instead of opting for a bake sale suggested by his mother, Dylan wrote and dedicated a book to Jonah and got his school to make copies. 

This act of kindness not only raised money for research but brought people together in support of Jonah and his struggle.

In another story, people from as far as South Africa have called Melody Pugh in Bremerton, Washington, to help them find their loved ones. 

Despite not knowing these people personally, Melody showed exceptional compassion and made it her mission to offer assistance in their time of need.

Acts of kindness can also be simple, everyday gestures that have a significant impact. For instance, strangers lending a helping hand or offering support during times of distress can leave a lasting impression . 

Such acts of compassion and kindness can sometimes inspire a chain reaction, encouraging others to pay it forward and contribute to a more caring and empathetic society.

Moreover, giving back to life and showing gratitude through kindness and generosity can transform not only our lives but make the world a better place. 

Engaging in acts of compassion, such as showing love to your family or creating something useful for others, can eventually lead to personal and professional success.

By considering these stories of compassion and kindness, may you be encouraged to embrace empathy in your everyday life and seek out opportunities to create meaningful connections with others. 

Remember, every act of kindness, big or small, makes a difference.

Inspirational Stories in Education

The stories in education that will inspire you:

Teachers Making a Difference

In India, some dedicated teachers go above and beyond to ensure their students have access to quality education. One such example is a teacher in a remote village who tirelessly works to provide education to children in a region where resources are scarce. 

They utilise innovative teaching methods and engage the local community in the learning process, showing that dedication and passion can truly make a difference in students’ lives.

Students Overcoming Obstacles

In some parts of the world, obtaining an education can be an uphill battle. For example, a young girl in Burkina Faso overcame numerous challenges to pursue her education. 

Despite living in a region with limited access to schools and resources, she persevered and sought out opportunities to learn. Through determination and resilience, she has managed to overcome the obstacles in her path and continues to inspire others with her commitment to education.

Remember, these stories are just a few examples of the power of dedication and resilience in the field of education. By acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of these teachers and students, you can also find inspiration and motivation to make a difference in your own life or the lives of others.

Heartwarming Stories from the Medical Field

In this section, you will read about some truly inspiring stories from the medical field, which demonstrate the resilience and compassion of healthcare professionals.

One such story is about a spinal implant that gave a young boy a chance at a normal life. This medical innovation helped the boy overcome significant challenges and led to a brighter future. 

Similarly, advances in HIV medication have transformed the lives of countless individuals living with the virus, enabling them to live more fulfilling lives.

Nurses also play a crucial role in providing extraordinary care to patients. There are many stories where nurses have gone above and beyond their call of duty, offering support and comfort to those in need. 

You may have come across accounts of nurses who have stayed by a patient’s side during their most trying times, showing true dedication to their profession.

In the field of emergency medicine, first responders are considered everyday heroes. They often work under immense pressure and put their lives on the line to save others. 

You can find many emotional and heartwarming stories of medical professionals who have left lasting impressions on their patients and communities, demonstrating the selflessness and courage inherent in their line of work.

Stories of perseverance and resilience are not only reserved for healthcare professionals but they can also be found in patients who have faced adversity. Across the globe, individuals with significant health challenges have triumphed against adversity, owing to their strong resolve and support from dedicated medical professionals.

In all these stories, you’ll see a common theme of determination, empathy, and skill among healthcare workers, making a profound difference in the lives of their patients.

True Stories of Environmental Activism

You may find it encouraging to learn about real-life stories of environmental activism. People around the world are taking action to protect the environment and make a positive impact on our planet.

One such story comes from Houston, Texas, where students in the East End have become “Green Ambassadors.” 

These youngsters are tackling the issue of their community being a “food desert” by promoting sustainable and healthy food alternatives. Over twenty high school and college students have joined the initiative since its inception three years ago.

Another example is the largest compensation for environmental damage in the history of Russia. In 2020, over 20,000 tons of diesel leaked into the water and soil from a storage tank owned by Norilsk Nickel near Norilsk. 

The catastrophic event led to the company being held responsible and facing significant financial penalties, which ultimately supported the remediation of the environment affected.

Environmental activism also comes in the form of storytelling. Greenpeace highlights ten inspiring women who use visual arts to share environmental narratives and raise awareness about pressing global issues. 

These female artists showcase their work in various mediums to engage and inspire audiences, emphasising the importance of environmental conservation and climate action.

Lastly, the world is witnessing a growing understanding of the “One Health” concept, recognising the link between the health of the planet and the health of its inhabitants. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought this connection to the forefront, driving initiatives that aim to protect both the environment and human health.

These stories serve as a testament to the power of environmental activism and the difference that individuals and groups can make when they join forces to protect our planet.

Motivational Stories from the Tech Industry

As you dive into the tech industry, it’s essential to draw inspiration from those who have paved the way. Here are a few motivational stories of individuals who achieved remarkable success in technology:

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple: 

As the current CEO of Apple, Inc., Tim Cook has carried on the legacy of the late Steve Jobs and continued to lead the company towards innovation and growth. He’s a prime example of the importance of loving what you do and dedicating yourself to your passion.

Breaking into tech despite challenges: 

There are numerous stories of individuals entering the tech industry from diverse backgrounds and overcoming various obstacles. 

These inspiring tales can provide valuable insights and motivation, proving that regardless of your starting point, you can make a significant impact in the world of technology with perseverance and hard work.

Silent leaders of innovation: 

While figures like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg might grab the headlines, several quiet innovators have significantly changed the tech landscape. 

These unsung heroes have disrupted industries, created unique solutions, and driven technological advancements, demonstrating that you don’t have to be in the spotlight to make a difference.

As you embark on your journey in the tech industry, remember to take inspiration from these transformative stories. 

They serve as reminders that dedication to your work, an unwavering belief in your capabilities, and the willingness to learn and grow can open the door to unparalleled success.

Best Inspirational Stories – Conclusion

To incorporate these inspirational stories into your daily life, you can follow these simple steps:

  • Reflect : Take a moment to think about the story and its message. What resonated with you the most?
  • Identify : Recognise the aspects of the story that align with your own experiences or challenges you’re currently facing.
  • Apply : Use the message or moral from the story as a guide to move forward in a positive direction. This could involve setting personal goals, shifting your mindset, or taking action in your daily life.
  • Share : Share these stories with friends, family, or colleagues. Discussing the messages and how they apply to your lives can strengthen bonds and provide support.

The Power of an Inspirational Story

Inspirational stories possess the ability to evoke strong emotions and provoke thoughts, leading to personal growth and transformation. 

These tales serve as reminders that even in difficult situations, positivity and resilience can prevail. To further understand the impact of these stories, consider the following points:

  • Human Connection : Inspirational stories often present relatable characters and situations, allowing you to connect with them on a deeper level. This connection can foster empathy and understanding of others’ experiences.
  • Motivation : The characters in these stories typically overcome various challenges, providing motivation and encouragement for you to tackle your obstacles.
  • Wisdom : Through the morals and lessons imparted by these stories, you gain valuable insights and wisdom that can be applied in various aspects of your life.

By understanding the power of an inspirational story and incorporating them into your daily life, you can leverage their potential to bring about positive change and personal development.

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The 10 Most Inspirational Short Stories I’ve Heard

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Short Inspirational stories are powerful reads;

The great thing about them is that they’re so easy to digest, and there’s always a moral at the end of the story.

Whether they’re true stories or not is another thing, as many of them are legends supposedly hundreds of years old.

However, the stories that I’m talking about are so powerful and inspirational that many of them really do get you thinking and even leave you speechless at times.

Table of Contents

The 10 Best Inspirational Short Stories

I’ve been reading plenty of these short stories in the past couple of weeks and found the lessons behind them truly wonderful. So I’ve decided to write out this article highlighting the 10 most inspirational short stories I’ve heard.

Next to the subheadings, in brackets, I’ve put what the story’s lesson is all about, with a short description of the moral of the story at the end of each section.

10. The Elephant Rope (Belief)

The Elephant Rope (Inspirational Short Stories)

A gentleman was walking through an elephant camp, and he spotted that the elephants weren’t being kept in cages or held by the use of chains.

All that was holding them back from escaping the camp, was a small piece of rope tied to one of their legs.

As the man gazed upon the elephants, he was completely confused as to why the elephants didn’t just use their strength to break the rope and escape the camp. They could easily have done so, but instead, they didn’t try to at all.

Curious and wanting to know the answer, he asked a trainer nearby why the elephants were just standing there and never tried to escape.

The trainer replied;

“when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The only reason that the elephants weren’t breaking free and escaping from the camp was that over time they adopted the belief that it just wasn’t possible.

Moral of the story:

No matter how much the world tries to hold you back, always continue with the belief that what you want to achieve is possible. Believing you can become successful is the most important step in actually achieving it.

9. Thinking Out of the Box (Creative Thinking)

Thinking Out of the Box (Inspirational Short Stories)

In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business owner’s daughter.

He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that we would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.

Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust.

The loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag, one white and one black.

The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble. If it was black, the debt would be wiped, but the loan-shark would then marry her. If it was white, the debt would also be wiped, but the daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.

Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-shark bent over and picked up two pebbles.

Whilst he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he’d picked up two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag.

He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.

The daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could have done:

  • Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.
  • Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for cheating.
  • Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.

She drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it ‘accidentally’ dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. She said to the loan-shark;

“Oh, how clumsy of me. Never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”

The pebble left in the bag is obviously black, and seeing as the loan-shark didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the daughter dropped was white, and clear her father’s debt.

It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation throughout of the box thinking, and not give in to the only options you think you have to pick from.

8. The Group of Frogs (Encouragement)

The Group of Frogs (Inspirational Short Stories)

As a group of frogs was traveling through the woods, two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs crowded around the pit and saw how deep it was, they told the two frogs that there was no hope left for them.

However, the two frogs decided to ignore what the others were saying and they proceeded to try and jump out of the pit . 

Despite their efforts, the group of frogs at the top of the pit were still saying that they should just give up. That they would never make it out.

Eventually, one of the frogs took heed to what the others were saying and he gave up, falling down to his death. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die.

He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?”

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

People’s words can have a big effect on other’s lives. Think about what you say before it comes out of your mouth. It might just be the difference between life and death.

7. A Pound of Butter (Honesty)

A Pound of Butter (Inspirational Short Stories)

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to a baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting the right amount, which he wasn’t. Angry about this, he took the farmer to court.

The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure to weight the butter. The farmer replied, “Honor, I am primitive. I don’t have a proper measure, but I do have a scale.”

The judge asked, “Then how do you weigh the butter?”

The farmer replied;

“Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker.”

In life, you get what you give. Don’t try and cheat others.

6. The Obstacle In Our Path (Opportunity)

The Obstacle in Our Path (Inspirational Short Stories)

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. He then hid himself and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.

Many people loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

A peasant then came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant went back to pick up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.

The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King explaining that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

Every obstacle we come across in life gives us an opportunity to improve our circumstances , and whilst the lazy complain, the others are creating opportunities through their kind hearts, generosity, and willingness to get things done.

5. The Butterfly (Struggles)

The Butterfly (Inspirational Short Stories)

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.

One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Until it suddenly stopped making any progress and looked like it was stuck.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, although it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man didn’t think anything of it and sat there waiting for the wings to enlarge to support the butterfly. But that didn’t happen. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with tiny wings and a swollen body.

Despite the kind heart of the man , he didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself through the small opening; were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. To prepare itself for flying once it was out of the cocoon.

Our struggles in life develop our strengths . Without struggles, we never grow and never get stronger, so it’s important for us to tackle challenges on our own, and not be relying on help from others.

4. Control Your Temper (Anger)

Control Your Temper (Inspirational Short Stories)

There once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. His father decided to hand him a bag of nails and said that every time the boy lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence.

On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into that fence.

The boy gradually began to control his temper over the next few weeks, and the number of nails he was hammering into the fence slowly decreased.

He discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer those nails into the fence.

Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father the news and the father suggested that the boy should now pull out a nail every day he kept his temper under control.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

“you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”

Control your anger, and don’t say things to people in the heat of the moment, that you may later regret . Some things in life, you are unable to take back.

3. The Blind Girl (Change)

The Blind Girl (Inspirational Short Stories)

There was a blind girl who hated herself purely for the fact she was blind. The only person she didn’t hate was her loving boyfriend, as he was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry him.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her – now she could see everything , including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, “now that you can see the world, will you marry me?”

The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying:

“Just take care of my eyes dear.”

When our circumstances change, so does our mind. Some people may not be able to see the way things were before, and might not be able to appreciate them . There are many things to take away from this story, not just one.

This is one of the inspirational short stories that left me speechless.

2. Puppies for Sale (Understanding)

Puppies for Sale (Inspirational Short Stories)

A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.”

Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner; 

“How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.  

The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”

The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”

The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.

One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”

The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.

The little boy became excited. “That is the puppy that I want to buy.”

The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said;

“I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The shop owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”

To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

1. Box Full of Kisses (Love)

Box Full of Kisses (Inspirational Short Stories)

Some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.”

The man became embarrassed by his overreaction earlier, but his rage continue when he saw that the box was empty. He yelled at her; “Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside?”

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried;

“Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They’re all for you, Daddy.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.

Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child.

Her father kept the gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

Love is the most precious gift in the world.

Summary of the 10 Best Inspirational Stories

Here’s a quick summary of the 10 best short inspirational stories:

  • Box Full of Kisses (Love)
  • Puppies for Sale (Understanding)
  • The Blind Girl (Change)
  • Control Your Temper (Anger)
  • The Butterfly (Struggles)
  • The Obstacle in Our Path (Opportunity)
  • A Pound of Butter (Honesty)
  • The Group of Frogs (Encouragement)
  • Thinking Out of the Box (Creative Thinking)
  • The Elephant Rope (Belief)

Thanks for reading these inspirational short stories. Some of them left me speechless for a minute or two, and it really does make us think.

If you know of any other inspirational short stories that you think should be featured on the list, then let me know in the comments below or drop me an email and I’ll feature them in part two later on in the year.

Which are your favorite inspirational short stories? Leave a comment below.

The 10 best motivational speakers in the world, top 20 best personal development authors of all time.

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Dan Western is the founder of Wealthy Gorilla . Dan has been running Wealthy Gorilla and studying self-development, personal finance, and investment for the last 7 years. To this day, Wealthy Gorilla has become one of the fastest growing wealth infotainment sites in the world; with over 300 million views worldwide. Dan doesn't use personal social media anymore, so you won't be able to find him on Instagram, or Twitter.

88 Comments

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Jan 3, 2016 at 10:32 am

Am no softie but that last story titled Box Full of Kisses wet my eyes. Can’t really explain.

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Vivek Sivaramakrishnan

Jun 12, 2016 at 2:46 pm

2 and 4 made me too think out of the box!

Dan Western

Jun 22, 2016 at 9:18 am

Awesome, yeah completely agree! These short stories can have a powerful impact, right?

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May 4, 2017 at 11:03 am

yes..i agree with u..

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Dec 6, 2017 at 12:20 pm

who is the authors of the story?

Dec 14, 2017 at 8:58 am

I honestly have no idea. These stories have been passed along over generations! I’m sure you might be able to find authors for some of them across the web.

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Ajeta Gupta

Jan 25, 2018 at 8:03 pm

Pupoies For Sale – is by Dan Clerk , The Wuthering Stage and it is published in The Chicken Soup For The Soul, by Jack Canfield. I basically read this when I was younger, it made me compassionate.

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Feb 28, 2020 at 7:59 pm

The one about love is the best, it left me thinkingabout be personaly.

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Jul 10, 2016 at 12:47 pm

The story “Control your anger” heart touching , truth of life hidden in it. ..absolutely wonderful

Jul 10, 2016 at 2:24 pm

Completely agree with you Ayesha!

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Sep 12, 2016 at 10:24 am

Must of the things you believe in always work for you

Sep 20, 2016 at 8:47 am

Amen brother!

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Nov 23, 2016 at 9:20 pm

who is the writer for the 2nd story??? PLEASE

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Dayna Nelson

Dec 20, 2016 at 6:25 pm

what is the theme of the short story “the blind girl” please if anyone has answers..

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Dec 25, 2016 at 6:35 am

The Box Full Of Kisses Why the girl should be killed? Doesn’t she deserves to live longer? Damn it…

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Oct 11, 2017 at 9:59 pm

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Feb 14, 2017 at 3:38 pm

Hello Dan Western brother, can you please post some motivational stories that could motivate the students who isolated at school? Thank you

Feb 15, 2017 at 10:21 am

Hey Shakeela, sure thing! I’ll try and find some more short stories to put up!

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kevin nguyen

Feb 14, 2017 at 4:10 pm

where do you find more stories like these?

I practice public speaking and telling these stories could make for a powerful speech

Feb 15, 2017 at 10:22 am

Hey Kevin! I’ll have browse on the web and try and create some more short story lists!

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Mar 21, 2017 at 4:13 pm

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hoorain noor

Apr 8, 2017 at 2:38 pm

SerioulY from these stories I learnt manY lessons….Inspired

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nayan shorma

Apr 24, 2017 at 12:43 pm

outstanding effort.. thank you for sharing

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Viral Nomaly

May 7, 2017 at 7:18 pm

They are the kind of love stories that you will love over and over again. Thank you for sharing this.

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Olango George

May 14, 2017 at 9:02 am

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Jemmy Anderson

May 24, 2017 at 5:48 am

They were really good. Could you please make some more.

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May 25, 2017 at 8:49 am

These stories carries a great potency of light, to strengthen and illuminate one to act

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May 30, 2017 at 5:14 am

Nice story…awsome

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Jun 12, 2017 at 6:36 pm

Comment: great pieces dan. ‘m inspired

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Jul 3, 2017 at 1:14 pm

Thinking out of box nd obstacles in our way

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Jul 10, 2017 at 10:29 am

Awesome article thanks for inspiring us with ur small and inspirational short stories. Especially the elephant rope one…

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Jul 16, 2017 at 1:02 pm

Loved the article a lot.Some stories are really amazing and its worth reading.Thank you so much for posting this article.

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Jul 19, 2017 at 9:30 pm

Each story has an unique point to take up but the Love made my eyes wet…. I am writing book on belief need your reference for the same and support where I can mention your blog details

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Jul 22, 2017 at 9:03 am

Elephant rope was really sad, I mean imagine a life that’s tied to a rope forever. And that thought of never being able to get free, so sad. But good story!

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Suraj Kadam

Jul 24, 2017 at 3:53 am

It’s an actual life problem. We stop trying and crying when things are not working. We should find the new way to do it. That’s what our failure means. 🙂 NEVER GIVE UP

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Jul 26, 2017 at 6:06 am

Thank you for this Dan! This is such an awesome read. The last one reallyyyy got me.

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Jul 31, 2017 at 6:37 pm

Last one .. aahh i m still crying … N yeah love is most precious gift

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Aug 2, 2017 at 10:00 pm

if frog is deaf how could they tell him the last part that ” are you not listening to us “

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Aug 7, 2017 at 6:16 pm

A Pound of Butter (Honesty) and Box Full of Kisses (Love)

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Aug 17, 2017 at 6:33 pm

Hey Dan Western ..m really inspired by all stories..thnx frn.. Could you just jot down some stories for morning assembly for little children for morning assmebly

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Aug 17, 2017 at 6:54 pm

“The Elephant Rope” This story really inspired me. Because my parents wanted me to follow them always. I feel like I can’t decide on my own. 🙁 But now, I am determine to follow the things that makes me feel happy. -All is well

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kishorinath

Oct 26, 2017 at 3:03 am

my parents allow me to do anything that i want to do , but not bad things & I also do that … in this your parents are like to be bad or they are pgl ……………

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Sep 12, 2017 at 12:23 pm

Dear Dan Western, Hope you’re doing good. I would like to thank you for posting all these lovely and inspiring stories. The Box full of kisses had me crying. Loved it. Keep up the good work. God bless…

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Sep 26, 2017 at 7:14 am

Nice to read those type of stories,Especially the last one made my eyes wet….

Thank you so much.

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Oct 5, 2017 at 8:33 am

Hello, it’s hard to choose the favorite among them. Every story posted here has it’s own significance. Thank you for posting them, would request to share more such stories.

Warm regards, Sunitha.M

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Jocelyn Miclat

Oct 21, 2017 at 9:21 am

Dear Dan Western, Thank you for sharing these stories… Yes, I have heard all of the 10 before and I’m happy to remember them from your site. I will be sharing them with others.

Regards, Joncyn A.

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jason nevil santhmayor

Oct 23, 2017 at 8:22 am

the last one, cant control my tears

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Mohana Krishna

Nov 3, 2017 at 3:16 pm

Your stories are very inspirational and motivational Dan Keep it up MOHANA KRISHNA

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Arbaaz Hussain

Dec 13, 2017 at 5:08 pm

These stories are just fab!! hey writer! ur doing a great job

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Dec 13, 2017 at 9:37 pm

There is a story that I know which is about saying unkind words. It is like squeezing toothpaste out of its tube and trying to get it back in again. Better of if you never said or did anything in the first place.

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Dec 19, 2017 at 10:49 am

All these stories are awesome. Most touching were “Box full of kisses” and the Puppies for sale. Great Job

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nirbhay sharma

Dec 24, 2017 at 1:46 am

The blind girl. Touched my heart deeply.

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Sanath Wanni Arachchige

Jan 8, 2018 at 7:56 pm

All of them are good. I will share them on my Facebook and on my website.

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Jan 15, 2018 at 8:21 pm

Beautiful compilation. Loved the story Puppies for sale (understanding) & of course Box full of kisses (love) the most!

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Vishnu jangir

Jan 16, 2018 at 10:00 am

I am also speech less at this story

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Jan 18, 2018 at 2:02 am

Nice collection of inspirational stories! The story “obstacle in your path” is very true even in today’s world. Every obstacle is an opportunity. We should utilize these obstacles and turn them into opportunities with our hard work.

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Jan 18, 2018 at 11:29 am

seriously very motivating and encouraging for me….

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Jan 28, 2018 at 10:44 am

Hey Don ! All the stories knocked the socks off me ! I loved the frogs one !! Will read that story everyday till I go deaf on the discouragement this world throws at me and will keep trying till I jump out of my well too ! Thanks for that one .

Please let more coming in ??

And I can tell you “I will not give up on life because of you”

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Feb 4, 2018 at 2:45 am

All stories are very inspiring. The Butterfly Story was good

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Feb 11, 2018 at 12:43 pm

Hey Dan, Great story. collection of all of Your stories is more than motivationl. i’ll share it on my facebook wall, so others can get inspiration from them.

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Ayna Tamton

Apr 17, 2018 at 2:53 am

of course the puppies for sale story. person who understands you is the lack of the hour and if you find such a person you are blessed

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Khawar Hashmat

Apr 30, 2018 at 6:04 am

Box Full of kisses was very emotional, being a father of a beautiful daughter, I was off. Every story was remarkably good. Thanks.

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May 2, 2018 at 2:52 pm

Very inspiring stories…all stories have moral dimensions which tell us that nothing is impossible. If we face some difficulties in life, we should always find a solution rather than give up on God. We all are very blessed to have such a beautiful life.

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Michael Ketcham

May 14, 2018 at 12:54 am

This is one you might like!

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She then pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, Mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity — boiling water — but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity? Do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor of your life. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you changed by your surroundings or do you bring life, and flavor to them?

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Bilal Ahmad shah

May 14, 2018 at 8:34 am

BOX full of kisses(love)…. is most awesome story I have ever red.. even I have even red All stories over there …. last one stories had a fab moral LOVE is precious gift in the world..

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Jun 19, 2018 at 2:20 pm

the story about the elephant rope is very good

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Jun 21, 2018 at 1:25 pm

4th one which I striked more . It is really inspiring because I am Part of it and I really wish to be myself happy without anger. thank u dan

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Jun 21, 2018 at 6:21 pm

All stories left a very good message..But control ur anger is really inspiring..

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Jul 20, 2018 at 3:25 pm

Thinking out of the box is my favorite… Wow…

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Nov 2, 2018 at 4:45 am

These stories are so powerful they helped me to bounce back thanks for sharing these stories with us. You give boost to my work and effort. Thanks

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Nov 14, 2018 at 3:37 pm

Beautiful stories i really loved them and i hope you don’t mind me sharing them

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Dec 7, 2018 at 11:48 pm

Box of kisses. Nowadays the world needs love. Thank you Dan for sharing such a wonderful stories. God bless you & your family.

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Life Coach Tushar Vakil

Dec 27, 2018 at 9:48 am

You might have unfathomable powers but your sometimes wrong beliefs hinder your potentials to live up to your conditions. What we learned from Elephant story is a million dollar thing. Thanks for sharing, all stories are awesome.

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george kaungu

Jan 3, 2019 at 10:15 am

control your temper, has changed me.

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Jan 16, 2019 at 6:10 pm

The box full of kisses is the story that I loved the most.. it’s something that I can connect myself to ! Thanks for such stories..

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Apr 4, 2019 at 1:45 pm

This was beautiful. Love is the key.

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Jan 8, 2020 at 11:36 pm

Puppies for sale and the blind girl are very touching

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Anu Bhardwaj

Nov 10, 2020 at 7:08 am

Great Stories . These are Very Interesting and inspiring.

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Kangootui Julius M

Nov 20, 2020 at 10:28 am

Just Take Care Of My Eyes Dear.

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Axmednuur Marayare

Nov 21, 2020 at 12:08 pm

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Nov 23, 2020 at 12:40 pm

Great really!

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Power of Positivity

Nov 25, 2020 at 7:15 pm

The most profound inspirational quotes about fitness carry a weight capacity of elevating a rough workout from demoralizing struggle to the righteous, eye-opening victory of mind over body. Sometimes, you only need a single reminder that someone before you rose to incredible heights only after challenging the definition of “impossible” through consistency, clearly defined goals, and the will to see the finish line beyond one bad day.

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Mazhar Iqbal

Dec 10, 2020 at 2:07 pm

All stories are too much motivational but I liked 2nd one. What a way to clear the debt of father. I really appreciate the wisdom of the girl.

Jan 25, 2021 at 11:27 am

Motivational stories have the ability to lift us up, make us smile, encourage, motivate, and teach us valuable life lessons. I have read such real life motivational stories at this link https://www.drilers.com/articles-and-stories

Feb 27, 2021 at 5:09 am

Very nice stories. I have read more motivational stories like these stories at this link https://www.motivationalkeeda.com/2019/07/3-best-motivational-story-in-hindi.html

Mar 31, 2021 at 5:01 pm

While surfing on the google I have found your website about SELF-IMPROVEMENTThe 10 Most Inspirational Short Stories I’ve Heard.

These short stories are very inspirational for me.

Jun 4, 2021 at 7:40 pm

Very Inspiring Stories.

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Ahmad Sofyan H

Sep 2, 2021 at 11:02 am

I like all the stories.

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The 10 Best Short Moral Stories With Valuable Lessons

The 10 Best Short Moral Stories

Stories that have morals and messages behind them are always powerful. In fact, it’s crazy just how powerful a 200 word story can be.

Our last article of short stories became so popular, that we decided to create another list, in which every story has a simple moral behind it.

The 10 Best Short Moral Stories

Some of these stories are very short and basic. In fact some are so basic they’re most likely featured in children’s books somewhere. However, the strength of the message remains the same.

Here’s some more of the best short moral stories:

1. An Old Man Lived in the Village

Short Moral Stories - An Old Man

An old man lived in the village. He was one of the most unfortunate people in the world. The whole village was tired of him; he was always gloomy, he constantly complained and was always in a bad mood.

The longer he lived, the more bile he was becoming and the more poisonous were his words. People avoided him, because his misfortune became contagious. It was even unnatural and insulting to be happy next to him.

He created the feeling of unhappiness in others.

But one day, when he turned eighty years old , an incredible thing happened. Instantly everyone started hearing the rumour:

“An Old Man is happy today, he doesn’t complain about anything, smiles, and even his face is freshened up.”

The whole village gathered together. The old man was asked:

Villager: What happened to you?

“Nothing special. Eighty years I’ve been chasing happiness, and it was useless. And then I decided to live without happiness and just enjoy life. That’s why I’m happy now.” – An Old Man

Don’t chase happiness. Enjoy your life.

2. The Wise Man

Short Moral Stories - The Wise Man

People have been coming to the wise man, complaining about the same problems every time. One day he told them a joke and everyone roared in laughter.

After a couple of minutes, he told them the same joke and only a few of them smiled.

When he told the same joke for the third time no one laughed anymore.

The wise man smiled and said:

“You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over. So why are you always crying about the same problem?”  

Worrying won’t solve your problems, it’ll just waste your time and energy.

3. The Foolish Donkey

Short Moral Stories - The Foolish Donkey

A salt seller used to carry the salt bag on his donkey to the market every day.

On the way they had to cross a stream. One day the donkey suddenly tumbled down the stream and the salt bag also fell into the water. The salt dissolved in the water and hence the bag became very light to carry. The donkey was happy.

Then the donkey started to play the same trick every day.

The salt seller came to understand the trick and decided to teach a lesson to it. The next day he loaded a cotton bag on the donkey.

Again it played the same trick hoping that the cotton bag would be still become lighter.

But the dampened cotton became very heavy to carry and the donkey suffered. It learnt a lesson. It didn’t play the trick anymore after that day, and the seller was happy.

Luck won’t favor always.

4. Having A Best Friend

Short Moral Stories - Having A Best Friend

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand;

“Today my best friend slapped me in the face.”

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone;

“Today my best friend saved my life.”

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him;

“After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?”

The other friend replied;

“When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”  

Moral of the story: 

Don’t value the things you have in your life. But value who you have in your life.

5. The Four Smart Students

Short Moral Stories - The Four Smart Students

One night four college students were out partying late night and didn’t study for the test which was scheduled for the next day. In the morning, they thought of a plan.

They made themselves look dirty with grease and dirt.

Then they went to the Dean and said they had gone out to a wedding last night and on their way back the tire of their car burst and they had to push the car all the way back. So they were in no condition to take the test.

The Dean thought for a minute and said they can have the re-test after 3 days. They thanked him and said they will be ready by that time.

On the third day, they appeared before the Dean. The Dean said that as this was a Special Condition Test, all four were required to sit in separate classrooms for the test. They all agreed as they had prepared well in the last 3 days.

The Test consisted of only 2 questions with the total of 100 Points:

1) Your Name? __________ (1 Points)

2) Which tire burst? __________ (99 Points) Options – (a) Front Left (b) Front Right (c) Back Left (d) Back Right

Take responsibility or you will learn your lesson.

6. The Greedy Lion

Short Moral Stories - The Greedy Lion

It was an incredibly hot day, and a lion was feeling very hungry.

He came out of his den and searched here and there. He could find only a small hare. He caught the hare with some hesitation. “This hare can’t fill my stomach” thought the lion.

As the lion was about to kill the hare, a deer ran that way. The lion became greedy. He thought;

“Instead of eating this small hare, let me eat the big deer.”

He let the hare go and went behind the deer. But the deer had vanished into the forest. The lion now felt sorry for letting the hare off.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

7. Two Friends & The Bear

Short Moral Stories - Two Friends & The Bear

Vijay and Raju were friends. On a holiday they went walking into a forest, enjoying the beauty of nature. Suddenly they saw a bear coming at them. They became frightened.

Raju, who knew all about climbing trees, ran up to a tree and climbed up quickly. He didn’t think of Vijay. Vijay had no idea how to climb the tree.

Vijay thought for a second. He’d heard animals don’t prefer dead bodies, so he fell to the ground and held his breath. The bear sniffed him and thought he was dead. So, it went on its way.

Raju asked Vijay;

“What did the bear whisper into your ears?”

Vijay replied, “The bear asked me to keep away from friends like you”  …and went on his way.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

8. The Struggles of Our Life

Short Moral Stories - The Struggles of our Life

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter.

The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners.

He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to her, he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer”  he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft.

He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter.

“When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is how you choose to react to it and what you make out of it. Life is all about leaning, adopting and converting all the struggles that we experience into something positive.

9. The Fox & The Grapes

Short Moral Stories - The Fox & The Grapes

One afternoon a fox was walking through the forest and spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from over a lofty branch.

“Just the thing to quench my thirst,” he thought.

Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and just missed the hanging grapes. Again the fox took a few paces back and tried to reach them but still failed.

Finally, giving up, the fox turned up his nose and said, “They’re probably sour anyway,” and proceeded to walk away.

Moral of the story:  

It’s easy to despise what you can’t have.

10. The Lion & The Poor Slave

Short Moral Stories - The Lion & The Poor Slave

A slave, ill-treated by his master, runs away to the forest. There he comes across a lion in pain because of a thorn in his paw. The slave bravely goes forward and removes the thorn gently.

The lion without hurting him goes away.

Some days later, the slave’s master comes hunting to the forest and catches many animals and cages them. The slave is spotted by the masters’ men who catch him and bring him to the cruel master.

The master asks for the slave to be thrown into the lion’s cage.

The slave is awaiting his death in the cage when he realizes that it is the same lion that he had helped. The slave rescued the lion and all other caged animals.

One should help others in need, we get the rewards of our helpful acts in return.

Here’s a quick recap on the 10 best short moral stories:

  • An old man lived in the village
  • The wise man
  • The foolish donkey
  • Having a best friend
  • The four smart students
  • The greedy lion
  • The two friends & the bear
  • The struggles of our life
  • The fox & the grapes
  • The lion & the poor slave

If you haven’t seen our original article, with slightly more detailed inspirational short stories , check it out!

Do you have any other favorite short moral stories? Leave a comment below.

The Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Who are the best motivational speakers of all time?

Motivational speakers have had an enormous impact on my life, and millions of others, no matter what their personal situation in life may be.

Their words are so powerful and inspirational, you just have to listen to their stuff on a daily basis. So it brings me to this post.

I’ve been enjoying a lot of motivational videos recently, have been creating my own, and have ended up listening to a lot of wonderful speeches.

Top 10 Best Motivational Speakers

But who are the best motivational speakers in the world?

Here’s my list of the top 10 motivational speakers in the world.

These are the people you need to be following, listening to and watching on YouTube. They have transformed many people’s lives including mine.

10. Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Nick Vujicic was born on December 4th 1982 in Melbourne, Australia. Vujicic was born with Tetra-Amelia syndrome, a very rare disorder whereby someone is born with an absence of all four limbs.

This no doubt ably, made things incredibly tough for Nick growing up, as he struggled both mentally and physically.

It led to him founding his very own non-profit organization called ‘Life Without Limbs’ . Nick Vujicic is a true inspiration to us all, and if you’ve watched some of his motivational speeches on YouTube, you’ll realize just how much he’s been able to adapt to a life without limbs.

Many people with this disorder might not be willing to work hard in order to truly push their abilities.

He can type 43 words a minute on a computer. That’s right, you heard me correctly. This is a guy who has an absence of all four limbs, but can type 43 words per minute on a computer.

I encourage you to watch some of his videos on YouTube, and see exactly what I’m talking about.

“It’s a lie to think you’re not good enough. It’s a lie to think you’re not worth anything.” – nick Vujicic

9. Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Brian Tracy was born on January 5th 1944 in Vancouver, Canada, and is the CEO of Brian Tracy International , a company that specifically sets out to help individuals and organizations develop, train and grow.

Brian’s ultimate goal is to help other people achieve their goals more efficiently and be able to achieve their full potential.

That definitely sets the foundation for being one of the best motivational speakers in the world.

His lifetime achievements are phenomenal, consulting huge numbers of businesses, hosting huge numbers of seminars and conducting  years and years of research in Business, Economics, Psychology and Philosophy.

There’s no more to say other than the title given on his website: Professional Speaker, Best Selling Author, Entrepreneur and Success Expert. Check out some of the best Brian Tracy quotes .

“No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to learn starting from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely, positively have to find people who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need to learn to achieve our goals.” – Brian Tracy

8. Robin Sharma

Robin Sharma - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Robin Sharma was born in 1964 in Nepal, and straight out of the Dalhousie University School of Law, became a professional lawyer. But he went much further in his career than being a fully qualified and successful lawyer.

Sharma has written a total of 15 published books, from 1995 – 2011, on the subjects of self-help and leadership. One of his most popular books written; ‘The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari’ , has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

The book is all about a character called Julian, who decides to sell his home and Ferrari to go on a spiritual journey, after being the victim to a sudden heart attack.

Some may say that Robin Sharma’s more of a motivational author rather than speaker, but he deserves to be on this list. He’s written 12 global best sellers, and is an expert author in the world of leadership and self development.

“Dreamers are mocked as impractical. The truth is they are the most practical, as their innovations lead to progress and a better way of life for all of us.” –  Robin S. Sharma

7. Wayne Dyer

Dr. Wayne Dyer - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Dr. Wayne Dyer was born on May 10th 1940 in Detroit, and spent the majority of his childhood in an orphanage.

Dyer was in the U.S Navy after graduating high school, from 1958 to 1962. He then received his degree in counselling, a profession that he chose to work in for a while before taking it one step further.

Dyer left his teaching job and started pursuing a career in motivational speaking, holding various lectures across the states and becoming an incredibly popular author.

The first book that Dyer ever wrote has now had over 35 million copies sold and he’s proceeded to continue with his lecture tours, release various audio tapes and publish a regular stream of books .

“Passion is a feeling that tells you: this is the right thing to do. Nothing can stand in my way. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says. This feeling is so good that it cannot be ignored. I’m going to follow my bliss and act upon this glorious sensation of joy.” –  Wayne Dyer

6. Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Zig Ziglar was born on November 6th, 1926 in Alabama, and passed away on November 28th in 2012.

Ziglar has 11 siblings, and at the age of five years old, his father died of a stroke, and his sister passed away two days later. Zig actually served in the army from 1935 – 1946 during World War II.

Ziglar met his wife Jean when he was just 17 years old, and after the war began to work as a salesman for many different companies, eventually becoming the vice president for the Automotive Performance company .

He started taking part in motivational seminars, and also wrote his first book in 1975 titled: ‘See You at the Top’ . This was the first of at least 15 books he’d written during the period of 1975 and 2012.

A lot of wisdom has come from Zig Ziglar over the years and he is definitely one of the best motivational speakers in the world.

“You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness.” – Zig Ziglar

5. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30th 1947, in Austria. We all know him as the world famous professional bodybuilding champion, and there’s a very inspirational story behind Arnie’s bodybuilding success.

Schwarzenegger served in the Austrian army at the age of 18 years old for 1 year, which at the time was compulsory for all 18-year-old males.

During this time, he would still manage to fit in his workouts between all the training and drills, whilst most people were resting. He snuck out of the camp to compete in the Junior Mr. Europe contest , which he ended up winning.

Arnold’s discipline towards his training was incredible, and the fact that he was willing to disobey the rules of the army and sneak out of the camp to compete in the contest, just goes to show how badly he wanted it.

Nowadays, he’s an inspiration to many bodybuilders and a great source of motivation for anyone wanting to be successful.

“For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

4. Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Jim Rohn was born September 17th, 1930 in Yakima, Washington, and passed away on December 5th, 2009. He was a very successful entrepreneur, at one time being a Vice President of a very successful sales company, Nutri-Bio.

However, after the company eventually went out of business, he was invited to speak at a meeting of one of his clubs.

After this meeting, he was invited to speak at many other events and began making a name for himself. Rohn was a wise businessman and managed to impart much of this wisdom to others.

He’s definitely earned the right to be on this list of the best motivational speakers in the world.

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” – Jim Rohn

3. Les Brown

Les Brown - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Les Brown was born on February 17th, 1945 in Miami, Florida. He was adopted by Mamie Brown, and whilst in grade school, was declared “educably mentally retarded” .

Despite this and the emotional issues, it brought upon him; he was encouraged by others to continue to learn and be the best he could be. Leading him to unlock his full potential.

Les is another motivational speaker who is incredibly popular among the motivational video compilations that others create. Because his speeches are so deep and meaningful that they really get through to people.

His top-selling books: ‘It’s Not over until You Win!’  and ‘Live Your Dreams’ are truly inspirational and well worth the read.

“When life knocks you down, try to land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up. Let your reason get you back up.” – Les Brown

2. Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Tony Robbins was born on February 29th, 1960 in Los Angeles. His life at home when he was young was described by him as abusive and chaotic. It was because of this that he left home at the age of 17.

Originally when starting out in the world of motivational speaking, Robbins was promoting seminars for Jim Rohn. He later decided to begin his own journey by hosting his own seminars.

Tony has affected and changed so many people’s lives in a positive way through his seminars, motivational speeches, inspirational quotes and best-selling books.

Search for him on YouTube and several videos will pop up showing him change someone’s life.

The favorites of mine that I’ve watched, are where he cures a young man’s stutter in 7 minutes and saves another guy’s marriage in 8.

“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” – Tony Robbins

1. Eric Thomas

Eric Thomas - Best Motivational Speakers in the World

Eric Thomas, born and raised in Detroit, was homeless at the age of 16 years old. But Eric decided that he wanted to make a better life for himself, to become someone with a life he could be proud of.

E.T did just that, and you can now check out powerful advice from Eric Thomas on YouTube. Including his “Thank God It’s Monday” series.

He also managed to get the education he missed out on whilst he was homeless and pushed himself further to achieve all the qualifications he dreamed of being able to achieve.

Eric Thomas has become one of the best motivational speakers in the world. His YouTube videos are legendary and his best-selling books have taken in millions of dollars in revenue.

E.T’s speeches are so popular, that you’ll find he’s featured in roughly 90% of the motivational videos that others create and upload to YouTube, using compilations of clips, speeches, and music.

“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” – Eric Thomas

I hope you enjoyed this list of the top 10 best motivational speakers in the world. Many of these speakers are featured within some of the videos we included in our new list of ultimate gym motivation . Take a look and see what you think.

Here’s a quick recap on the list of the best motivational speakers in the world::

  • Eric Thomas
  • Tony Robbins
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Dr. Wayne Dyer
  • Robin Sharma
  • Brian Tracy
  • Nick Vujicic

Who’s your favorite of the 10 best motivational speakers? Do you still agree with the current order of this list? Leave a comment below.

Top 20 Best Personal Development Authors of All Time

Ever wanted to start reading self-development books, but you’re not sure who the best personal development authors to follow are?

You’re in luck…

I’m about to give you the names of what I believe to be the top 20 best self-development authors to be reading up on. These are names to remember when you’re looking for your next book to buy.

Top 20 Best Personal Development Authors

Here are, in no particular order, the names of the 20 best authors to start reading up on. I would have loved to include a few other names on this list, but the top 20 is what it is!

1. Jack Canfield

38 Jack Canfield Quotes (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Jack Canfield is the legend behind the ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series; one of the most popular self-development book series of all time.

Over 250+ books have been published by the company, and Canfield has gone on to become a leading motivational speaker and trainer.

2. Napoleon Hill

The 35 Most Notorious Napoleon Hill Quotes

Napoleon Hill is the author behind the notorious ‘Think & Grow Rich’, one of the most popular self-development books of all time.

Hill teaches the principles of attaining any riches you desire in life, and there is so much valuable information within this book, that it’ll always be remembered.

3. Dale Carnegie

55 Powerful Dale Carnegie Quotes to Live By

Another self-development author you have to check out, and one you’ve probably already heard of, is Dale Carnegie. Carnegie lived from 1888 to 1955, and within his life, published a considerable number of self-help books.

Two of those books, specifically the best selling ones, were ‘How to Win Friends & Influence People’ and ‘How to Stop Worrying & Start Living’.

4. Robert B. Cialdini

58 Wisdom Filled Robert B. Cialdini Quotes

You probably know Cialdini as the author of ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’. This book is highly regarded as one of the best self-development books of all time, as well as one of the best psychology books to read.

5. Tim Ferriss

36 Tim Ferriss Quotes That Truly Inspire

If you’re not following Tim Ferriss , I don’t know what you’re doing. There are four best selling books that every Tim Ferriss fan will have read, and they’ve helped change the lives of millions.

Those four books are:

  • The Four Hour Work Week
  • The Four Hour Body
  • Tools For Titans
  • Tribe of Mentors

6. Dr. Wayne Dyer

Dr. Wayne Dyer Quotes in Remembrance of His Life

Sadly, Wayne Dyer passed away several years ago. He was an American philosopher, self-help author and motivational speaker. Dyer wrote over 40 books in the field of personal development, and they have sold in tens of millions.

7. John C. Maxwell

50 John C. Maxwell Quotes on Leadership & Growth

John Maxwell is an American author, speaker and pastor. He focuses solely on leadership, and training other to become wise and wonderful leaders.

Maxwell has written a ton of incredible books, however these are some the most popular books he’s written:

  • The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
  • Developing The Leader Within You
  • The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth
  • How Successful People Think
  • Failing Forward

8. Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins , what a guy! Tony has helped people all over the world to transform their lives, and there’s so much wisdom we can all gain from listening to his speeches, and reading his content.

If you want to learn more about Tony Robbins and his work, you can check out these books:

  • Awaken the Giant Within
  • Unlimited Power
  • Unshakeable

9. Paulo Coelho

You probably know Paulo Coelho for his best selling book, ‘The Alchemist’. Coelho is a best selling author, lyricist and novelist, and has received many awards for his work over the years.

The Alchemist is definitely a book you should read if you’re an ambitious individual trying to pursue your dreams and overcome any obstacles in your way.

10. Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra - Best Personal Development Authors

Deepak Chopra is an American author, public speaker, alternative medicine advocate, and a prominent figure in the New Age movement.

Chopra has become one of the most influential figures in the area of spiritual healing and alternative medicine. Some of his best selling books you should be adding to your reading list are:

  • Re-inventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul
  • Creating Affluence
  • The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

11. Peter F. Drucker

Peter Drucker - Best Personal Development Authors

Peter Drucker was an Austrian-born American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business corporation.

You probably know him as the author behind ‘Managing Oneself’, and if you don’t, then you should.

12. Martha Beck

Martha Beck - Best Personal Development Authors

Martha Nibley Beck is an American sociologist, life coach, best-selling author, and speaker who travels the world helping people achieve personal and professional goals.

Some of Martha’s most popular books are:

  • Finding Your Own North Star
  • Find Your Way In A Wild New World
  • The 4-Day Win

13. Stephen R. Covey

Stephen Covey - Best Personal Development Authors

I first encountered Stephen Covey’s work when I purchased ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, which at the time had sold over 15 million copies!

Covey was an American educator, speaker and author. He sadly passed away 5 years ago, but his work has lived on to be some of the best reading material anybody could ever purchase.

14. Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy is a Canadian-born American motivational public speaker and self-development author. He is the author of over 70 books that have been translated into dozens of languages.

Some of his most notorious books are:

  • No Excuses: The Power of Discipline
  • Eat That Frog!

15. Les Brown

Les Brown is one of my favorite motivational speakers of all time. Les was labelled educable mentally retarded when he was younger, and was born on the floor of an abandoned building.

Some of his most popular and best selling books are ‘Live Your Dreams’ and ‘It’s Not Over Until You Win’.

16. Jim Rohn

Emanuel James “Jim” Rohn was an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. He was responsible for changing many people’s lives, and even mentored Tony Robbins once upon a time.

These are some of the most popular self-development books by Jim Rohn:

  • 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness
  • My Philosophy for Successful Living
  • The Keys to Success

17. Gary Keller

Gary Keller - Best Personal Development Authors

Gary Keller is an American entrepreneur and best-selling author. He is the founder of Keller Williams Realty International, which is the largest real estate company in the world by agent count.

You’ve probably heard Keller’s name come up when people talk about ‘The ONE Thing’, his best selling self-help book.

18. Gabrielle Bernstein

Gabrielle Bernstein - Best Personal Development Authors

Gabrielle Bernstein is an American motivational speaker, life coach, and author. Bernstein teaches primarily from the metaphysical text A Course In Miracles.

Some of here most popular books are:

  • Miracles Now
  • Spirit Junkie
  • May Cause Miracles
  • The Universe Has Your Back

19. Brendan Burchard

Brendan Burchard - Best Personal Development Authors

Brendon Burchard is an American author on motivation and the use of digital and affiliate marketing to sell “info products” based on whatever expertise a person has.

He is most commonly known for his book: The Motivation Manifesto, however he has written several other useful and recommended books on the subject of motivation, such as:

  • The Millionaire Messenger
  • Life’s Golden Ticket

20. Joel Osteen

50 Encouraging & Motivating Joel Osteen Quotes

Joel Scott Osteen is an American preacher and televangelist. He is the Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church, in Houston, Texas. Osteen’s televised sermons are seen by over 7 million viewers weekly and over 20 million monthly in over 100 countries.

Some of his most popular books are:

  • Think Better, Live Better Study Guide
  • The Power of I Am
  • Fresh Start

That concludes the list of the best personal development authors of all time:

  • Jack Canfield
  • Napoleon Hill
  • Dale Carnegie
  • Robert B. Cialdini
  • John C. Maxwell
  • Anthony Robbins
  • Paulo Coelho
  • Deepak Chopra
  • Peter F. Drucker
  • Martha Beck
  • Stephen R. Covey
  • Gary Keller
  • Gabrielle Bernstein
  • Brendan Burchard
  • Joel Osteen

Who are your favorite personal development authors? Leave a comment below.

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Sources of Insight

Unleash Your Greatest Potential

Best Motivational Short Stories About Personal Growth, Mindset, and Productivity

Best Motivational Short Stories

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” — Nelson Mandela

Motivational short stories have the power to inspire us, shift our perspectives, and help us overcome challenges to become the best version of ourselves.

These stories can stay with us for a lifetime, providing valuable insights and lessons.

I first heard the story of the Flea and the Jar and the story of The Elephant and the Rope from Tony Robbins.

Later, I heard the story of The Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand from Stephen Covey.

I remember sometime later a mentor told me the story of The Starfish. And another mentor told me the story of The Two Wolves.

It was a while before a mentor told me about The Fisherman and it made me rethink the game of life.

I’ve collected these motivational short stories as reminders of how we can overcome our challenges and sometimes the greatest obstacle we face, is ourself.

So let’s explore the world of motivational short stories and discover the endless possibilities for personal growth and transformation.

Motivational Short Stories on This Page

Here is an index of the motivational short stories on this page:

  • Elephant and the Rope
  • Empty Your Cup
  • Flea in the Jar
  • Happiness is Within You
  • Life is a Race
  • Life is Like a Cup of Coffee
  • Potato, Egg, or Coffee Bean
  • Puppies for Sales
  • Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand
  • Self-Appraisal
  • Sharpen Your Axe
  • The Fisherman
  • The Butterfly Story
  • The Group of Frogs
  • The Two Wolves Story
  • The Retiring Carpenter Story
  • The Saint and the Scorpion
  • The Starfish
  • The Tale of the Pencil
  • The Two Shoe Salesman
  • The Two Wolves

Elephant and the Rope Motivational Short Story

The elephant and the rope story is a metaphorical tale about how limiting beliefs and conditioning can hold us back from reaching our full potential.

In the story, a man comes across an elephant that is tied to a small rope.

Despite the fact that the elephant could easily break free from the rope, it does not even try to do so.

The man is curious and asks the trainer nearby why the elephant doesn’t attempt to break free.

The trainer explains that when the elephant was young, it was tied to the same rope and was not strong enough to break free.

As a result, the elephant became conditioned to believe that it was not capable of breaking the rope, even though it could do so easily as an adult.

The story is often used as a metaphor for how our own beliefs and conditioning can hold us back from achieving our full potential. Just like the elephant, we can become so conditioned to our own limitations that we may not even try to break free from them.

The lesson of the elephant and the rope is to recognize the limiting beliefs and conditioning that hold us back and to challenge them in order to achieve our full potential.

Empty Your Cup Motivational Short Story

The Zen Story of the Empty Cup is a parable that emphasizes the importance of having an open mind and being receptive to new ideas and experiences.

In the story, a scholar seeks out a Zen master to learn from him. The scholar proudly shows the Zen master all that he knows, but the master pours tea into the scholar’s cup until it overflows, demonstrating that the scholar’s mind is already full and cannot accept anything more.

The Zen master then tells the scholar that if he wants to learn, he must first empty his cup – that is, let go of his preconceptions and be open to new ideas and experiences.

The story is often used as a metaphor for personal growth and the importance of having an open mind. It emphasizes that we must let go of our preconceptions and be receptive to new ideas if we want to learn and grow.

The lesson of the story is to approach life with an open mind and a willingness to learn, rather than assuming that we already know everything.

Flea in the Jar Motivational Short Story

The story of the flea in the jar is a metaphorical tale about the limitations that we place on ourselves and how these limitations can become ingrained in our thinking over time.

In the story, a group of fleas are placed in a jar with a lid on it. The fleas initially try to jump out of the jar, but they keep hitting their heads on the lid.

Eventually, the fleas stop jumping as high and learn to live within the confines of the jar.

One day, the lid is removed from the jar, and the fleas are free to jump as high as they want.

However, even though they are no longer confined by the lid, the fleas continue to jump only as high as the lid used to be, as this has become the limit that they have imposed on themselves.

The story is often used as a metaphor for how our own beliefs and limiting thoughts can hold us back from achieving our full potential. Just like the fleas, we can become so used to living within certain limitations that we may not even realize we are capable of breaking free from them.

The lesson of the flea in the jar is to recognize the limitations we place on ourselves and to challenge them in order to reach our full potential.

Happiness is Within You Motivational Short Story

The “Happiness is Within You” story is a fable about a man who travels to a far-off land in search of happiness. He meets a wise old man who tells him that happiness is not found in distant places, but rather within oneself.

The wise man tells the traveler to seek out a certain tree in a nearby forest, which is said to hold the secret to true happiness.

The traveler searches for the tree, but when he finds it, he is disappointed to see that it looks like any other tree.

The wise man appears again and tells the traveler to cut the tree down and open it up. Inside, the traveler finds nothing but plain, unremarkable wood. Confused and frustrated, he asks the wise man what this means.

The wise man tells him that the true secret to happiness is not in external objects or circumstances, but rather in our own perception and attitude.

Happiness is not found in material things or in achieving external goals, but rather in cultivating an inner sense of peace, contentment, and gratitude.

The story is often used as a metaphor for the idea that true happiness comes from within, and that external factors can only provide temporary pleasure or satisfaction.

The lesson of the story is to focus on cultivating inner peace and contentment, rather than seeking happiness in external objects or circumstances.

Life is a Race Motivational Short Story

In this version, the story revolves around a young athletic boy who was hungry for success and measured his success only by winning.

He participated in a running competition and won two races, feeling proud and important.

He then pleaded for another race and was presented with two new challengers, an elderly frail old lady and a blind man.

As the race began, the boy noticed that the elderly lady and the blind man were struggling to run. Instead of rushing ahead, he slowed down and ran alongside them, encouraging them to keep going.

Together, they reached the finish line and the boy realized that the true victory was in helping others and enjoying the journey, rather than just winning.

The story is often used as a metaphor for the importance of slowing down, helping others, and savoring life’s moments.

It emphasizes that life is not just about winning races or achieving goals, but about enjoying the journey and being kind to others.

The lesson of the story is to appreciate the journey, help others along the way, and find joy in the process.

Life is Like a Cup of Coffee Motivational Short Story

The story goes like this:

A group of people were sitting in a coffee house, discussing life. As they talked, the conversation turned to the subject of life being like a cup of coffee.

One person said, “Life is like a cup of coffee. It all depends on how you make it.”

Another person said, “Yes, but you can’t control the water temperature, or the quality of the coffee beans.”

A third person added, “But you can control the amount of coffee and the strength of the brew.”

Then an older man, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, spoke up. He said, “Life is not like a cup of coffee, it’s the coffee cup that matters.

The cup is what holds the coffee and shapes its experience. And just like the cup, we need to focus on what’s around us, on what we have, and appreciate it.”

The group fell silent, pondering the old man’s words. The lesson of the story is that, like a cup of coffee, life is what we make of it.

We can choose to focus on what we have and appreciate it, or we can focus on what we lack and be discontent.

Ultimately, the cup that holds our life experiences is what matters, not the coffee inside.

Potato, Egg, or Coffee Bean Motivational Short Story

A young woman went to her mother and told her about the problems she was facing in life. She said she was tired of fighting and struggling and didn’t know how to keep going.

The mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water. She placed each pot on a burner, turned on the heat, and put a potato in one pot, an egg in the second, and coffee beans in the third.

After a while, she turned off the burners and fished out the potato, egg, and coffee beans, and asked her daughter to observe them carefully.

The potato was soft and had become very weak. The egg, which had been fragile, now had a hardened shell inside. But the coffee beans had transformed the water into a rich and aromatic coffee. T

he mother then explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity – boiling water. However, each of them had reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, firm, and hard, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg had been fragile and had a thin outer shell, but in boiling water, it had become hard inside.

The coffee beans, on the other hand, had changed the water and created something new.

The mother explained that we all face adversity, and how we react to it depends on us. We can either become weak, hard, or transform the situation into something positive.

The young woman realized that she had a choice – to be like a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean.

Puppies for Sales Motivational Short Story

The “Puppies for Sale” story is a fable about a man who sells puppies for a living.

One day, a young boy comes to the man’s shop and asks how much the puppies cost.

The man tells the boy the price, but adds that there is one puppy that he can have for free.

The boy is excited and asks to see the free puppy.

The man brings out the puppy, who is missing a leg and has a limp.

The boy asks why the puppy is different from the others, and the man explains that the puppy was born with a deformity and will never be able to run and play like the others.

The boy looks at the puppy for a moment and then turns to the man and says, “That’s the puppy I want.”

The man is surprised and asks the boy if he understands that the puppy will never be able to run and play like the others.

The boy responds, “I know he can’t run and play like other puppies, but I can love him and take care of him just like any other puppy.”

The story is often used as a metaphor for the value of compassion and acceptance.

It emphasizes that we should not judge others based on their physical appearance or abilities, but rather on their intrinsic worth and capacity for love.

The lesson of the story is to cultivate compassion and acceptance, and to value others for who they are, not just what they can do.

Rocks, Pebbles, Sand Motivational Short Story

The rocks, pebbles, and sand story is a metaphorical tale about the importance of prioritization and time management.

In the story, a teacher holds up a jar and fills it with rocks until they reach the top.

The teacher then asks the students if the jar is full, and they respond yes. However, the teacher then pours pebbles into the jar, which fill the spaces between the rocks.

The teacher again asks the students if the jar is full, and they respond yes. Finally, the teacher pours sand into the jar, which fills the remaining spaces between the rocks and pebbles.

The story is often used as a metaphor for how we prioritize and manage our time.

The rocks represent the most important tasks or goals in our lives, while the pebbles and sand represent the less important tasks or distractions.

If we fill our time with pebbles and sand first, there may not be enough time left for the rocks.

However, if we prioritize the rocks and then fill in the gaps with the pebbles and sand, we can accomplish our most important tasks or goals first and still have time for other tasks.

The lesson of the rocks, pebbles, and sand story is to prioritize our time and focus on the most important tasks or goals first in order to achieve success and fulfillment in our lives.

Self-Appraisal Motivational Short Story

The Self-Appraisal story is a parable that emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and self-reflection in personal and professional growth.

The story goes that a young man was seeking guidance from a wise elder on how to improve himself.

The elder gave him a task to complete, asking him to spend a week observing himself and writing down everything that he did that he felt was good, bad, or indifferent.

The young man completed the task and returned to the elder, presenting him with a long list of both positive and negative behaviors he had observed in himself.

The elder then gave him another task, asking him to spend the next week observing others and writing down everything that he saw that was good, bad, or indifferent.

When the young man returned with this second list, the elder compared the two lists and pointed out that the things that bothered him most in others were the same things he had observed in himself.

The elder used this realization as a starting point for the young man to work on himself and become more self-aware.

The story highlights the importance of taking the time for self-reflection and self-appraisal in order to identify areas for personal growth and development.

By understanding and addressing our own flaws, we can become more effective and successful individuals.

Sharpen Your Axe Motivational Short Story

The “Sharpen Your Axe” story is a fable about a man who is tasked with chopping down a tree.

The man sets to work using a dull axe, and despite his best efforts, he makes very little progress.

A wise old man comes by and asks the man why he is struggling. The man explains that he is trying to chop down the tree, but his axe is too dull.

The wise old man suggests that the man take a break and sharpen his axe.

The man is hesitant to take a break, feeling that he doesn’t have time to waste.

But the wise old man insists, explaining that sharpening the axe will actually make the task easier and more efficient.

The man finally takes a break and sharpens his axe.

When he returns to the task of chopping down the tree, he finds that it is much easier and faster with a sharp axe, and he is able to complete the task in no time.

The story is often used as a metaphor for the importance of taking breaks and investing time and effort into self-care, skill-building, and preparation.

It emphasizes that taking time to sharpen our tools and skills can actually save us time and effort in the long run, and make us more effective and efficient in our tasks.

The lesson of the story is to prioritize self-care and skill-building, and to not be afraid to take breaks or invest time and effort into preparation.

The Butterfly Motivational Short Story

“The Butterfly” is a motivational short story about the process of transformation and growth.  Sometimes this story is referred to as “You are Made to Fly.”

In the story, a man finds a cocoon with a small opening and notices a butterfly struggling to emerge.

The man decides to help the butterfly by widening the opening, but the butterfly continues to struggle and cannot fly properly.

The man soon realizes that the struggle to emerge from the cocoon is an important part of the butterfly’s development.

The effort and resistance of the struggle are necessary for the butterfly’s wings to become strong and for it to develop the ability to fly.

The story is often used as a metaphor for personal growth and the importance of facing challenges and struggles in order to achieve our full potential.

Just like the butterfly, we may encounter obstacles and difficulties in our lives, but these challenges can help us become stronger and more resilient.

If we avoid or eliminate all struggles, we may miss out on the growth and development that comes from overcoming them.

The lesson of the butterfly story is to embrace the struggles and challenges in our lives, as they are often necessary for our growth and development.

We should trust the process of transformation, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable, as it can lead to beautiful and meaningful outcomes.

The Fisherman Motivational Short Story

The story of “The Fisherman” is a metaphorical tale about the pursuit of happiness and the importance of living a simple, fulfilling life.

In the story, a successful businessman visits a small fishing village and meets a fisherman who is returning from a day of fishing.

The businessman asks the fisherman why he doesn’t fish for longer each day and use the extra time to grow his business.

The fisherman responds that he is content with his simple life, and that he fishes only enough to provide for his family and to spend time with them.

The businessman is confused by the fisherman’s contentment and explains that if he worked harder and saved more money, he could eventually retire and spend his days relaxing on a beach just like the fisherman.

The fisherman responds by asking why he would need to work so hard and wait so long to enjoy the simple pleasures of life when he can already do so now.

The story is often used as a metaphor for the pursuit of happiness and the importance of living a simple, fulfilling life.

It suggests that we often become so focused on achieving success and accumulating wealth that we forget the simple pleasures and joys of life that can be found in spending time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, and enjoying the present moment.

The lesson of the fisherman story is to prioritize the things that truly bring us happiness and fulfillment in life, rather than pursuing a never-ending quest for more money, possessions, or success.

It reminds us to appreciate the simple pleasures of life and to focus on the things that matter most to us.

The Group of Frogs Motivational Short Story

The “Group of Frogs” story is a metaphorical tale that highlights the importance of perseverance and support.

In the story, a group of frogs decides to climb a tall tree. As they begin their climb, the other animals around them start criticizing and mocking them, telling them that they will never make it to the top.

Despite the discouragement, some of the frogs continue to climb while others give up and fall back down.

As the climb continues, the criticism and discouragement from the other animals only get louder.

But one frog, determined to reach the top, perseveres and eventually makes it to the top of the tree.

The other animals are amazed and congratulate the frog on his achievement.

When the other frogs ask the successful frog how he managed to persevere despite the criticism and discouragement, he reveals that he is actually deaf and couldn’t hear the negative comments.

He thought the other animals were cheering him on and supporting him.

The story is often used as a metaphor for the importance of perseverance, support, and positive thinking.

It emphasizes that negative comments and criticism can be a hindrance to success, but with perseverance and a positive mindset, we can overcome obstacles and achieve our goals.

The lesson of the story is to stay focused on our goals, believe in ourselves, and surround ourselves with positive influences.

The Retiring Carpenter Story Motivational Short Story

The retiring carpenter story goes like this:

A carpenter who had been working for a company for many years announced to his boss that he was ready to retire.

The boss was sorry to see such a good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house before he left.

The carpenter agreed, but it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work anymore. He resorted to using inferior materials and taking shortcuts wherever possible.

When the carpenter finished his work, the boss came to inspect the house. He then handed the front door key to the carpenter and said, “This is your house, my gift to you.”

The carpenter was shocked and embarrassed. If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all differently.

The moral of the story is that every day we build our own lives, and we should always do our best work, even when no one is watching.

The Saint and the Scorpion Motivational Short Story

Once, a saint was walking by a riverbank when he saw a scorpion drowning in the water. The saint decided to help the scorpion and reached out to grab it.

However, as soon as the saint touched the scorpion, it stung him.

Despite the pain, the saint did not let go and instead gently pulled the scorpion out of the water.

As he did so, the scorpion stung him again and again.

A passerby saw the saint struggling with the scorpion and asked why he was helping it when it was only causing him pain.

The saint replied, “It is the nature of the scorpion to sting, and it is my nature to help. Why should I give up my nature to help just because it causes me pain?”

The story teaches us that it is important to help others, even if they may not appreciate it or even harm us in return. It is our nature to be compassionate, and we should not give up on that just because it may be difficult or uncomfortable.

The Starfish Motivational Short Story

The “Starfish Story” is a fable about a man walking along a beach that is covered in starfish that have been washed ashore. As the man walks, he notices a young girl picking up starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean.

The man approaches the girl and asks why she is bothering to throw the starfish back into the ocean, as there are too many for her to make a difference.

The girl responds by picking up another starfish and throwing it into the ocean, saying, “I made a difference to that one.”

The story is often used as a metaphor for the power of individual action and the importance of making a difference in the world, even if we can’t solve every problem.

It emphasizes that every small act of kindness and compassion can make a difference to someone, and that we should not be discouraged by the scale of the problems we face.

The lesson of the story is to focus on the good we can do in the world, and to take action in our own lives to make a positive difference, no matter how small.

The Tale of the Pencil Motivational Short Story

The Tale of the Pencil is a metaphorical story that emphasizes the idea that everyone has unique strengths and weaknesses that can be used to create something beautiful and meaningful.

In the story, a pencil maker tells the pencil five important lessons as it goes through life.

First, the pencil maker says that everything that happens to the pencil is part of its sharpening process.

Second, the pencil maker reminds the pencil that it can always correct its mistakes.

Third, the pencil maker tells the pencil that what’s inside it – the lead – is what’s most important.

Fourth, the pencil maker says that the pencil will be useful only if it allows itself to be held and guided by the hand that holds it.

Finally, the pencil maker reminds the pencil that eventually it will be left behind, but the marks it leaves behind will make a difference.

The story is often used as a metaphor for personal growth and the idea that everyone has unique strengths and weaknesses that can be used to create something meaningful.

It emphasizes that we should accept ourselves for who we are, learn from our mistakes, focus on what’s most important, be guided by others, and make our mark on the world in a positive way.

The Two Shoe Salesman Motivational Short Story

The Two Shoe Salesman story is a well-known parable that illustrates the power of perspective and attitude.

The story goes that two shoe salesmen were sent by a shoe company to a foreign country to assess the market for their product.

The first salesman arrived and immediately sent a message back to the company saying, “There is no potential here – nobody wears shoes.”

The second salesman arrived and sent a message back saying, “This is a fantastic opportunity – nobody wears shoes!”

The story demonstrates how two people can look at the same situation and interpret it completely differently based on their mindset and attitude.

The second salesman had a positive outlook and saw the potential in the situation, while the first salesman had a negative outlook and saw only the obstacles.

This story is often used to illustrate the power of a growth mindset and the importance of maintaining a positive attitude in order to succeed in any situation.

The Two Wolves Motivational Short Story

The Two Wolves story is a Cherokee fable about a grandfather who tells his grandson a story about two wolves that live inside each of us.

One wolf is white, representing kindness, compassion, and love, while the other is black, representing hatred, anger, and greed.

The grandfather tells his grandson that these two wolves are constantly fighting inside us, and asks the grandson which one will win.

The grandson thinks for a moment and then answers, “The one I feed.”

The story is often used as a metaphor for the power of our thoughts and the importance of cultivating positive attitudes and behaviors.

It emphasizes that we have a choice in how we think and act, and that our actions determine which wolf we are feeding.

The lesson of the story is to focus on cultivating positive thoughts and behaviors, and to feed the “white wolf” of love and compassion, rather than the “black wolf” of hatred and anger.

Onward and Upward

Motivational short stories have the power to inspire, uplift, and transform us. They remind us that no matter what challenges we face in life, we have the strength and resilience to overcome them.

By reading and reflecting on these stories, we can tap into our own inner strength and find the courage to pursue our dreams, overcome obstacles, and become the best version of ourselves.

So let us continue to seek out and share these stories, and let them guide us on our journey towards greatness.

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The Enemy Of Average

17 True Motivational Stories That Will Inspire You

By: Author Justin Gasparovic

Posted on Published: October 20, 2023  - Last updated: October 23, 2023

17 True Motivational Stories That Will Inspire You

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Sometimes, we all need a reminder of what’s possible in life. Luckily, the world is filled with countless true motivational stories from people who’ve overcome insurmountable odds.

It’s easy to underestimate the level of perseverance that it takes to achieve great things.

It’s easy to chalk up the success of others to “good upbringing” or  right place, right time” , but in most cases we’re blind to the reality of what success really looks like.

The following real life inspirational stories of success peel back the layers of what goes into success. They serve as a potent reminder of what’s possible when you become a “no matter what” kind of person.

I hope they add fuel to the fire that already exists within you.

Juliane Koepcke’s Motivational Story Of Survival

It’s Christmas Eve in 1971. Juliana Koepcke is flying over the Peruvian rainforest with her family. 

The plane starts shaking due to massive turbulence, and her mother notices a flashing red light as she looks out the passenger window.

She looks over to Juliana and says, “That’s the end, it’s all over.”  

The plane starts jumping up and down rapidly, before falling into a nosedive. A few moments later, Juliana finds herself strapped to her seat, stuck in a freefall.

The plane had broken into pieces two miles above the ground, which left Juliana plummeting towards the earth.

In a stroke of luck, the dense rainforest braces her fall on the way down, lessening the force of her impact. 

Despite falling close to 10,000 feet, she only sustains a broken collarbone, deep cuts on her legs and arms, and a ruptured ligament in her knee.

Now comes the hard part — surviving the Amazon rainforest until she can find help.

Maggots make their way into the cuts on her body, and she’s forced to pick them out one by while they infect her wounds. She seeks shelter wherever she can find it while the climate shifts from hot/humid to cold/rainy.

Ten days into her fight for survival, she can barely stand. She decides to float along the edge of a large river, and sees a small boat moving towards her in the distance.

The boat was full of local fishermen. They pull Juliana out of the water before taking her to a local camp to administer first aid. 

Juliana ended up making a full recovery from her injuries. Fast forward to today, and she serves as the director of the Panruama biological research station.

Koepcke’s story is living proof of just how much the mind can withstand. Next time you want to give up on your goals, remember how much fight you really have left.

quote from juliana koepcke

Nick Vujicic Was Born Without Arms Or Legs, But Remained Undeterred

Nick Vujicic’s story is one of unparalleled inspiration. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he arrived in this world without arms or legs due to a condition called tetra-amelia syndrome.

When he was born, his mother refused to hold him. His father didn’t take it well either, and ran into the hallway vomiting profusely after Nick came out of the womb.

As you can imagine, Nick was bullied relentlessly in his younger years. As time went on, he became depressed and suicidal at the thought he’d never find career opportunities, enjoy his favorite hobbies, and get married or have children.

One night, he attempted to drown himself. As he drew closer to death in his bathtub, he realized that he didn’t want to die.

From that point on, he set out to make something of his life despite losing the genetic lottery.

Learning to navigate life with his limb difference, Nick taught himself how to swim, surf, and skydive, eventually competing in competitions across the world.

Today, Nick is a world renowned motivational speaker, touching millions with his message of hope and resilience. 

With a contagious zest for life, his true motivational story encourages others to find strength in the face of life’s trials and tribulations.

nick vujicic on stage

Sylvester Stallone’s Bet On Himself

Stallone’s inspirational story is the stuff of legends in the film industry.

In the early 1970’s, Stallone was a struggling actor in New York City. Eventually, the lack of work left him broke and homeless, and the bus station became his bedroom.

With his life in turmoil, Stallone decided to write a screenplay about a gritty thug who wanted to make it as a professional boxer. 

Obviously, the script in question became the first film in the Rocky series. This is where Stallone’s inspirational story gets really interesting.

Film executives were intrigued by the script, and one studio even offered him $125,000 for it. The only problem? Stallone wanted to star in the movie, and they wouldn’t let him. 

By this time, Stallone was no longer homeless, but still living paycheck to paycheck.

Yet despite this, he turned down the $125,000 offer.

Another offer came in for $250,000, and then another for $350,000. Again, he turned both down.

Eventually, he accepted a reduced offer for the script in exchange for the lead role in the movie. His performance in Rocky catapulted Stallone into stardom, and he subsequently starred in several blockbuster films.

Throughout his 50 years in the film industry, he’s amassed a net worth of $400 million.

From sleeping at a bus station to the big screen, Stallone’s inspiring life story is a powerful testament to what happens when you refuse to be denied.

sylvester stallone on stage

The Inspirational Story Of Giannis Antetokounmpo

Born to Nigerian parents in the heart of Athens, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s story feels straight out of a fairy tale.

Antetokounmpo grew up amid economic hardship, and was forced to sell trinkets on the streets of Sepolia to help his family survive. 

At the age of 13, Giannis was discovered by a basketball coach, who was immediately struck by his raw potential.

The sport became his passport, and Giannis began climbing the ranks of European basketball. 

His talent was undeniable, and his ascent was meteoric. At 19, he was drafted into the NBA by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Despite his natural talent, he arrrived in the NBA as a very raw prospect. His jumpshot was awkard and inefficient, and he struggled as a scorer during his first two years.

Every offseason, he worked diligently to address the holes in his game. And by his fourth year in the league, Giannis had blossomed into a bonafide NBA superstar. 

In 2021, he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player and led the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA Championship, their first one in 40 years.

From the streets of Sepolia to NBA superstar, Giannis’ real life success story is an inspiration to us all.

giannis antetokounmpo playing basketball

JK Rowling’s Inspirational Story

In 1994 J.K. Rowling was divorced, jobless, and a single mother suffering severe bouts of depression. Barely surviving on unemployment benefits, she used every spare moment to cobble together her manuscript.

Once she’d completed the manuscript, now she needed to find a way to get published.

Twelve separate times, she walked into publishing offices with her completed manuscript. And twelve times, she was denied a book deal.

Rowling admits that she got dangerously close to giving up on her dream of being a writer. Yet as fate would have it, her manuscript was accepted on attempt #13.

The manuscript that twelve publishers rejected became Harry Potter, which has now sold 500 million copies worldwide.

A story like this makes you think — how many great artists, novelists, and entrepreneurs have we lost because of the word no?

jk rowling signing book

The Perseverance Of Inky Johnson

Inky Johnson’s life story is a masterclass in resilience. 

Johnson grew up in the gritty streets of Atlanta. Motivated by the desire to pull his family out of poverty, he spent every spare second honing his skills on the football field.

He quickly became a high school superstar, and the University of Tennessee took notice of Johnson’s prowess.

It didn’t take long for Johnson to make an impact. In the midst of the 2006 college football season, he was destined to be a first-round draft pick.

But in one split-second, Johnson’s dreams were shattered. When attempting a routine tackle of an opposing player, he ruptured his clavian artery and blacked out.

He was rushed to the ER, where doctors performed life-saving surgery. He escaped with his life, but lost the use of his right arm, which rendered his dreams of NFL stardom hopeless.

After that accident, Johnson turned his tragedy into purpose. He evolved into a motivational speaker, touching lives with his story of unwavering determination.

Inky’s comeback story highlights that when life punches you in the face, there is always a pathway back to greatness.

Continue Reading: Inky Johnson Motivational Quotes

sidewalk

Ramona Pierson’s Life-Changing Accident

At the age of 22, Ramona Pierson was serving in the Marine Corps. One night, a drunk driver struck her, plunging her into a coma for 18 months. 

The aftermath of the accident was brutal. Upon coming out of her coma, she was blind, couldn’t walk or talk, and had 104 broken bones in her body.

Doctors estimated that she faced a decade-long period of rehabilitation.

Eleven years after the accident, cutting edge surgery erased her blindness. Over a period of 25 years, doctors performed over 100 surgeries to rebuild her body.

Ramona spent every second of the day trying to fight her way back to normal, and eventually she succeeded. She became a successful entrepreneur, selling her first startup for $10 million.

Then, she leveraged her passion for education and co-founded Declara, a platform harnessing artificial intelligence to personalize learning.

Pierson’s real life success story proves even if your world gets turned upside down, you can always flip the odds back in your favor.

inspiring stories 6pr

The Inspiring True Story Of David Goggins’ Transformation

Many of you know David Goggins today as the embodiment of resilience and mental toughness, but his life wasn’t always that way.

During his childhood, Goggins father physically abused him. Several times, he was left black and blue by the man that was supposed to be his primary role model.

His struggles weren’t limited to home either. At school, he struggled due to numerous learning disabilities and endured nonstop bullying

As he grew older, Goggins struggled mightily with obesity. Sitting at 300 pounds, he hated the body that stared back at him in the mirror every day.

Yet just like many of us, Goggins reached the point where enough is enough. Not only did he decide to shed the weight and face his trauma, but also shatter the barriers of human potential. 

And that’s exactly what happened.

Goggins became obsessed with pushing his body and mind to the limit. He lost 100 pounds in just three months, and then became a Navy SEAL.

He also became an ultra marathon runner, and set the Guiness World Record for most pull ups completed in 2017. (4,030 pullups in 17 hours).

Best-selling author, motivational speaker, and smokejumper are other accolades that Goggins has added to his resume.

From an overweight man sleepwalking through life to being labelled the “ toughest man on earth,” his transfiormation is certainly complete.

Continue Reading: David Goggins Quotes

david goggins running in the desert

The Astounding Success Story Of Niki Lauda

Contrary to many on this list, Niki Lauda was born into a wealthy Austrian family.

But when he decided to pursue a career in motor racing instead of following his father into the family business, his father cut him off completely. 

Lauda then took out a $30,000 loan against his life insurance policy and bought himself a seat in a Formula 2 team.

His talent was evident from the outset, and he was promoted to Formula One shortly after. Within two years, he was signed by Ferrari, and proceeded to win back-to-back world championships.

While going for the three peat in 1976, Lauda spun around and hit the wall after going through a corner too fast.

The impact knocked his helmet off, and his car burst into flames. Unable to get his seatbelt off, other drivers pulled over to help Lauda out of the car.

He spent 57 seconds in a fiery inferno of 800 degrees before exiting the car.

The Austrian was rushed to the hospital in agonizing pain with third degree burns all over his face. More importantly, all of the smoke he had inhaled meant there was life-threatening damage to his lungs.

At one point after Lauda slipped into a coma, a priest was called in to read him last rites.

Defying all odds, Lauda returned to the racetrack in just six weeks. With blood-soaked bandages around his forehead, he finished 4th place in his heroic return to the grid.

Despite missing four races that season, he came within one point securing another world championship, nearly completing one of the most miraculous comeback stories ever.

Lauda went onto win four world championships during his career, and is widely considered one of the best Formula One drivers ever.

niki lauda doing an interview

Steve Harvey’s True Motivational Story

Steve Harvey has been in the television business for over 33 years. When reading about his inspirational story, something very specific caught my attention. 

According to Harvey, he’s pitched over 200 show ideas to Hollywood executives. 

Out of 200 meetings, how many of his ideas do you think got picked? Five.

That’s 200 meetings, with only 5 ideas accepted. In any domain of life, that’s a horrible track record.

But guess what happened to those five shows that got accepted? 

Well, they were hits.

Five good ideas turned Harvey into a bonafide superstar. You don’t hear anything about the 195 ideas that didn’t get picked, all you hear about is the five that made his career.

So as you encounter failure on the path to your goals, remember that successful people fail more times than the average person ever tries.

Further Reading: Steve Harvey Motivational Quotes

steve harvey on a podcast

Thomas Edison’s 10,000 Ways That Didn’t Work

Thomas Edison was born to be an inventor. In 1877, he invented the carbon transmitter, a device responsible for cleaning up audio on the other side of a telephone. 

In that same year, he invented the phonograph, which could record sounds as indentations on a sheet of paper.

However a year later, he turned his focus towards a challenge that had perplexed scientists for over 50 years; producing safe and inexpensive electric light.

Edison endured nonstop failure as he set out to produce the incandescent lightbulb. 

It was reported that he tried over 10,000 different combinations before a viable finished product was created. He famously described this process by saying, “I haven’t failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”

portrait of thomas edison

Walt Disney Had To Survive on Dogfood

Continuing with these real life inspirational stories of success, we have Walt Disney.

Many of you know Walt Disney as the animation genius who created iconic cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Donald Duck, and more.

What you probably don’t know about is the misfortune he endured before striking gold.

After serving in World War One, Disney landed an apprenticeship at a commercial art studio in Kansas City. Feeling like he was destined for bigger things, he decided to start his own cartoon company with his brother Roy.

After a couple of years, the company went bankrupt. Flat-broke, he ate dog food just to keep his expenses at rock-bottom.

Eventually, Disney created a successful cartoon character named Oswald The Rabbit, which seemed to be the spark that would turn his life around.

Disaster was lurking around the corner however. Upon returning to New York to renegotiate his contract, he discovered that his producer had stolen his animation team out from under him. 

On top of that, he no longer had legal rights to the character he created. It was on that depressing train ride home from New York City that he created Mickey Mouse. 

Yet still, over 300 bankers laughed him out of their offices as he presented the character.

Yes, you read that right. Over 300 people refused to invest in what would become the most iconic cartoon cartoon character of all-time.

Once Disney finally received funding, the rest was history. Walt Disney died a billionaire, and the company he started now has a market cap of over $200 billion.

walt disney working

Steve Jobs Was Fired From The Company He Started

On April 1, 1976, Steve Jobs co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak.

But nine years later, he was ousted from the company he co-founded. Jobs had his sights set on the CEO title, but the board felt he was too young and too difficult to work with.

In classic Jobs fashion, he got back right back to work. Immediately after being fired from Apple, he founded a company called NeXT, with a mission to produce computers for college universities and researchers.

Realizing the value of the operating system that Jobs was building, Apple purchased the company for a whopping $429 million. 

A few months later, Jobs was named interim CEO. Shortly after, he was voted into the role permanently, finally acquiring the title he’d been fired for seeking tweleve years prior.

steve jobs sitting on chair

Tiger Woods: Inspirational Story Of Recovering From Rock Bottom

Those of you familiar with Tiger Woods know about the cheating scandal that turned his world upside down.

However, that was just the start of a decade-long period of struggle for Woods.

After the cheating scandal, Woods walked away from golf for 18 months to heal emotionally and physically. After regaining his top-form during the 2013 season, he fell to his knees in pain after hitting a tee shot during a tournament. 

Unable to walk on his own due to severe back pain, he needed a cart to drive him back to the clubhouse. This back injury triggered a five-year stretch where Woods would endure five separate back surgeries. 

To top it all off, Woods was arrested in 2017 on suspicion of driving under the influence. Due to a combination of pain and sleep medication, he’d fallen asleep behind the wheel of his car while it was still running.

Tiger had always been known for his mental toughness, but it seemed he was slipping into a death spiral that he’d never recover from. Many athletes would have thrown in the towel. but Woods was not most athletes.

He rehabbed his back, undergoing a fusion surgery that significantly improved his mobility. Due to improved mobility, he began posting better scores and seriously contending in tournaments again.

At the 2018 Tour Championship, he secured his first professional win in five years, winning by two strokes.

He followed that up by winning the Masters Tournament less than a year later, which is the biggest tournament in all of golf. 

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying his perserverance and mental toughness.

tiger woods playing golf

Final Thoughts

I hope that these true motivational stories were an eye-opening look about the true price of success.

If you’re truly committed to living a 1% life, you need to be realistic about everything that goes into it.

It’s likely you won’t make meaningful progress for quite awhile. You’ll endure failure and rejection constantly. You’ll need to sacrifice a life of comfort for one marred by stress, discomfort, and adversity.

But if you have the courage to tackle adversity head on, you might just become someone that other people write about.

Daily Inspired Life

Life Changing Stories | 21 Real Life Short Stories That Will Inspire You To Change Your Life

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12 Best Inspirational Stories (That Will Move You)

Zachery Taylor

Everyone gets a little down in the dumps sometimes. Rather than searching the internet for cat pictures or drowning your sorrows in junk, check out these inspirational short stories.

We have put together the best inspirational short stories, both real and fictional, to pull you from your slump, make you smile and inspire you.

Browse by Category (click any of the links below to jump to each category)

The best 5 inspirational short stories about life.

  • Motivational Short Stories About Business and Work
  • Funny Inspirational Short Stories

When life has got you in a slump, turn to these inspirational short stories. Not only is reading them like getting an internet hug for the soul, but they just may spark an idea or a change in you for the better. Read on and get ready to smile.

1. Everyone Has a Story in Life

A 24 year old boy seeing out from the train’s window shouted…

Dad smiled and a young couple sitting nearby, looked at the 24 year old’s childish behavior with pity, suddenly he again exclaimed…

“Dad, look the clouds are running with us!”

The couple couldn’t resist and said to the old man…

“Why don’t you take your son to a good doctor?” The old man smiled and said…“I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today.”

Every single person on the planet has a story. Don’t judge people before you truly know them. The truth might surprise you.

2. Shake off Your Problems

A man’s favorite donkey falls into a deep precipice. He can’t pull it out no matter how hard he tries. He therefore decides to bury it alive.

Soil is poured onto the donkey from above. The donkey feels the load, shakes it off, and steps on it. More soil is poured.

It shakes it off and steps up. The more the load was poured, the higher it rose. By noon, the donkey was grazing in green pastures.

After much shaking off (of problems) And stepping up (learning from them), One will graze in GREEN PASTURES.

3. The Elephant Rope

Elephant chained by a rope

No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them.

As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.

4. Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Beans

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the boiled eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.

However, each one reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “

Moral:In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

Which one are you?

5. A Dish of Ice Cream

Dish of ice cream

“How much is an ice cream sundae?”

“50 cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.

“35 cents,” she said brusquely.

The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.

Inspirational Stories for Business and Work

Succeeding in business is no easy feat. It’s too easy to let business knock you down. Instead of throwing in the towel when there is a business problem, pick yourself back up, buckle down, and get to work with these real life inspirational stories.

These inspirational stories prove that with a little hard work, any amount of business success is possible.

1. Colonel Sanders | Kentucky Fried Chicken

KFC owner

His friends raved about his chicken recipe. He decided that this was his best shot at making a change.

He left Kentucky and traveled to different states to try to sell his recipe. He told restaurant owners that he had a mouthwatering chicken recipe.

He offered the recipe to them for free, just asking for a small percentage on the items sold. Sounds like a good deal, right?

Unfortunately, not to most of the restaurants. He heard NO over 1000 times. Even after all of those rejections, he didn’t give up. He believed his chicken recipe was something special. He got rejected 1009 times before he heard his first yes.

With that one success Colonel Hartland Sanders changed the way Americans eat chicken. Kentucky Fried Chicken, popularly known as KFC, was born.

Remember, never give up and always believe in yourself in spite of rejection.

2. The Obstacle in our Path

There once was a very wealthy and curious king. This king had a huge boulder placed in the middle of a road. Then he hid nearby to see if anyone would try to remove the gigantic rock from the road.

The first people to pass by were some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers. Rather than moving it, they simply walked around it.

A few loudly blamed the King for not maintaining the roads. Not one of them tried to move the boulder.

Finally, a peasant came along. His arms were full of vegetables. When he got near the boulder, rather than simply walking around it as the others had, the peasant put down his load and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. It took a lot of effort but he finally succeeded.

The peasant gathered up his load and was ready to go on his way when he say a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The peasant opened the purse.

The purse was stuffed full of gold coins and a note from the king. The king’s note said the purse’s gold was a reward for moving the boulder from the road.

The king showed the peasant what many of us never understand: every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

20 dollar bill

200 hands went up.

He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He crumpled the bill up.

He then asked, “Who still wants it?”

All 200 hands were still raised.

“Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” Then he dropped the bill on the ground and stomped on it with his shoes.

He picked it up, and showed it to the crowd. The bill was all crumpled and dirty.

“Now who still wants it?”

All the hands still went up.

“My friends, I have just showed you a very important lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, life crumples us and grinds us into the dirt. We make bad decisions or deal with poor circumstances. We feel worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special – Don’t ever forget it!

4. A Very Special Bank Account

Imagine you had a bank account that deposited $86,400 each morning. The account carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day.

What would you do? Draw out every dollar each day!

We all have such a bank. Its name is Time. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever time you have failed to use wisely.

It carries over no balance from day to day. It allows no overdraft so you can’t borrow against yourself or use more time than you have.

Each day, the account starts fresh. Each night, it destroys an unused time. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, it’s your loss and you can’t appeal to get it back.

There is never any borrowing time. You can’t take a loan out on your time or against someone else’s. The time you have is the time you have and that is that.

Time management is yours to decide how you spend the time, just as with money you decide how you spend the money.

It is never the case of us not having enough time to do things, but the case of whether we want to do them and where they fall in our priorities.

Funny Inspirational Stories

These funny inspirational stories will give your attitude a little nudge in the right direction. They are also guaranteed to put a smile on your face and may even make you chuckle.

1. On God’s Time

A man walked to the top of a hill to talk to God.

The man asked, “God, what’s a million years to you?” and God said, “A minute.”

Then the man asked, “Well, what’s a million dollars to you?” and God said, “A penny.”

Then the man asked, “God…..can I have a penny?” and God said, “Sure…..in a minute.”

2. The Dean Schooled Them

Sitting student at the desk

In the morning, they hatched a plan to get out of taking their test. They covered themselves with grease and dirt and went to the Dean’s office.

Once there, they said they had been to a wedding the previous night and on the way back they got a flat tire and had to push the car back to campus.

The Dean listened to their tale of woe and thought. He offered them a retest three days later. They thanked him and accepted his offer.hat time.

When the test day arrived, they went to the Dean. The Dean put them all in separate rooms for the test. They were fine with this since they had all studied hard. Then they saw the test. It had 2 questions.

1) Your Name __________ (1 Points)

2) Which tire burst? __________ (99 Points) Options – (a) Front Left (b) Front Right (c) Back Left (d) Back Right

The lesson:  always be responsible and make wise decisions.

3. The Right Place

A mother and a baby camel were lying around under a tree.

Then the baby camel asked, “Why do camels have humps?”

The mother camel considered this and said, “We are desert animals so we have the humps to store water so we can survive with very little water.”

The baby camel thought for a moment then said, “Ok…why are our legs long and our feet rounded?”

The mama replied, “They are meant for walking in the desert.”

The baby paused. After a beat, the camel asked, “Why are our eyelashes long? Sometimes they get in my way.”

The mama responded, “Those long thick eyelashes protect your eyes from the desert sand when it blows in the wind.

The baby thought and thought. Then he said, “I see. So the hump is to store water when we are in the desert, the legs are for walking through the desert and these eye lashes protect my eyes from the desert then why in the Zoo?”

The Lesson:  Skills and abilities are only useful if you are in the right place at the right time. Otherwise they go to waste.

3. The Right Place (Bonus Story)

The Lesson: Skills and abilities are only useful if you are in the right place at the right time. Otherwise they go to waste.

Need more motivation? Check out our these 13 shocking weight loss stories and 4 Muscle Growth Stories .

Zachery Taylor

Zachery Deleski-Taylor is a young teacher and writer from Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha with a degree in Secondary Education, and he has his MS in Educational Leadership from Northwest Missouri State University. Zachery loves to write in a variety of genres, so he can try new things. On a normal day, you can find him writing poetry, articles, creative nonfiction, and short stories, all while helping other young writers learn to grow in their craft. He has a beautiful wife and a Mini Australian Shepherd that own most of his time and heart.

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15 True Motivational Stories to Inspire Your Success

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Just like other people who have achieved success in life, you are fully capable of reaching your highest goals .

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses to focus on to increase their chances of being successful, and everyone will face challenges along the way.

The true motivational stories that we will look at in this article will inspire you and give you a new perspective on some of history’s most famous people.

It’s easy to chalk up other people’s success to a fortunate upbringing or good luck, but in most cases, there is a lot more that goes into people’s accomplishments than we know.

You will see that the people in these true motivational stories had to overcome obstacles to get to where they are now, which is often easy to forget.

These inspirational stories will give you an idea of the challenges that turned these high-achievers into historical figures that we have grown to admire.

You will notice that each person experienced things that may have made other people quit.

But without allowing their failures to define them , they were able to reach their goals and live fulfilling lives.

Let’s take a look.

Table of Contents

1. Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs has an impressive resume, including being a business magnate, inventor, investor, the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple, the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar, a member of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors, and the founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT.

But just like most other successful people, his journey had a fair share of hardships and downfalls.

However, he stood up through every rise and fall, taking his setbacks as opportunities to turn things around and move the tech industry towards a better future that he envisioned.

It has been said that as he was growing up, Jobs was smart but directionless. He dropped out of college to start experimenting with various business sectors before co-founding Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976 in Jobs’s family garage.

Surprisingly, Jobs was actually fired from the Macintosh Group that he had created. But this only brought new beginnings for his success.

He soon went on to establish his new company, NeXT Computer Co., which exemplified his relentless efforts to reinvent himself to succeed.

NeXT eventually merged with Apple, which has given us the iOS system that so many of us use today.

Jobs’s relentless innovation was successful enough to make Apple what it is today. Now, Apple has launched devices such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad that have changed the lives of millions across the world.

2. Walt Disney

Walt Disney is arguably one of the most recognized names in the world.

This legendary animation magnate is responsible for creating some of the most iconic cartoon characters that exist, including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Cinderella, Donald Duck, and Winnie the Pooh.

But Walt Disney had a rocky road to success that many don’t know about. As a child, Walt Disney lived with his parents and five siblings, where his father allegedly abused each of them.

To find some peace from the trouble at home, Walt Disney started to draw as a hobby .

Walt eventually secured an apprenticeship at a commercial art studio in Kansas City, but he knew he had more potential than his job was offering him, so he left that job to start his own cartoon company with one of his brothers.

However, the company went bankrupt after only a few years, leaving Walt Disney so broke that he survived on dog food to save money. 

After moving to LA to pursue acting, Disney finally got a big break through his creation of a successful cartoon character named Oswald The Rabbit.

However, he soon discovered that his producer had stolen his team of animators away from him, which made him lose all legal rights to the character.

Over and over, Disney’s dreams were being shot down. He went through several setbacks that probably would have caused most people to quit.

But then, he created Mickey Mouse.

Twenty-six Academy Awards and $130 billion later, Disney cannot be denied as one of the greatest film legacies to ever exist. He is now hailed as one of the greatest visionaries of all time.

3. Harriet Tubman

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

– Harriet Tubman

Born in 1820, Harriet Tubman is a former slave who is known for her leadership and bravery as an abolitionist and conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Because of the cruelty of her various masters, she made a goal to escape from slavery from an early age and free others as well.

Harriet overcame a lot of adversity alongside her success. Aside from living as a slave, Harriet Tubman also suffered from epilepsy and suffered from a traumatic brain injury that resulted in hypersomnia.

motivational stories | motivational stories about life | motivational story

Furthermore, due to the headaches that she suffered throughout her life because of her health conditions, she underwent brain surgery without anesthesia to alleviate the headaches she had suffered for most of her life.

But working by night and in secrecy, she made 13 trips to free 70 slaves without failing a single rescue, earning herself the nickname “Moses”.

And, when the Civil War began in America, she became the first woman to lead an armed expedition.

Harriet Tubman’s devotion to her mission to free slaves using the Underground Railroad–and then assisting them with finding work easily allows her on a list of real life motivational stories.

4. Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison’s is an exemplary story of how important it is to experience failure in order to be successful.

Thomas Edison created several inventions before going on to invent the lightbulb, including the carbon transmitter and the phonograph.

After these inventions, he believed he was equipped to take on the challenge that no one had achieved yet–creating a solution that produced safe and inexpensive electric light.

Early on, Edison hit roadblock after roadblock while trying to create the incandescent lightbulb.

However, he had two key breakthroughs throughout his research that ultimately helped him create the world’s first affordable and long-lasting light bulb in 1881.

Because it has been said that Edison tried over 10,000 different techniques before finding a viable finished product, he is famously known as saying, “I haven’t failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”

Edison’s perseverance is an inspiring lesson of never giving up.

5. Oprah Winfrey

Despite her early challenges, Oprah Winfrey has built a billion-dollar empire and has even been placed 1st on Forbes’ list of America’s richest female entertainers.

However, she was no stranger to adversity prior to her real life inspirational success story.

Winfrey experienced many disruptive moves as a child, from living with her grandmother in Mississippi, her mother in Wisconsin, and then moving in with her father in Tennessee.

During this time, she lived in poverty and was both physically and sexually abused by her family members.

She became pregnant at the age of 14 and even considered committing suicide. But when the baby was born prematurely and died in the hospital, Winfrey knew she was given a second chance at life.

Oprah worked various odd jobs to make money before she landed a job to anchor the local news at a small radio network. This led to a job at a local TV station, where she was given her own talk show.

She became a favorite among the viewers due to her emotional delivery in this show, resulting in her TV show becoming one of the highest-rated shows ever, which eventually was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show”.

Oprah went from growing up in poverty to becoming the first black female billionaire in 2003, following the inception of her production company, Harpo Productions, Inc.

She has also been named “the most powerful woman” by CNN and Time Magazine, making her rags to riches journey a truly motivational story.

6. Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan’s story exemplifies one of the greatest examples of hard work and ambition overcoming natural talent. He’s one of the greatest NBA players of all-time, having won six NBA championships throughout his career.

But what makes him so remarkable is his incredible story of relentless determination that began with choosing to overcome adversity .

Jordan began his basketball career after watching his brother, whom he admired, play the game. Unfortunately, he was cut from his high school team as a sophomore due to his height of 5’10”.

However, Jordan didn’t take this news well, and his coaches didn’t realize how competitive Jordan was or the amount of drive that he had when they cut him.

By being cut from the team, Jordan’s competitive spirit that began his career was fueled. He decided to channel his frustration into practice and growth.

He still played basketball, although on the JV team, but continued to seek leverage to sharpen his basketball skills.

As a member of the JV team, Jordan went on to put up multiple 40 point games and become the best player on the team. After dominating the season, he took the time to hone his game, training over the entire summer.

As he was still young and growing, he also grew an extra four inches in height. When he came back to play for his 11th grade year, he was ready to make a name for himself.

Jordan eventually became a force to be reckoned with in the NBA, being named the greatest basketball player of all-time.

His success story is motivational because it offers an example of how disappointment and rejection can be transformed into a high level of achievement.

His story also demonstrates the type of mindset required to succeed by highlighting the extra work that you must put into your training and the extreme drive that you must have if you want to be the best.

7. J.K. Rowling

Due to everything she experienced when trying to reach her goal of becoming a writer, J.K. Rowling’s is a story of true inspiration.

Prior to her Harry Potter fame, J.K. Rowling was a single mother suffering from severe depression. But despite everything she was going through, the one thing that remained was her love of writing.

As she was struggling to survive on unemployment benefits, she used all of her time to write her manuscript. And, once completed, she still needed a publisher who would take a chance on her work.

After 12 attempts, Rowling had only been told that her work wasn’t up to par for publishing. After all of these rejections, she was ready to give up.

But it took just one “yes” for Harry Potter to become an international success. Her manuscript went on to sell 500 million copies around the world and was later turned into a movie series that grossed billions of dollars.

Her story makes you wonder how many great writers we have missed out on because they were initially rejected. How many creators have given up without recognizing each failure was just one step closer to success?

Rowling’s journey demonstrates the importance of not letting failures define you. Because of her persistence, many people around the world have enjoyed her work, and she has lived with the knowledge of her talent and success.

8. Sylvester Stallone

As a young struggling actor, Sylvester Stallone was so broke that, at one point, he had to sell jewelry that he had previously gifted his wife.

He became homeless, slept in a bus station, and struggled to afford food. He even sold his beloved dog for $25.

But Stallone decided to take charge of his career by writing a movie role for himself after seeing a boxing match. The script for Rocky soon became one that studios wanted to buy the screenplay for to make into a movie.

He was offered $125,000 for the script, but turned it down because the studios were not offering him the leading role because he “looked and talked funny”.

motivational words | inspirational stories | inspirational short stories

He refused offers up to $350,000 for the screenplay because studios were not willing to risk the money on this unknown actor.

But Stallone stuck to his guns, and eventually accepted a small amount of money for the script with the studio agreeing to allow him to star in the movie.

The Rocky movie went on to become a global hit. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Directing, and Best Film Editing.

The original film turned into a series that has grossed over $1.25 billion at the worldwide box office.

Stallone’s story is especially motivational because he wasn’t willing to give up on his dream of starring in the movie just to get a large payout. He did whatever it took to achieve his dream.

9. Steve Harvey

Although Steve Harvey has a rags to riches story, that is not what makes his journey motivational.

Steve Harvey has worked in the entertainment industry for almost 35 years, and is among the most successful TV personalities today with a net worth of over $200 million.

But, according to Harvey, he has pitched over 200 show ideas to executives in the entertainment industry. Out of these meetings, only five of his ideas got picked up.

So with a failure rate of 98% , Steve Harvey ultimately became a great success. Only five good ideas turned Harvey into a superstar.

And while the 195 rejected meetings are a thing of the past, they brought him to where he is today.

This teaches us to remember that failure is a part of the process . Harvey has failed almost 40 times more than he’s succeeded, but he’s still considered to be a very successful person.

So whatever you’re trying to accomplish, you need to maintain the mindset that failing is a critical part of the learning process.

10. Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves, known as one of the most “wholesome” men in Hollywood, is most recognized for his roles in movies such as The Matrix and John Wick.

What many do not know about him is that he had to overcome challenges throughout his life that have created barriers to his success.

After being abandoned by his father when he was three, he was raised by a single mother who remarried four times during Keanu's childhood, which meant that a lot of his childhood was spent with his grandparents.

Because he was constantly moving from school to school and he suffered from dyslexia, Keanu struggled with gaining his education, and was even expelled from school at one point.

He went on to suffer great personal loss with the death of his best friend in 1993, the loss of his child in 2001, and the death of the love of his life, Jennifer Syme.

However, Reeves did not let these hardships dominate his future. Instead, he was able to manage the setbacks that he faced in his life. He teaches us that your past does not define you.

Furthermore, Keanu has had to overcome some of the most devastating circumstances possible, but he is able to speak today in a positive and uplifting tone despite the terrible ordeals he has endured.

His positive attitude shows that life’s negatives can still turn into positives.

Keanu's story of overcoming barriers and adapting himself to new surroundings shows that even personal obstacles can be overcome to achieve ultimate success.

11. Mike Tyson

While he is now among the most feared men on the planet, Mike Tyson wasn’t always an intimidator. Mike was not the chiseled athlete we know today as a child–he was much smaller and had an anxious personality.

However, growing up in a rough neighborhood, Mike knew he had to adapt.

He became involved with gangs at a very young age and developed a unique style of street fighting to avoid harassment from other children.

By the age of 13, he had been arrested 30 times and was enrolled in a reformatory school. Soon after, he met his future trainer who recognized the power and energy that Tyson had.

He agreed to train Mike under the understanding that Mike would stay out of trouble, which Mike agreed to do.

While he was initially believed to have a learning disability, Mike was able to significantly bring up his grades once boxing was on the line.

Tyson got on a positive trajectory, but unfortunately, it was short-lived. He was kicked out of school due to violent outbursts after his mother passed away. Then, after training for the Olympic trials, he lost.

His first professional fight ended in the first round due to his quick moves and impressive defense.

His tough upbringing would have crushed many people’s dreams of reaching their goals; however, Tyson’s ability to overcome hardships are a testament to his grit and determination.

Mike often seemed to be at an unconquerable disadvantage in life, such as when he was a nervous young man, but he managed to improve himself without accepting the hand that he was dealt.

12. Tony Robbins

Tony's story is an example of overcoming immense trauma and becoming someone who greatly excels in life.

Tony Robbins grew up in an extremely abusive household with a drug and alcohol-addicted mother until he abandoned it to follow his own path. He is now a world-renowned public speaker and life coach.

Being addicted to both drugs and alcohol, Robbins’ mom would often turn to him and his siblings to take her anger out on them.

Despite the mental and physical torture that Tony endured, he was the oldest sibling and always looked out for the others.

As his mother moved through several marriages, Tony assumed a caretaker role to ensure his siblings didn’t endure as much stress as he did.

Tony eventually left his home after a domestic dispute with his mother and he never returned. Although he was working low-income jobs, he continued to support his siblings who were still living in the home.

However, great things were in store for Tony when he decided to contact well known motivational speaker, Jim Rohn. Jim was inspired by Tony's story, and he helped him get to where he is today.

With Jim’s help, Tony went on to travel around the country, spreading the message that your past does not determine your future.

Tony is now worth in excess of $500 million, and he is helping those in need through his worldwide charities.

Despite struggling with his own demons during his childhood, Tony always sought to help others in need, starting with his siblings. His responsibility and knack for assisting others in need continued into his adult life through his charitable work.

13. Stephen King

Stephen King is known as one of the most renowned writers worldwide. However, he has faced several failures and misfortunes during his lifetime.

Growing up in poverty, King faced struggles with drugs and alcohol. He also tackled several rejections and setbacks from a young age. He worked several low-paying jobs while engaging in his writing hobby.

He worked from a homemade desk in his double-wide trailer, and reached several points where he was on the verge of giving up. But his wife motivated him to keep writing.

After putting in his full efforts, King eventually completed his first book. However, this was followed by a lot of rejections. While he was torn down, he didn’t let this set him back.

In fact, he displayed all his rejection letters in his room. After 30 rejections back to back, he could have easily given up, but he believed in himself and kept trying.

He concentrated on his writing and even developed new writing styles and copywriting mechanisms to professionalize his hobby. Everything changed one day when a small publishing house accepted his work.

Stephen King didn’t let failure define him. He believed in himself and achieved success by never giving up. He stayed motivated and persistent throughout his journey and he used his failures as lessons to refine himself.

14. Barack Obama

Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, achieved the unthinkable when he became the first African American president. However, despite his great success, he experienced setbacks throughout his life that he had to overcome.

Obama grew up with a single mother after being abandoned by his father. He struggled with his identity, as he was stuck between two cultures, with connections to several communities, including the white community, black community, Hawaiian community, and the Indonesian, Catholic and Muslim communities.

While he could have hidden away in fear of all the cultures he faced, he instead embraced them and educated himself as much as possible through new experiences.

As an adult, Obama decided to live his life as an African American man, despite his connections to various cultures. This caused him to be confronted with self-doubt and confusion as to what it meant to live as an African American man.

His struggles continued when in office, including the fact that the republicans continued to run the state senate. However, as he had done before, he attempted to adapt.

inspirational stories of success | inspirational story about life

Obama faced the differences that he encountered in life head on and educated himself on these cultural variations instead of fearing them.

He achieved great things during his time as president aside from his initial milestone of being the first black president.

He passed almost three hundred bills to assist children, the elderly, and the poor. He also played a big part in recovering the country's economy after the 2008 crash, reducing the unemployment rate by more than half throughout his term as president.

Obama's life accomplishments could go on forever, and many have learned to adapt and overcome obstacles from his story.

From family and cultural issues to presidential conflicts, Obama has managed to overcome many challenges in his life. He adapted to life’s situations regardless of the challenges he faced. His inspiring story is one of defying the odds.

15. Steven Spielberg

As a film director, producer, and screenwriter, Steven Spielberg has grown to become one of the most successful and influential filmmakers in history.

He has won three Academy Awards for Best Director, and numerous other awards and honors throughout the years. However, his 50 years in the film industry have not come without their struggles.

Spielberg struggled with dyslexia as a student and couldn’t cope with his studies. He dropped out of grade school and he even got suspended from college three times.

He followed his passion for filmmaking, but hit several roadblocks along his way. Although he had some flopped films that made him feel ashamed about his work, he persevered to continue to pursue his dream.

Steven Spielberg refused to give up and was known for working day in and day out and being persistent, which led him to create great movies such as Jaws, Schindler’s List, The Color Purple, and Jurassic Park.

A major lesson to take away from Steven’s life is to dream big–to take an idea and make it your life. Stay focused and consistent in achieving your goals.

He also shows us that rejections and failure are both a critical component to success. 

Things don’t happen quickly and you have to be prepared to step out of your comfort zone to be successful.

Final Thoughts on Motivational Stories to Inspire Your Success

Most people believe hard work will lead to success, but it also takes persistence and a strong belief in oneself.

Hopefully, you were able to gain some valuable insight from these stories and they offered you a real perspective on success.

Success will require you to navigate a windy road, so as you’re trying to reach your goals, recognize that you will need to overcome times when you want to give up.

It is in these moments that you need to maintain your perspective and realize failure is a part of your success.

If you want to know how successful people make major decisions in life, then watch this video to learn how to do it:

For more motivational content, check out these 37 motivational podcasts that will help change your life.

And if you're looking for more articles about success, be sure to check out these blog posts:

  • How to Be Successful in Life: 12 Principles to Live By
  • 21 Best Daily Habits of Highly Successful People
  • 45 Famous Failures Who Became Successful People

true motivational stories | motivational stories | motivational stories about life

Struggles and Ideas

Last Updated: January 23, 2024

15 Short Inspirational Stories with a Moral [Motivational stories]

Looking for some short inspirational stories with a moral message to motivate you in life? Check out these 15 awesome motivational stories.

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Danny Newman

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Looking for some short inspirational stories? I hope this post helps!

Inspiration can come from all sorts of sources.

A song on the radio might spur you into action.

Seeing somebody accomplish something extraordinary, defy the odds, or overcome adversity can do the same.

And sometimes all it takes is a simple inspirational quote !

However, when you’re truly desperate for a dose of inspiration, there’s one particular source that never disappoints:

Short motivational stories.

Humans have told each other tales of one kind or another for millennia, so it’s no surprise that inspiring stories pack such a punch!

In my experience, in a few paragraphs, these inspirational short stories can shift our thinking and compel us to make positive life changes.

Are you on the hunt for some of the best short inspirational stories with a moral message behind them?

Keep reading for 15 of my favourites!

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Here we go then: 15 awesome stories for motivation, starting with one about how to catch a monkey…

Looking for motivational stories? You might like these…

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  • Short Inspirational Thoughts For the Day
  • The Story of the Thirsty Crow
  • 100 Quotes on Believing in Yourself
  • Insights on How to Encourage Someone
  • 10 Tips on Growing Through What You Go Through
  • 150 Encouraging Words for Friends
  • 100 Great Quotes About Missing Friends
  • 10 0 Quotes About Smiling Through Pain
  • 100 Unforgettable Quotes about Happy Vibes

15 Epic Short Inspirational Stories with a Moral

Feeling in need of inspiration?

Here are 15 of my favourite short stories about motivation that should do the trick!

1. How to Hunt a Monkey (Inspirational Short Story about Letting Go)

“Do you know how hunters of old used to trap monkeys?” A man asked his child.

“Rather than chasing them up a tree or shooting arrows from below, they’d put a heavy glass jar with a narrow neck on the floor, which had the monkeys’ favourite food inside.

They’d then step back and hide, waiting for the unsuspecting animal to approach.

When it did, the monkey would reach inside, clench a fist around the food, and try to pull it out. However, the narrow neck of the jar would stop the poor monkey from getting its hand out!

It’d pull and pull, but to no avail. There was simply no way to get its hand out of the jar without releasing the food.

Rather than letting go, though, the monkey would persevere, refusing to drop its dinner.

The hunters would then approach and catch it to enjoy a meal of their own.”

“Don’t be like that monkey,” warned the man, “In life, to fight another day and grow as person, you must know when to quit, when to move on, and when to let go of whatever’s holding you back.”

Moral of the story:

Sometimes you have to let go and give up what you have now in order to receive something better in the future. Don’t let stubbornness be your downfall!

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The best short motivational stories with a moral often remind us of our own self-worth. This one about a $100 bill does exactly that…

2. The Value of Money (Inspiring Short Story about Self-Worth)

At the beginning of a new school year, a class teacher stands up in front of her students holding a $100 bill.

She tells them, “Put your hands up if you want this money”.

Every hand in the room goes up, to which the teacher says, “I am going to give this money to someone here, but first, let me do this…”

She takes the bill and crumples it up in her hands, before asking, “Who still wants it?”

The hands stay up.

The teacher then drops the bill on the floor, stomps and grinds it into the ground, and picks it back up. “How about now?” she asks again.

“Class, I hope you see the lesson here. It didn’t matter what I did to this money, you still wanted it because its value stayed the same. Even with its creases and dirtiness, it’s still worth $100.”

She continues, “It’s the same with us. There will be similar times in your life when you’re dropped, bruised, and muddied. Yet no matter what happens, you never lose your value.”

Life’s hardships are inevitable and we’ll all be put through the ringer at some point, often through no fault of our own.

Don’t let these challenges alter your feelings of self-worth. You’ll always be enough; you have something unique and special to give and offer the world.

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Next up: an inspiring story about two competing wolves.

3. The Two Wolves (Inspiring Short Stories about Life)

An old Cherokee chief sat down to teach his grandson about life.

“There’s a fight going on inside me,” he tells the young boy, “a fight between two wolves.”

“One wolf is evil. It’s full of malice, anger, greed, self-pity and false pride. The other is good. It’s full of peace, love, joy, kindness, and humility.”

“This same fight is going on inside you and everyone else on the face of the earth.”

The grandson was quiet, pondering this revelation for a moment before asking, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?”

The old man smiled and replied, “The one you feed.”

Good and evil exist within each of us. It’s our responsibility to own that reality and do whatever we can to nurture the good.

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Motivational stories don’t get much better than this one about starfishes!

4. The Story of the Grateful Starfishes (Inspiring Story about Attitude)

One morning, an elderly man was walking along the beach when he noticed a young boy picking something off the sand and throwing it into the sea.

As he got closer, the man realized the child was throwing stranded starfishes that had washed up on the shore back into the breaking waves.

Approaching the boy, the man asked what he was doing.

“The starfish will die if they’re still on the shore when the sun rises,” he replied.

Perplexed, the old man said, “But that’s pointless! There are countless miles of beach and thousands of starfish. It doesn’t matter how many you return to the water, you can’t make a difference.”

Unfazed, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and tossed it into the sea.

“It matters to this one,” he said.

No matter the odds of success or the scale of the challenge, your actions can make a difference. It’s better to light a candle than curse the dark.

Every little counts. Doing something to make a positive change is always better than nothing!

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This motivational story is a little sad, but it contains an invaluable lesson on self-belief…

5. The Elephant and the Rope (Best Inspirational Short Stories about Life)

One day a man walked past a camp of elephants.

Looking closer, he was surprised to see that these mighty animals weren’t held in cages or kept in chains.

The only thing stopping them from escaping?

A thin rope tied from one of their legs to a simple pole in the ground.

Confused as to why they didn’t use their strength to break the rope, he asked the trainer why they weren’t attempting to run away.

To this the trainer replied,

“As baby elephants, we use the same system. But, at that age, the rope is strong enough to stop them from escaping. They grow up like this, believing they can never break the rope, so even as adults they stay put.”

In other words, these powerful, magnificent and intelligent elephants didn’t believe they could free themselves, so they never tried.

Our personal beliefs are powerful beyond measure and often dictate our outcomes. They can work for or against us.

Identify your limiting beliefs so you can push against them.

These confidence affirmations should help!

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Here’s another of my favourite inspirational short stories! This one’s about an exchange between a fisherman and a businessman…

6. The Fisherman and the Businessman (My Favourite Motivational Story)

Once upon a time there was a businessman who was sitting on the beach in a small Italian village.

As he sat, taking a brief break from the stress of his daily schedule, he saw a fisherman rowing a small boat back into the harbour. In the boat were a few large fish.

Impressed, the businessman asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?” To which he replied “Oh, not so long.”

The businessman was confused, “Why don’t you fish for longer to catch even more?”

“More? This is enough to feed my entire family and even offer some to my neighbours,” the fisherman said.

“So what do you do for the rest of your day?” Enquired the businessman.

The fisherman replied, “Well, I’ve usually have caught my fish by late morning, at which point I go home, kiss my wife, and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap and read. In the evening, I go to the village to have a drink with my friends, play guitar, sing, and dance into the night!”

Putting his entrepreneurial hat on, the businessman offered a suggestion.

“I have a PhD in business! I can help you become much more successful. From now on, you should spend longer at sea and catch as many fish as possible. When you’ve saved enough money, buy a bigger boat to catch even more fish. From there, you’ll soon be able to buy more boats, set up your own company, build a production plant to can the fish and control distribution, and move to the city to control your other branches.”

To this, the fisherman asks, “And after that?”

The businessman laughs, “After that, you’ll be able to live like a king, take your company public, float your shares and be rich!”

“And after that?” Asks the fisherman once more.

“After that, you can retire, move to a house by the sea, wake up early in the morning to go fishing, then return home to play with your kids, kiss your wife, take a nap in the afternoon and join your friends in the village to drink, play guitar and dance into the night!”

Puzzled, the fisherman replies, “But isn’t that what I’m doing already?”

Be content with what you have. Do you really need to keep pushing for more ? Stress is often a choice. There’s joy and peace in simplicity.

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Want a short story about motivation and karma? This one about a baker and some butter may do the trick…

7. The Baker and the Butter (Short Story about Motivation and Fairness)

A long time ago, a baker and a farmer lived in the same small English village.

These two men had a friendly arrangement in place, where the farmer would sell a pound of butter to the baker each day.

One morning, the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he’d received the correct amount.

To his surprise, he discovered that the farmer had sold him less butter than he’d paid for.

Angry about the unfairness, he took the farmer to court.

At the hearing, the judge asked the farmer whether he used any measure to weigh the butter.

“Your honour, I am but a lowly farmer and do not own a proper measure. I simply use an old-fashioned scale,” he replied.

“How do you weight the butter then?” Enquired the judge.

To this the farmer answered:

“Your honour, long before the baker started buying butter from my farm, I’ve been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when he brings me the bread, I place it on my scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it’s the baker.”

Karma’s a bitch! Be kind and fair to others and you’ll enjoy the rewards.

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If you’ve ever read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, you may have already come across this next inspirational short story…

8. The Story of the Fig Tree (From “The Bell Jar”, by Sylvia Plath)

I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked.

One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn’t quite make out.

I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose.

I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.

Decide! Take action.

There’s no right or wrong answer when you’re choosing between two positive routes or outcomes. Wait too long and the decision will be made for you.

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Searching for inspirational stories with a moral about happiness? Check out this next one…

9. The Pursuit of Happiness (Stories for Inspiration and Happiness)

There was once a group of 100 people attending a seminar on personal development.

In the middle of their talk, the speaker stops and decides to run an impromptu group activity. He hands out a balloon to each attendee and tells them to write their name on it.

The balloons are then collected and placed in an adjacent room.

The speaker then instructs the 100 attendees to enter that room and, within 5 short minutes, find the balloon with their name on it.

Pandemonium breaks loose as they charge in, pushing and colliding with each other as they desperately search for their name.

The 5 minutes pass and nobody succeeds.

The speaker then tells each person to pick up any random balloon and give it the person whose name is written on it. Within a few minutes everyone has their balloon back.

He then said, “What just happened with those balloons is exactly what happens in our search for happiness. We frantically look for it all around us, not knowing where it is.”

“Yet our happiness lies in the happiness of others. By giving them their happiness, you get yours.”

Moral of the story :

Happiness and fulfilment rarely come from selfish pursuits, but almost always come from doing good deeds for others. By helping others we help ourselves.

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Next up: an inspiring short story about an indecisive ass!

10. Buridan’s Ass (Motivational Short Story about Decision Making)

A hungry ass finds himself between two equally large and delicious-looking bales of hay.

He looks from one to the other and back again, unsure which to choose.

This goes on for a long while until, unable to make a decision, the poor old donkey dies of starvation.

Once again, take action! Don’t linger too long on the precipice of a big (or small) decision when the outcomes are positive.

Save yourself a headache, take a leap of faith, commit, and enjoy whatever rewards that come your way, refusing to look back at what could have been.

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If you’re trying to find true stories for inspiration, then this one about an Ancient Chinese army general could fit the bill…

11. The Clever General (A True Motivation Story!)

Thousands of years ago there was a famous Chinese general with a reputation for being an astute and cunning leader.

One day, at the end of a long campaign, this general decided to stop in a stronghold with a small battalion of soldiers, sending his main fighting force ahead to rest elsewhere.

Meanwhile, one of his enemies catches wind of this and decides to march his army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the general’s all-but defenceless position.

In the middle of the night, the general’s awoken by one of his men, who breaks the news:

The enemy’s close. They’ll be there before daybreak and the tiny band of soldiers in the stronghold will be no match for their numbers.

Hearing this, the general stops and pauses.

Understanding his predicament, he instructs his men to stand down, open the gates, take down the banners from the walls, and hide.

The general then removes his armour, dons a cloak, and sits on the battlements playing a mandolin as he looks out at the approaching army.

The enemy leader soon arrives. He recognizes the general immediately.

And orders his forces to halt.

He stops to think. He knows this general better than anyone, including his reputation for wily deeds and setting deadly traps. He waits some more.

The presence of this infamous general, sitting there with such nonchalance, makes him question himself. Was the information he received false? Is the general luring him into a trap?

Or is it a double bluff?

Is this a ploy to make him question himself and the general is, in fact, as defenceless as he seems?

He waits some more…And then he orders his forces to retreat.

First, your reputation is crucial and can deliver all sorts of positive outcomes.

Second, there’s often a cleverer, more strategic way to achieve your goals. Never assume it takes sweat, blood and tears. Look for a method of attaining the same results with less effort.

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The plotline of many motivational short stories involves slaying a proverbial dragon!

12. The Dragon and the Treasure

In many ancient myths and stories the hero has to go on a long and perilous journey to complete their mission. A classic example?

The sleepless dragon that guards its treasure, breathing fire on anyone who so dares to steal it.

To get the gold, the knight in shining armour must, through guile or force, first defeat this beast.

Success lies on the other side of effort, which makes suffering part of the process.

Rather than avoid discomfort then, the ambitious must pursue it at all costs. Only by butting heads and pushing through such suffering will they ever attain the proverbial gold.

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Feeling lazy? The next tale on this list of short stories for motivation should help!

13. The Queen’s Boulder (Short Stories about Motivation and Effort)

In ancient times there was a queen who ordered her soldiers to manoeuvre a boulder into the middle of the main road to and from town.

The queen then hid, watching to see who would stop to do the right thing and move it out of the way again.

Wealthy merchants and courtiers passed the boulder, barely giving it a second thought. A few of them blamed their queen for not keeping the roads clear. Yet none stopped to do anything.

One day, a peasant walked along with a sack of vegetables to sell at market.

He stopped, laid these down, and then pushed, tugged, huffed, and heaved the stone away.

Upon picking up his vegetables, the peasant saw a large purse full of gold and a handwritten note from the queen herself where the boulder had been.

The gold was a reward for whoever removed it from the road.

Laziness will never get you anywhere in life. Success almost always takes humility and hard work. Read these quotes about laziness for more insights on this topic!

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Short stories about life don’t get much better than this one about a pear tree.

14. The Pear Tree and the Seasons of Life (Short Motivational Stories with a Moral)

There was once a man who had four young sons.

Wanting to teach them about the dangers of judging things too rapidly, he decided to send each of them on a journey, one after the other, to a distant pear tree.

Each son when in a different season, the first in winter, the second in spring, and so on.

At the end of the year he brought his children together and asked them what they’d seen.

The son who’d travelled in winter described a gnarled, twisted, and barren tree that stood stark and ugly against the land.

The son who went in spring disagreed. No, he said, the tree seemed full of hope and promise, with green buds along its branches.

The third son, who’d travelled in summer, disagreed once more. The pear tree he’d seen was covered in beautiful blossom that looked and smelled divine.

Finally, the last son, who’d made the journey in fall, disagreed again, describing a tree laden with sweet and delicious pears that tasted better than any he’d eaten before.

When each son had spoken, the father said they were all correct, because they’d only seen but one season of the pear tree’s life.

He explained to his sons that it’s foolish and impossible to judge something in this manner.

The essence of something, whether it’s a tree or their fellow man, can only be measured as a whole, at the end of the year, having seen it in its fullness. To make your judgment in winter is to miss the promise of spring, the beauty of summer, and the fruit in fall.

Refuse to judge yourself, life, or other people based upon a single mistake or challenging time. Refuse to let the pain of one season destroy the joy of those to come.

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Last but not least on this list of inspiring short stories about life, we turn to a story about lumberjacks to teach us something about working smart as well as hard.

15. The Story of the Lumberjacks (Stories about Inspiration and Productivity)

Two lumberjacks of equal skill, experience, and stature work side by side, chopping down trees together every single day.

However, one lumberjack works non-stop, without taking a break, whereas the other takes an hour-long lunch break every afternoon.

Despite working for less time, both lumberjacks inevitably chop the same number of trees by the end of each working day.

Puzzled and frustrated, the lumberjack who works all day long asks the other how he manages to chop just as much as him while still taking a break.

To this, he responds:

“It’s simple. I spend that hour at home sharpening my axe.”

Breaks are vital to productivity. Work smart not hard!

Don’t Forget These Short Stories for Motivation!

Short motivational stories are some of the best sources of inspiration out there.

For me, personally, something about these memorable and emotive tales never ceases to shift my thinking, spark newfound enthusiasm, and convince me to do things differently in my life!

Have you been searching for inspiring stories of this nature recently?

Well, having covered 15 short inspirational stories with a moral on a variety of important topics, I hope this post has helped.

Looking for more ideas on inspiration? Click here !

2 thoughts on “15 Short Inspirational Stories with a Moral [Motivational stories]”

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TED Radio Hour: Extra

Extras: TED Radio Hour

Playlist: inspiring stories you'll want to share.

NPR/TED Staff

inspiring stories 6pr

You'll want to send these TED Radio Hour stories to everyone you know. A.J. Rich/iStock hide caption

You'll want to send these TED Radio Hour stories to everyone you know.

This playlist includes some blockbuster TED talks that have already inspired millions. These stories about growing up, shaping identity, and finding courage will have you forwarding them to family and friends.

Sir Ken Robinson: How Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Shaka senghor: how can someone move beyond murder, andrew solomon: how do our worst moments shape us, geena rocero: how do you reveal a life-changing transformation.

The STRIVE

Strive Stories

Top 17 inspirational success stories to keep you striving for your dreams.

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There’s nothing like a good success story to lift our spirits.  There’s something uniquely powerful about knowing someone else has experienced setbacks and serious hardships similar to our own, and yet still managed to come out on top. 

Success stories are invigorating, and a great one can provide us with a renewed hope, that despite things feeling unimaginably hard and seemingly hopeless, we can still achieve our dreams.  So, here are the most inspirational success stories we’ve ever studied.

Use them to reenergize and inspire yourself to believe that you too can achieve success and your dreams, if you’ll but press on like they did.  Enjoy!

INSPIRING SUCCESS STORIES TO HELP YOU SUCCEED

inspirational success stories

1. Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone has one of the most inspiring success stories. Before he made it big he was essentially a starving artist. For many years during and after his college years, he worked odd jobs to pay the bills. And he would do so while simultaneously taking on any acting roles he could find to keep his dreams of becoming a successful actor alive.

It was a struggle that Stallone would endure for many years, seven in fact. Throughout all of those seven challenging years, he would gain a few small roles in a handful of movies. But, none of them were grand enough to get his career launched.

During those seven long years of striving, he came face-to-face with near poverty. Stallone was so desperate for money at one point, he had to sell his wife’s jewelry. He even had to sell his dog because he couldn’t keep him fed. Things got so bad for Stallone that he even had to endure homelessness for a short period of time.

But, his days of struggle as an aspiring actor would not last forever. After facing seemingly insurmountable odds for over seven years, he would finally get his big break. And this break would come after he managed to get a script he wrote in a three day flurry of inspiration, in front of two big-shot directors in Hollywood.

It was this defining moment that would turn the tide for Sylvester Stallone. His career would skyrocket after he negotiated the lead role in the film that would come to be known as ‘Rocky’.

Success eventually comes to those who always dream of her. For a more complete account of Sylvester Stallone’s inspiring success story, you can find it here .

sylvester stallone success stories quote

2. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey’s success story is very unique. From a very early age she experienced a level of adversity and poverty that most people would struggle to overcome. She was born into poverty and a broken home in rural Mississippi. Her parents who were just 18 and 19 when they had her, split soon after she was born. This lead to her being taking in by her grand mother.

And her grandmother was not your typical warm and fuzzy grandmother. No, she was a hard-nosed grandmother who was an extreme disciplinarian who discipline her for even the slightest offenses. But, the poverty and disciplined lifestyle didn’t last forever as she moved back with mother at the age of six.

Oprah would then experience sexual assault at an early age, having been molested as early as 9 by some of her family members. Having been emotionally abandoned, abused, and molested, she eventually started part-taking in extremely risky behaviors. Behaviors which eventually led to her becoming pregnant at the age of 14.

Then, because she got pregnant her mother kicked her out of the house. Oprah would go on to live with her father, only to then lose the baby a week after he was born.

Needless to say, Oprah’s early life was chockfull of struggle, adversity, and tragedy. But, regardless of all of her unfortunate experiences, she decided to turn her life around after she lost her baby. So, she committed herself to getting an education, becoming her best, and to going after her dreams.

She decided to start trusting herself again, and loving herself, and making choices that would improve her life versus destroy it. One day, she garnered enough confidence to participate in a beauty pageant. And it was her participation in this pageant that would eventually lead her into a job working for a radio station doing the news.

Oprah’s love for speaking to an audience set the stage for continued success as she would go on to become a news anchor, which she would eventually leverage to host a TV chat show in Maryland, which ultimately led to her having her morning talk show in Chicago.

And as they say, the rest was history. Oprah overcame massive challenges in her youth. Challenges that side line all too many people. She chose to turn her wounds into wisdom, and went on to become one of the most successful talk show hosts in history (by helping many others do the same) with her own self-named talk show, The Oprah Winfrey show. Oprah is now one of the richest self-made women in America.

success stories - oprah winfrey

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Considering Arnold Schwarzenegger is the epitome of the self-made man, we wouldn’t dare exclude him from our success stories collection. Arnold was born and raised in Austria. He grew up at a time where the country was still healing from it’s defeat in World War II.

Alcoholism was rampant, defeatism was the norm, and big dreaming scoffed at in his environment. The odds were certainly stacked against young Arnold.

But Arnold didn’t care. He knew he didn’t want to live the traditional Austrian life his parents wanted for him. He also knew he wanted to move to America because it was the land of the free.

As such, he hatched a plan to become a success in body-building. Then to leverage that success to get into movies. And sure enough he did just that. He went on to fulfill his vision by becoming the youngest man to ever win a Mr. Universe competition, and then on to win five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles.

After reaching what he set out to do in the sport of bodybuilding, he then went on to commit himself to the acting career he had always dreamed of. And sure enough, he would go on to conquer the film industry to the same degree that he conquered the body building world. Going on to star in multiple blockbuster movies that would gross over $3 billion, and earn him one of the most sizeable net worth’s in Hollywood.

You can find a more complete account of Arnold’s inspiring journey here: Arnold Schwarzenegger Success Story .

Success Stories Arnold Quote

4. JK Rowling

J.K Rowling had a dream of becoming a writer early on. But, she would have to persist for many years before her dream of becoming a published author would materialize. Almost as soon as she decided to get to work on putting her ideas down on paper for her book, she would be sidetracked by her mother’s death.

The depression that would ensue left Rowling seeking out a job as a teacher in another country. Soon after, she married and had a child, which would delay her aspirations even further.

But things weren’t done going off the rails for Rowling, as her marriage would abruptly end just one year after it began. This lead to her being jobless with a child, and a barely surviving off of unemployment benefits.

However, despite her challenges, Rowling would persist in the creation of her book. And she did so by seizing every spare moment she could while her child slept to write. Until finally the day came when she completed her manuscript.

Of course, even after Rowling finished her manuscript obstacles still remained. 12 different publishers rejected her novel. The rejection took a toll on her spirits, and she almost quit. Fortunately, she tried one more time. And it was at that moment, that J.K. Rowling’s luck turned around. She finally found a publisher would accepted her manuscript.

Now, J.K. Rowling is now one of the best selling authors of all time. She is also the highest paid novelist in the world. Her books have been translated into over 80 different languages with over 600 million sold. Clearly, persistence and patience pays off in the long run.

success stories - jk rowling quote

5. Steven Spielberg

Most people don’t know this, but Steven Spielberg was rejected from film school three times. But he didn’t let those rejections stop him, and he kept applying till he got accepted.  Eventually Cal State, Long Beach would accept him into their film program. 

Fortunately for Spielberg, he would then go on to leverage his opportunity at Cal State to land an unpaid internship at Universal Studios. 

Of course, this internship wouldn’t last forever, but it lasted just long enough for him to learn how sneak in to the studios undetected so he could continually gather intel on what it would take to become successful in the business. 

Finally, the day would come that he managed to get a film he created in the hands of film executives. But, he had to first overcome the film executives multiple attempts to make him give up.

After being told that the film size was not the right size multiple times, and remaking the entire demo to the recommended sizes every time, the executives finally relented and gave him his film a shot. The movie would go on to win major awards, and solidified Steven Spielberg’s place within the industry.

Steven Spielberg is now one of the most influential film makers in history. On top of this, he’s now also one of the wealthiest. And out of all of our inspirational stories of success, his story in particular, shows, that if you knock long enough and hard enough, the doors of opportunity will eventually swing open for you.

Related: 5 Steps to Start Living Your Dreams

Success Stories - spielberg

6. Mary Kay Ash

Mary Kay Ash has a truly inspiring success story. She was born in a small town in Texas and got married and started a family at the young age of 17. She would go on to have three children with her husband who was in the military, but they eventually got a divorce.

Mary Kay would struggle for years to take care of her children on her own. But she took on various sales jobs in the direct selling industry, and strived to climb the corporate ranks.

However, after many years of selling various products, along with a few middle management and trainer roles, she started to feel like she was being overlooked for the more prominent leadership roles she aspired to because she was a woman. As such, she eventually decided to take matters into her own hands.

Once her kids were out of the house and on their own, at the age of 45 Mary Kay Ash decided to become her own boss. So, she started her own cosmetic company. She started off very small, but in just a few short years, she manage to transform Mary Kay Cosmetics into a multi-billion dollar corporation that still serves and empowers people all over the world to this day.

Despite being past what most people consider their prime, Mary Kay went on to author multiple best-selling books like  The Mary Kay Way ,  Miracles Happen ,  You Can Have It All , as well as a few others, and she became an inspiration to countless women. And due to the success of her business and her aim to inspire as many people as possible, she became a multi-millionaire and eventually named as ‘The Greatest Woman In American History’.

inspirational success stories - mary kay ash

7. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo grew up in a household that was barely getting by. As a child, he had to share a room with three of his siblings due to their meager financial situation. There were even times where they didn’t have enough money to buy a soccer ball just so he could play in the streets. But Ronaldo did not let his environment dictate his destiny.

No, instead he would find ways to play the sport he loved even without the ball. He would use bottles, rags, or pretty much anything he could find to make a makeshift ball just so he could play. 

Eventually, Cristiano would get so good at soccer, that he would have to make the ultimate sacrifice at the age of 11 to move over 500 miles away from his family to train with a prestigious soccer academy. It’s a good thing he did too, because by doing so, he put himself on track to eventually become on of the best players in history.

Cristiano Ronaldo is now known as the greatest Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football federation.  Millions of soccer fans all across the globe believe him to be the greatest of all time. 

In addition to this, he is the first soccer player ever to earn over $1 billion dollars, while generating one of the largest net worth’s among professional athletes.  

If you’re looking to learn more about Cristiano’s inspiring success story, you’ll love this .

success story quote

8. Lionel Messi

While on the topic of soccer, we must also mention Lionel Messi’s success story because it’s every bit as inspiring.  Here’s why, at age of 11, Messi was cut from his soccer team because they thought he was too small.  And he was small, but it was because he had a growth hormone deficiency which made him a lot smaller than all the other kids his age.

Fortunately, Messi didn’t let this deter him.  Instead, he would place himself on a strict regimen where he would inject growth hormones into himself.  And he would go on to do inject himself with this hormone for seven days in one leg, and then seven days in the other.

Messi would keep this routine up for six years.

The great news is, Messi’s sacrifice and persistence paid off.  Because now, he is one of the highest paid soccer players with a staggering net worth, and is considered by legions of fans to be one of the best soccer players of all time due to his winning soccer’s highest achievement, ‘The Ballon d’Or’ six times.

Success requires sacrifice.

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9. Michael Jordan

Since we mentioned the greatest of all time in soccer, we can’t leave out the man many consider to be the greatest of all time in basket ball. Now, most people aren’t’ aware of this, but when Michael Jordan was merely a sophomore in high school, he already had big dreams of being a great basketball player. 

So he did something brash and tried out for the Varsity team. But, his coaches cut him from the team. They didn’t see his value nor did they think he was ready.

This rejection hit Jordan especially hard because of his oversized dreams and expectations. In fact, the rejection hit him so hard he went home afterwards and cried in his closet.

Even though that rejection still bothered Jordan, he dusted himself off and went all in for the JV team.  He trained like no other in the off season and grew four extra inches. And the following year he tried out for the varsity team again. But this second time around, he made it.

Not only did he make it, but he went on to become the team’s MVP, making the All-American Team, and eventually earned himself a college scholarship. And from there, well, you know the rest of the story.

Michael Jordan became the man who would score 32,292 points in a basketball career. Jordan became the man who acquired 6 NBA championships. The man who also collected 5 MVP titles, and is now considered the greatest basketball player of all time.

For all the success stories we’ve covered, this one clearly shows the importance of having great expectations, and resilience after rejection.

success stories quote by michael jordan

10. Paulo Coelho

Over 30 years ago a book titled ‘The Alchemist’ was published and hardly anyone noticed. The author of this book was a man named Paulo Coelho , and he was told by the first bookseller to carry his book, that only one person bought a copy after it was released.  As bad as it was to hear about the grim results Coelho remained confident in his work. 

Paulo Coelho waited for better results to appear. Unfortunately, six months passed before he sold his next copy.  Oddly, the person who bought his first book was the same person who bought the second.

After that first year the publisher decided the book was a flop and ended Coelho’s contract.  Fortunately, though, Coelho shrugged off that initial defeat.  He made up his mind to not give in, and so he doubled down to pursue his vision with even more fervor by finding another publisher. 

“Now, Coelho found a new publisher, but it was no easy task, as he encountered rejection after rejection.  But, after many repeated rejections, he finally landed that new publisher, and with it, another opportunity to capture his dream.

From that point forward Coelho’s dreams started to come true.  At first, he only sold three thousand books.  But the sales kept trickling in. And as time went by, he would sell ten thousand, and then 100 thousand, and so on and so forth. 

Coelho’s luck has yet to run out, as his books sales continue to grow year over year, with now over 150 million and counting copies of ‘The Alchemist’ having been sold. Even more staggering is the fact that he sold over 320 million books when including all of his other works. But, it all started with that first book!

Paulo Coelho’s success story shows that if you truly want something bad enough, all the universe really will conspire to help you achieve the impossible .

inspiring stories 6pr

11. Abraham Lincoln

Most of us know of this great man because of what he did for those who were in bondage in the United States of America. He delivered the Emancipation Proclamation; a massive accomplishment which ultimately led to the abolition of slavery.

But, what most don’t realize about Abraham Lincoln , is that he has one of the most impressive rap sheets when it comes to overcoming defeat.

In short, his success story consists of a list of failures and set backs so sizable, that you would hardly think it belonged to one of the most accomplished and respected presidents of the United States of America.

Here’s a great example of the many failures Lincoln endured, with a few victories he managed to sprinkle in over his lifetime:

1832: Lost his job

1832: Defeated for legislature

1833: Failed in business

1834: Elected to legislature

1835: The woman he loved died

1836: Had a nervous breakdown

1838: Defeated for Speaker

1843: Defeated for nomination for Congress

1848: Lost re-nomination

1849: Reject for Land Officer

1854: Defeated for Senate

1856: Defeated for nomination for Vice-President

1858: Again defeated for Senate

1860: Elected for President of The United States of America

To be sure, Lincoln virtually failed his way to success, and his recorded failures helps us realize the truth behind the Michael Jordan quote we mentioned earlier, and that is…that the key to success is through failure.

Out of all of these success stories, this one in particular should convince you that just because you’ve yet to succeed in life, it doesn’t mean you never will. So, keep pushing and preparing for your big day, because it will come, so long as you keep eye on the prize and keep moving forward .

Real Life Inspirational Stories of Success - Abe Lincoln

Related: Success Quotes for Overcoming Failure

12. Tom Brady

One of our favorite inspirational stories of success comes from Tom Brady . Brady didn’t follow the typical athletic path into the NFL. While most athletes begin getting groomed for the sport by the 3rd grade, Tom Brady wouldn’t set foot onto the grid iron until the 9th grade.

In fact, his debut into actually getting onto the football field didn’t come until his Sophomore year. His moment came when the starting quarterback for the JV team quit. Fortunately for Brady, that opportunity helped him capture the starting Varsity QB role by the time his Junior year arrived.

After finding success at the high school level, Brady would eventually go on to become a Michigan Wolverine. But success wasn’t a given for Brady at this level. Nope, he had to earn it.

In fact, Brady came into the program as an underdog, with seven quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. After almost requesting a transfer to another school, Brady’s determination eventually won him the coveted starting position by the time he was a Junior.

The obstacles Brady would face continued on even into the Pros. Brady had his mind set to play in the pros, unfortunately there was little interest in him during the draft. In fact, he was selected in the 6th round as the 199th pick, just barely making it into the league.

Pretty much every coach in the league grossly underrated and underestimated Brady. His draft report from 2000 NFL draft actually stated the following qualities:

  • Poor Build | Skinny
  • Lacks Great Physical Stature and Strength
  • Lacks Mobility and Ability to Avoid The Rush
  • Lacks a Really Strong Arm
  • Can’t Drive The Ball Down Field
  • Doesn’t Throw a Really Tight Spiral
  • System-Type Player Who Can Get Exposed if Forced to Adlib
  • Easily Knocked Down

Remember, Tom brady was not the highest rated quarterback, he wasn’t the most well groomed for the sport, nor was he the best athlete. In addition, he didn’t have the best numbers, or even the best mechanics. However, Tom Brady did have the most heart and determination.

Thus, through sheer willpower, he pushed himself to becoming one of the greatest football players of all times. And he has proved his case with the following accolades:

  • Most NFL Championships By a Player (7x)
  • Most Games Won By a Quarterback
  • Most Games Played By a Quarterback
  • Most Combined Passing Yards
  • Most Touchdown Passes
  • Most 4th Quarter Comebacks
  • Best Touchdown to Interception Ratio
  • 5 Time Super Bowl MVP
  • 3 Time MVP of the NFL
  • 2 Time NFL All-Decade Team Player
  • Only Player to Win a Super Bowl for Both The AFC & NFC

inspiring stories 6pr

13. Sarah Blakely

This success story is about Sarah Blakely, who was once crowned one of the youngest self-made billionaires by Forbes. Her story begins with her love of the firm look that panty hose offered, but her hating how they looked when she wore open toe shoes.

Blakely’s annoyance with panty hose would lead to her always cutting the feet off of her panty hose to pull of the look she was going for. But, after noticing that many other women were doing the same thing, she had a lightbulb moment. And she started to contemplate the creation of a product that would solve this problem.

One day after watching an inspiring Oprah show, Sarah decided to take massive action on her idea. So, she risked it all by investing her entire $5,000 life savings to move to Atlanta, GA. Once there, she would kickstart the production of her product idea for the masses.

Blakely experienced tons of resistance at first. Nobody wanted to manufacture the product she was trying to create. They thought it was too risky and a potential waste of time. Her patent officer even found it difficult to take her idea seriously, thinking it to be a dud.

But, after two years of planning, countless late nights, and lots of no’s, she finally found success. Her lucky break came when a factory agreed to manufacture her products. And when Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales took a risk on her by listing her products for sale at their stores.

Her first year in business she sold over $4 million in revenue. And every year there after her sales would grow exponentially. Sarah’s courage to go all in, and her persistence to bring her idea to the world helped her become a billionaire by the age of 41.

inspiring stories 6pr

14. Grant Cardone

This next story helps drive the point home, that it’s never too late to be what you might have been. It’s also a good reminder that no matter where you come from, or where you’ve been, you can change. It’s a testament that anyone can clean up their act, and can find massive success in the process.

This success story is about a man who grew up poor in Louisiana, lost his father at a young age, and was raised a single-parent household with four other siblings. It’s a story about a man named Grant Cardone .

Cardone is not your typical celebrity. He didn’t come from money. He’s not a Hollywood superstar,. Nor does he possess some amazing talent, like script-writing, politics, or athleticism. However, what he does possess, is something that is available to us all, and that is a determination to succeed.

Grant Cardone found himself in bad company in his youth. He was involved and addicted to drugs, and was stuck in a downward spiral for over a decade. After getting robbed at gunpoint, being beaten to a bloody pulp with a gun, and then being kicked out of his mother’s house, he finally decided to change his life.

At the age of 25 Grant Cardone decided to clean up his act. He cut all negative influences from his life, got sober, and took the first job he could land.

That job was as a car salesmen. It was a title and a position that Grant was not very fond of.

The economy was slow which meant he didn’t have many options, so he made it work.

Cardone committed to becoming the best salesperson he could be. So, he invested heavily in his own self-improvement by reading books and studying his craft and his industry.

After committing to becoming his very best, his income quickly doubled. And soon thereafter, he would become one of the best car salesmen in the country. He eventually moved on to running his own business, and was extremely smart and disciplined with his money.

Cardone only spent money on what was absolutely necessary for food our housing. He would place anything left over into an investment fund just for real estate.

Grant Cardone’s focus on learning more so that he could earn more, along with having the discipline to invest his extra money, instead of wasting it on frivolous things, helped him become a self-made millionaire just five years later by the age of 30.

Cardone has since gone on to become a prominent international businessman, speaker, and the owner of Cardone Capital, a $1.5 billion investment firm.  He’s authored the New York Times bestselling books  If You’re Not First, You’re Last,  and other notable books like  The 10X Rule , and Axiom Award winning  Sell or Be Sold .  In addition to this, he also founded Cardone University, a popular sales training platform that has accrued over 50,000,000 and growing users.

It took Grant Cardone only five years to completely revolutionize his entire life. With the right mindset and a good dose of willpower, just imagine what 5 years could do for you.

inspirational success stories - grant cardone

15. Kevin Hart

Every body knows of and loves Kevin Hart. He’s been making us laugh and keeping us highly entertained for many years now. But, what most people don’t know about Kevin Hart, is that he had to overcome some major obstacles before he became one of the most beloved comedians in the world.

Hart had to overcome a negative homelife with a father who was reckless, toxic, and always causing trouble. He had to overcome the challenges of a 2 hour commute for years.

Hart endured naysayers often. In fact, someone he highly respected in the industry told him that he should quit comedy. He had to outlast the boos, the heckling, and getting chicken wings thrown at him due to his performances.

Kevin Hart had to turn countless setbacks into comebacks. He had to choose time after time, to not quit. He chose to keep pushing for his dreams, to ignore the critics, the naysayers, and anyone who doubted his dreams.

Eventually though, Hart’s persistence and commitment to his vision would pay off. The tide would turn for Kevin Hart after years of career stagnancy, rejection, and close calls with defeat.

Kevin Hart is now one of the world’s top 10 comedians. He’s also one of the richest too . So, if you think you can’t do something, just think about Kevin Hart’s success story and all he went through. Because if he can do it, so can you.

inspiring stories 6pr

16. Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins’ upbringing was rough. His parents divorced when he was only 7 and his mother would go on to get remarried 4 different times as he grew up.

His mother’s unstable relationships with men created a chaotic environment for Tony and his siblings. As the oldest of three other siblings, Robbins felt obligated to step up and help his family cope in a household led by a substance abusing mother.

Robbins had to grow up fast.  As a teenager he had to do the grocery shopping every week for the family because his mother couldn’t be bothered to do it. He also had to prepare the meals for everyone because no one else would.

Eventually, Robbins had to take on various jobs in his youth just to keep the bills paid. Amazingly, Robbins would do all these things even without a car, relying solely on public transportation to get around.

At the age of 17, Robbins had a falling-out with his mother, and she kicked him out of the house.  He finished high school but avoided college.

Armed only with a high school diploma he struggled for a few years working menial jobs that sucked the life out of him.  He gained weight, felt broke, and started feeling hopeless about his situation.

One day, after attending a Jim Rohn he became inspired to turn it all around.  He embraced Rohn’s message of hope and the power of taking responsibility for one’s situation.  And he used that inspiration to reach out to Jim Rohn himself for work, and Rohn obliged.

Robbins soon became one of the Rohn’s best salesman.  In fact, Robbins was so good that he became a millionaire by the age of 26 just from sales. 

Leveraging everything he learned from Rohn, Robbins eventually broke out on his own and became the best-selling author, high performance coach, and multimillionaire that the world has come to know and love.

Tony Robbins story goes to show that our past doesn’t equal our future. And you can overcome slow starts and challenging situations to create a rich and wonderful life.

inspiring stories 6pr

17. John Paul DeJoria

John Paul DeJoria experienced plenty of hardship before achieving true success. For starters, he grew up in relative poverty. After his parents divorced, his mother couldn’t support him and his brother, so was given up to a foster home.

When his mother finally made enough money to get him and his brother out of the foster home, he still eventually had to find work early on to help his struggling mother pay the bills.

Unfortunately, the financial challenges didn’t cease for John Paul DeJoria after striking out on his own.

After graduating from high school, DeJoria spent two years in the Navy and then started a family. He eked by for a long time by taking various odd jobs as a janitor, gas station attendant, insurance salesmen, and even a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman.

He struggled for a long time to create a prosperous and stable life for himself and his family. Unfortunately, his wife grew impatient and abandoned him and his two-year-old son. Shortly after, he eventually became homeless for a brief period of time. Thankfully, DeJoria never gave up hope.

He hustled for years to get his life in order and provide for his son. Eventually, he found his lucky break after getting his haircut by a hairdresser named Paul Mitchell.

After learning about a high-quality product that his hairdresser sold, he saw the opportunity to go into business with him to help sell his product across the city. So, he went into business with Paul Mitchell and the product became a big hit locally, and then eventually across the entire beauty industry.

John Paul DeJoria leveraged the grit, salesmanship, and business acumen he acquired from all his unprosperous years to transform his budding business partnership into a multinational enterprise. Now, he’s a multi-billionaire .

inspiring stories 6pr

Final Thoughts

Hopefully these success stories help you realize that while success may be elusive, it is not unattainable. We also hope that these handpicked stories have helped you understand that success is both a journey and a destination.

But most importantly, we hope you walk away knowing that in order to achieve success, you’ll have to first go through your share of struggles, rejections, and even disasters, but are now eager to take on the challenge.

So, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the prize. Keep moving towards your dreams no matter what. Do this, and your success will be just around the corner.

Till you reach your aims,

PS – Every success story is unique and can inspire in a different way. That said, if you’re looking for even more success stories about how others achieved success and riches, then you’ll love these Strive Stories too.

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The STRIVE is on a mission to inspire and uplift 1 billion people by 2032. Our primary aim is to help as many people as possible believe in the uncommon thought, that they can be more than they are, do more than they've done, and achieve more prosperity than they've ever dreamed possible. Let's achieve the impossible together.

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THE KANYE WEST SUCCESS STORY

Kanye West Success Story

Kanye West (now officially known as Ye) is a highly successful artist, producer, cultural icon and entrepreneur. He has released several critically acclaimed albums and started his own fashion line. He has received numerous awards and honors, including ten Grammy Awards. And to top it all off, he’s a multi-millionaire who has become one of the most influential artists and entrepreneurs in the world.

Kanye’s success is due in part to his hard work and dedication. He is always working on new music or projects, and he puts a lot of thought into everything he does. He also has a great team behind him, which has helped him achieve his goals.

“Shoot For The Stars, So If You Fall You Land On A Cloud.” – kanye west –

With that said, if you want to learn more about Kanye West’s success story and how we can use his journey to success to inspire greater levels of creativity and ambition in our own lives, then read on:

The Early Years

Kanye Omari West was born on June 8th, 1977. His parents divorced when he was only 3 years old and he and his mother relocated to Chicago, Illinois from Atlanta, Georgia.

West had a love for the creative arts at an early age and began writing poetry and drawing when he was just 5 years old. He began rapping in 3rd grade and started to write and compose his own music by the time he was in middle school.

He eventually met his mentor, the DJ, and producer No I.D. at a local radio station when he was about 14 years old. No I.D. took Kanye under his wing and taught him how to produce beats and experiment with hip hop productions. West became friends with another up-and-coming rapper, Jay Z, and the two would often freestyle together.

Ultimately, Kanye started creating beats for other artists in the Chicago area and formed a rap group known as the Go-Getters. [1] The group released their first and only album in 1999.

The Struggle

Although Kanye West was successfully working as a producer, he wanted to step into the limelight and be a rapper himself. He tried to convince Jay Z to sign him to his record label, Roc-A-Fella Records, but Jay Z was reluctant to add him to the roster. He eventually relented and signed Kanye in 2002.

On October 23rd, 2003. Kanye experienced a grave car accident that left him with a shattered jaw. He required surgery to reconstruct his face and was bedridden for weeks.

Kanye left the L.A. studio at around 3 am in a rented Lexus, after finishing a late-night session with Peedi Crack, Beanie Sigel, and The Black Eyed Peas. Just blocks away from the W Hotel, he was cut off and collided head-on with another car.

As a result of the accident, his face needed reconstructive surgery. It took Kanye weeks to recover from the accident. Because he did not have health insurance, he had to foot the bill himself.

West used this time to reflect on his life and career. He decided that he needed to focus on his own music and not just produce beats for other artists. He realized that the music he had previously made wouldn’t have a major impact on the world if he were to die in that tragic accident. From this moment forward, Kanye dedicated himself to making the best music of his career.

He would never play small and he proved this by writing and recording several of his most popular hits while still recovering from the accident.

The Rise To Fame

Many of the demos that Kanye made with No I.D. alongside his producing experience, became the basis of his own solo career. He started working on his own music and released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004.

Kanye West Success Story Quote

The album was a huge success, both commercially and critically. It received positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. It went on to sell over four million copies in the United States. In addition to this, it was also certified 4-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Kanye’s second album, Late Registration, was released in 2005 and was also a huge success. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and received positive reviews from music critics. The album has since been certified triple platinum by the RIAA.

In 2007, Kanye released his third album, Graduation. The album was again a huge success and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA.

Kanye’s fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak, was released in 2008. The album was a departure from his previous work and featured more electronic and autotuned vocals. Although it was not as commercially successful as his previous albums, it still received positive reviews from music critics.

Kanye’s fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, was released in 2010 to critical acclaim. It too debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and became one of the highest-rated albums of all time by music critics.

His sixth studio album, Yeezus, was released in 2013 and received positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over two million copies in the United States.

The seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo, was released in 2016. It also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA.

The Kanye West’s Entrepreneurial Path

Following the release of his debut album, Kanye West began designing and manufacturing his own line of clothing and sneakers. Introducing Shutter Shades in 2008, a sleek new sneaker that incorporates traditional shutter-style sunglasses.

He then produced the “Air Yeezy” line in 2009, a highly successful shoe that lasted until 2013. The Adidas Yeezy Boosts were officially released on December 3, 2013, after months of anticipation and rumors.  

West has also released several fashion lines, including DW by Kanye West, Pastelle Clothing, and A.P.C. Kanye West. He has also been involved in the creative direction of numerous fashion brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Nike.

He also founded a production company and record label, “GOOD Music”, in 2004. The label has since signed artists such as John Legend, Big Sean, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, and Mos Def.

Kanye West and his mother started the “Kanye West Foundation” (now called the Dr. Donda West Foundation) in 2003. It aims to provide access to arts and music education for children in low-income communities. [2]

He also founded “Got Bars” in 2013, a free music writing program that helps young people in high-risk areas of Chicago learn how to write and record their own music.

  “I feel that I’m very blessed. But with great blessings come great responsibility.” – Kanye West

Related: Kanye West Quotes

Kanye’s Fall and Slow Redemption

Kanye’s reputation and riches took a big hit in 2022. After pushing the limits on controversial subjects, he lost a contract with one of his biggest business partners, Adidas. [3]

On top of that, his multi-billion dollar net worth was reduced dramatically, as many platforms and business partners severed ties with the controversial artist.

In Early 2023, Kanye attempted to mend his errors, by apologizing for his comments. That said, he’s reputation and riches has not fully bounced back to the heights of his success.

However, Kanye has slowly been working to redeem his reputation since his public fall from grace . He’s since created new partnerships with various artists, including Ty Dolla Sign and their work on the album ‘Vultures’.

Certainly Kanye’s status still has a ways to go, but he appears to be moving in the right direction. Of course, only time will tell.

Related: Ye’s Net Worth

The Kanye West Method

Having said all of that, it’s apparent that Kanye West is an achievement machine. As we’ve just outlined, he’s been tallying up his wins and accomplishments (along with a few L’s) year-over-year for more than a decade now. But how does he do it?

Well, this video production by El Taco Supreme provides a nice analysis on the creative genius of Kanye that has helped him achieve so much so fast. Give it a look if you want to learn what Kanye’s true secret to success is….

Video Credit: El Taco Supreme ( Subscribe Here )

Lessons Learned

The Kanye West Success Story is one of dedication, hard work, and perseverance. Despite all the obstacles he has faced in his life, he has always pushed forward and continued to achieve success in most of the projects he pursued. He is a true inspiration to all who aspire to follow their dreams.

Some lessons we can take away from Kanye West’s success story are the importance of following your dreams, leveraging your talents, and perseverance . And that no matter what obstacles you face in life, if you take the risk to pursue your talents, and keep pushing forward and working hard, you can achieve success. No doubt, Kanye West is a true inspiration to all who want to make their mark on the world.

Kanye West is one of the most successful and influential musicians of our time. Sure, he’s had his moments of controversy over the years, but that often comes with the territory of fame.

Hopefully this Kanye story will act as a form of inspiration to every person out there who intends to chase their dreams. So, if that sounds like you, just remember that it’s important to think about how you can integrate the lessons learned from Kanye West into our own lives and use them to achieve success.

That said, we can summarize the Kanye West success story with three important points: dedication, hard work , and perseverance. No matter what obstacles you face in life, if your chasing your dream, keep pushing forward and working hard, and you can eventually achieve the success you’re after.

Until you reach those aims,

[1] Complex: The Story Behind Kanye West’s 90’s Chicago Rap Group , The Go-Getters

[2] Britannica: Kanye West

[3] GQ: How Adidas Uncancelled Yeezy

KEVIN HART’S STORY OF SUCCESS

Kevin Hart Success Story

Kevin Hart is a household name these days, but this wasn’t always the case. Before he became the highly successful comedian, actor, and producer that we all love to be entertained by these days, he experienced his fair share of struggle, challenges and failure. And now that he’s broken into Hollywood, won countless awards, and built up an impressive fortune himself, we aim to unravel exactly how he managed to do so in this Kevin Hart Success Story special.

“Everybody That’s Successful Lays A Blueprint Out.” – kevin hart –

Before we dive into his story, know this, we agree with Kevin Hart. Success lays a blueprint , which is why we investigate the inspiring success stories of icons like Kevin Hart.  We know every story has something to teach, and if you want to learn about success, then success stories such as this one will do the trick. That said, if you’re ready to learn how Kevin Hart went from being a shoe salesmen to one of the highest paid entertainers in the world, let’s jump right into his inspiring story.

Kevin Hart Success Story

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Early Days | The Kevin Hart Success Story

Kevin Hart was born in Philadelphia, PA on July 6th, 1979, and into what many would consider a challenging home life. Hart’s mother essentially raised him, as his father was rarely around due to alcoholism, drug addiction, and consistent jailtime. Thus, Hart’s father did not actively participate in raising him.

After Hart’s mother limited his and his one sibling’s (an older brother) time with their father, due to his negative influence (i.e. stealing money from the family, coming around the kids high, being reckless, etc..) they would ultimately have to make due in without their father in one of the toughest neighborhoods, with just one committed parent at the helm.

Fortunately, Kevin Hart’s mother was a strong religious woman with a good head on her shoulders. She was a mother who always encouraged her kids to better themselves, and to set big goals and strive to achieve them.

She not only gave great advice to her kids, but she lived out what she preached, and set a good example by continually seeking to better herself, educate herself and grow in her career.

To cope with his troubled upbringing, and the negative cloud over his home life, Hart would turn to comedy. In fact, he would leverage much of the trauma he experienced in his younger years, into much of his early comedic material.

As a fan of stand-up comedy from a young age, Kevin Hart would eventually give his dream a shot once he graduated high school.

Kevin Hart’s debut into the world of stand-up was not walk in the park. In fact, it was an uphill battle for him. He gave the stage a shot initially in Philadelphia after some his co-workers informed of the opportunity, and encouraged him to give it a shot, but bombed the show.

He then moved to shows in New York, and sought out gigs in Massachusetts as well. Hart would commute nearly 2 hours daily to New York from Philadelphia to try and get noticed in the big New York comedy clubs.

Hart was making moves , but he struggled initially. From getting booed off the stage, to having chicken thrown at him, his act wasn’t an instant winner.

Despite his best efforts and even working a side gig as a shoe salesmen, Hart eventually fell behind on his rent and faced the threat of eviction.

Kevin Hart Story of Success Quote

Fortunately, his mom believed in him, and helped him get back on his feet. She supported Hart by paying for his rent for a whole year while he strived to make a name for himself, under the condition that if things didn’t work out after this trial period he’d go college. [1] Fortunately for Hart, and all of us (current and future fans) he was determined to make a name for himself.

Despite the awkward silences, the boos, and the bombed shows, Kevin remained fearless , and kept doing shows. And with every bad joke, and every failed show, he slowly and methodically improved his craft. Things especially changed for Hart when he realized his strategy of trying to be like every other big name comedian wasn’t working.

Thus, once Kevin stepped into his own authentic act, people really started to take notice and that’s when his career began to take off.

Rising To The Top

People started to take note of Kevin Hart’s brilliant comedy. Oddly, Kevin Hart’s fame in the world of comedy really took off, but only after others began stealing his acts.

But Hart’s ambition was to be more than just a stand-up comedian. He also wanted to make his way into Hollywood and become an comedic actor. So, he took action and went for it.

Eventually, Hart landed his first movie role in the movie “Paper Soldiers”. He then made it on the air for a short lived pilot in 2001, which never got picked up. Then, just three years later, Hart landed his own sitcom known as “The Big House.”

However, the show would last for only six episodes, marking a very short-lived run.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race

But, Hart didn’t lose heart. Even though the plug was pulled on his sitcom, he didn’t quit . He kept on pursuing his comedy career, waiting for his next big Hollywood opportunity to arise while he did stand-up around the country and took on smaller roles in various movies like “ Scary Movie” 3 & 4, “The 40 Year-Old Virgin”, “Barbershop”, and “Little Fockers”.

After awhile though, all those small roles started turning into medium-sized roles, and as he racked up more and more roles, the bigger opportunities started coming in, like major multi-million dollar comedy tours and landing serious roles in major blockbuster hits like “Ride Along”, “Get Hard”, “Central Intelligence”, “Jumanji”, “Jumanji: Next Level”, and many more. [2]

And he’s been going strong ever since. With 96 and growing acting credits under his belt, Hart has managed to successfully build for himself a decent-sized multi-million dollar fortune.

On top of this, he’s also the founder of the fast growing multi-million dollar media company known as Hartbeat. [3] Needless to say, Hart has this “success thing” figured out.

Related: Kevin Hart’s Net Worth

Kevin Hart’s Success Ethos

Kevin Hart followed his passion to become a world-class entertainer. But it took more than just passion for him to achieve the massive success he now enjoys. In fact, it could be said that Kevin Hart’s success is a biproduct of his work-ethic , grit , and comedic genius.

However, he has his own take on exactly what allowed him to be so successful. So, in his Kevin Hart’s own words, this is why he succeeded:

Kevin Hart persisted in the face of failure and rejection, and if you want success, he believes you should too…

1. “If you give up at the first sign of struggle, you’re really not ready to be successful.” – Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart didn’t just dream about success, he took action to make it a reality. There’s no denying that he encourages you to do the same…

2. “The best tip I could give you is to be ACTIVE. So many people TALK about what they want to do and they just love words. Don’t be a talker, BE A DOER.” – Kevin Hart

Hart believes that hard work and determination are critical components to success, and that without these two ingredients, success is impossible. So pay he to his success wisdom when he says…

3. “Hard work and determination equals success. Nothing comes easy. Put your mind to something.” – Kevin Hart

Lastly, Kevin Hart doesn’t just work to work. He believes that if you’re going to be putting in the effort, it should at least be towards getting better. So, don’t just work to work, work to improve, to grow, and to add value. In other words, commit to continuous improvement, a.k.a. kaizen …

4. “It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being better.” – Kevin Hart

Related: Kevin Hard Quotes On Success

More Success Insights

Hopefully these four Kevin Hart insights paint a clear picture of his success ethos. However, if you’re looking for a bit more, you can now learn Hart’s blueprint for success directly from the legend himself.

Masterclass has partnered with Kevin Hart, giving him a powerful platform to actually teach people how to use humor to make their mark. You can learn more about it below:

inspiring stories 6pr

There you have it, Kevin Hart’s story. We covered his journey of growing up with an absent father in a troubled household, to then struggling to make rent as he pursued his dream. To then reaching the heights of achievement after many years of persisting in the face of rejection, long commutes, and even longer days.

We also covered the success ethos that we believed helped Kevin Hart find success. And we provided the success wisdom that he’s laid out for all to learn from. Here are those combined success insights once again as a quick recap:

Work Ethic | Grit | Taking Action | Kaizen

You now have some of Kevin’s secrets to success, but it’s up to you to apply them to your life. Wishing you all the best on your journey to success.

PS – If you enjoyed our Kevin Hart Story on success, then you’ll likely enjoy reading about these equally inspiring stories of struggle and success .

11 MOTIVATIONAL STORIES TO HELP YOU KEEP MOVING FORWARD

Motivational Stories

It’s a fact, success eludes most people (at least at first).  And chances are high it’s even eluded you once or twice too. This initial elusiveness of success is the reason we’ve pulled together this collection of motivational stories for you. Our aim is to convince you that success won’t evade you forever. Especially if you decide to press on and stay the course no matter what.

We know success is elusive for everyone. At least it is initially.   Success is tricky, it evades, dodges, and ducks away from just about every single person who pursues her. And this is especially the case early in the chase.

The great news is, that success can be found and captured. But, it is only done so by the truly committed. These “lucky few” eventually reach their aim because they discover the qualities that must be possessed before they can win the game. Qualities such as high effort, courage , and self-discipline.

But most importantly, they’ll discover success because they learn how to master the most difficult success quality of them all. Which is, believe it or not… staying power.

Staying power; otherwise known as determined persistence and never giving in, is what helps people reach their eventual destination.

There’s No Magic Pill

Now, if there were a magic pill we could give you to help you become a human battering ram , the type of battering ram that hammers away on the doors of success until it gets through, we’d give it to you.  But, no such pill exists.

However, what we can give you is a few motivational stories to inspire a stronger belief that you can succeed, if you will but persist. And that’s what we have here for you today friend.  11 short motivational stories to help you strengthen your staying power. 11 stories to help you reach your goals and win.

So, if you want to give those doors of success a real scare, read these 11 motivational stories about striving with the utmost care.

BEST MOTIVATIONAL STORIES

Best Motivational Stories

1. Paulo Coelho

When ‘The Alchemist’ was first published some 30 some years ago, no one noticed. A bookseller in the northeast corner of the country told the author, Paulo Coelho , that only one person purchased a copy during that first week when it was released.  Un-phased by the silent reception, Paulo Coelho confidently waited for those next few sales to come in.  And he would wait a long time too, as it took six more months before his second copy was sold—and it was sold to the exact same person who bought the first!

By the end of that first year, Paulo Coelho’s publisher lost hope in his book and so decided to cancel his contract and cut him loose.

But, Paulo Coelho didn’t let that demoralizing rejection paralyze him.  Instead of quitting like many would at this point, he decided to be steadfast, and continued to pursue his vision.  So, he looked for another publisher.  He looked, and looked, and looked until he finally found one.  And with it, he found his second chance.

Once his book was published again, it slowly started to sell by word of mouth.  His persistence started to pay off, as he eventually sold three thousand books, then six, then ten.  Month over month year over year his book sales started to grow.  And now… ‘ The Alchemist ’ has sold over 150 million copies across the world.

It’s a good thing Paulo Coelho had staying power.  Had he quit, he wouldn’t be who he is today, a literary legend .

inspiring stories 6pr

“All battles in life serve to teach us something.” – Paulo Coelho

2. Michael Jordan

Most people don’t know this, but when Michael Jordan was a sophomore in high school, he was eager to prove himself as a great basketball player.  As such, he tried out for the Varsity squad.    But guess what?  Things didn’t go as planned.  Jordan got cut from the team.

Considering he had such big dreams as a star basketball player, that rejection hit him really hard.  In fact, it hit him so hard that he went home, locked himself in his room, and cried.

Now Jordan cried, cried, and cried, but he didn’t quit.  He picked himself up and decided to at least crush it on the JV squad.  And crush it he did.  He also decided to train his ass off in the off season.  He even grew four inches.  And then that next year, Michael Jordan did what all winners do….he tried again.

This time, however, he made the team, and quickly became the school’s best player.  By the time he was a senior, he made the McDonalds’ All-American team.  Then he went off to play in college…and the rest is history.

Michael Jordan didn’t quit.  Instead he transformed his failure into fuel for future success.  He then used that fuel to become “The Michael Jordan”.  The man who would score 32,292 points in his basketball career, acquire 6 NBA championships, collect 5 MVP titles, and come to be known to many, as the GOAT (Greatest of all time).

So, the moral of this motivational story is that no, doesn’t mean never .

motivational stories quote - mj

“To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail.” – Michael Jordan

3. Lionel Messi

If you keep up with soccer, then you’ve probably heard of Lionel Messi .  At age of 11, Messi was cut from his soccer team because he was too small.  He was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency which made him much smaller than most kids his age.

However, Messi didn’t let this stop him.  Instead, week after week after week, every day, before going to sleep, he would inject growth hormones into himself.  Messi would do this for seven days in one leg, then seven days in the other, for six long years.

Fortunately, Messi’s foresight and persistence paid off.  Now, he is one of the highest paid soccer players, having a net worth of over 400 million, is considered one of the best soccer players of all time, and has won soccer’s greatest achievement, ‘The Ballon d’Or’ eight times.

Even when it seems nature is against you at first, she bends to those with a strong will who are determined to reach their goals.

inspiring stories 6pr

“You can overcome anything, if and only if you love something enough.” – Lionel Messi

4. Steven Pressfield

Steven Pressfield is a professional hero to many, especially authors.  Here’s why….

It took Steven Pressfield 17 years before he made his first dollar as a writer.  He wrote for 27 years before he got his first novel published (The Legend of Bagger Vance).

During that time, Steven worked at 21 different jobs in eleven states.  He taught school, drove tractor-trailers, worked in advertising and as a screenwriter in Hollywood, he worked on offshore oil rigs, and even picked fruit as a migrant worker, but he never gave up.  Sure, he had to go back and work for “the man” from time to time, but he kept his eye on the prize; his dream.

This is why his pursuit of his passion is the epitome of staying power.

Now, Steven is the author of over 21 books and is a source of inspiration for authors and creative people around the world.

Art is war, and so is finding success in general.  So, if your dreams are slow to come don’t lose heart, just remember Steven Pressfield, and be willing to fight long and hard for your art.

short motivational stories - steven pressfield

“Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.” – Steven Pressfield

Steven Spielberg’s journey to becoming well, Steven Spielberg is a fantastic motivational story. Here’s why, Spielberg was rejected from USC film school three times. But that didn’t stop him, instead, he just tried a different school.  He applied to Cal State, Long Beach, and got into their film program.  And while still a student a Cal State, he landed an unpaid internship at Universal Studios.  It was a fortuitous gig that soon led his dropping out.  It was a calculated move that would allow him to rub elbows with movie makers at Universal Studios to shortening his path to fulfilling his dream.

Unfortunately, his internship didn’t last long enough for him to break into the movie business like he had planned.  But, undeterred, Steven would still sneak in to the studios, pretending to work there so he could learn more about movies until he could catch his break.

Legend has it, that he had an 8 mm film that he knew the studio executives would love, if only they would watch it.  He found a way to get it into their hands, but they flip flopped on him, and then said they would only watch it if he shot it on a 16-mm film.  So, Steven went out and rented a 16-mm camera and reshot the whole movie.  When he brought it back to the executives, they told him not to come back until it was on a 35-mm film.  Undeterred, he jumped through their hoops and reshot the movie on the 35-mm film.

Finally, the executives decided to relent and gave his movie a look.  And the rest is history.  The movie went on to win a prize at the Atlanta film festival and helped Steven lock in a 7-year contract directing movies with Universal.

No doubt, If you keep looking for your break, the day will come when you find it.

inspiring stories 6pr

“Sometimes a dream almost whispers… it never shouts. Very hard to hear. So you have to, every day of your lives, be ready to hear what whispers in your ear.” – Steven Spielberg

6. Stephen King

Before he was the king of horror, Stephen King was essentially a starving artist. Money was so scarce in his early writing days, that he and his wife had to live in a trailer, couldn’t afford a telephone, had to borrow clothes for their wedding, and worked multiple jobs to support their family and keep the lights on.

But, the pull of his dream to write was greater that his economic plight.

On top of the financial challenges Stephen King faced, he, like most authors, experienced lots of rejection.  In fact, he received 60 rejections before selling his first story, “The Glass Floor” for a measly $35.  But, he kept on writing, striving, and struggling, until he eventually sold his next story.  And fortunately, his next story would set him up to write full-time, forever.  What was the name of that book?  “Carrie”.

Having published over 200 short stories, 58 novels, and selling over 350 million copies, Stephen King is not just the king of horror, he’s also the king of staying power.

motivational story quote stephen king

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” – Stephen King

7. Walt Disney

Everyone knows who this legend is.  But, did you know before Walt Disney was “The Walt Disney”, he had once been fired because his boss thought he lacked imagination and had no good ideas?

We know, it’s crazy to think that he would ever be considered the opposite of what he ended up being so great at.

Fortunately, Walt Disney didn’t listen to his critics, and pressed on to create his own cartoon animation company.  Now, just because he pressed on doesn’t mean he hit it big right away.  He would go on to experience a few additional failures along the way (along with few small successes), but ultimately, he kept on pressing forward, innovating, and improving on his love for animation.

And, well…he eventually smashed through those doors of success and went on to become the creator of the household name that we’ve all come to know and love.

Truly, every success, at some time or another, has had to learn how to believe in themselves when no one else on this big blue planet is willing to hold the same belief.  And the chances are high you’ll have to do the same.

So, when someone tries to halt your vision, just remember good ole Walt Disney .  Ignore your critics, believe in yourself, and get yourself back into the game.

inspiring stories 6pr

You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” – Walt Disney

8. Jack Canfield & MVH

The authors of the now famous ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series of books faced massive obstacles when first starting out.  Some publishers said their books would never sell.  Others said that their title was stupid, and that nobody bought collections of short stories.

Undeterred, this dynamic duo went on to reach out to publisher after publisher.  They suffered through 123 rejections before things started to look up for them.

Fortunately, they didn’t take no for an answer, because they eventually found stratospheric success with their books, and as a result have sold over 500 million books across the world.

Now Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (MVH) are practically household names.

If it wasn’t for their staying power and dogged perseverance, they never would have become the founders of one of the most successful publishing franchises in the world today.

jack canfield motivational stories quote

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” – Jack Canfield

9. Howard Shultz

Thanks to the persistence and tenacity of Howard, today we can enjoy a delicious Starbucks coffee as we  work at our computers in just about every city in the United States of America.

Most people don’t know this, but when Howard Shultz was just starting out, he was finding it very difficult to convince investors to write him a check.   It would take more than 214 rejections before he found someone who believed in his idea enough to help him fund it.

Now that’s staying power.  But that’s not all.  In it’s infancy, his company also incurred losses for three straight years.  And on one of those early years, 1989 to be exact, he incurred more than $1 million in losses alone.

Fortunately, he managed to stick with his goal, and completely turned his company around and into one of the strongest brands on the planet. Had he not remained determined to reach his goals, he never would have.

Howard Shultz is now a legend, and his efforts have made his pursuit a classic motivational story that everyone should know about.

inspiring stories 6pr

“I am convinced that most people can achieve their dreams and beyond if they have the determination to keep trying.” – Howard Schultz

10. Robert Kiyosaki

The man behind the extremely successful ‘ Rich Dad Poor Dad ’ brand, Robert Kiyosaki is a prime example of persistence in action.

His first business sold those cool looking velcro wallet’s that were all the rage in the 80’s.  Unfortunately, he didn’t protect his product with patents and eventually went bankrupt after competitors snatched up most of his market share.

But he persisted, and soon after went on to start another company that sold licensed apparel for heavy metal bands, unfortunately, that company would eventually flounder as well.

He kept pressing forward though, seeking his one-way ticket out of the rat race .    While working for the Xerox company to pay the bills, he kept striving to build a business.  Eventually, he found success when his first financial education company took off.  Soon after, he then sold that company and leveraged his new-found wealth to become the wealth guru and best-selling author he is today.

Robert Kiyosaki didn’t know ‘the how’, because hardly any of us do.  But, he knew ‘the where’.  He knew where he wanted to go, and kept moving forward, failure after failure until he got there.

motivational stories about goals

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert Kiyosaki

11. Steve Harvey

Steve Harvey , the now famous American television presenter, comedian, actor, author, and game show host has a great motivational story. Harvey was once a struggling, starving artist. And before he would become the famous host of ‘Family Feud’, and essentially a household name, he had to conquer many obstacles first.

In Harvey’s early days, when he was just in grade school, after being asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he shared with his teacher and his entire class that he wanted to be on T.V. After speaking about his dreams, his teacher lambasted him, and assured him that he would never make it on Television. His teacher told him that his dream was impossible because no one in his community ever made it on T.V… Nor would he make it in the show business because he had a speech impediment.

But, Harvey didn’t let his teacher dismantle his dream. No, he would strive and struggle to make a name for himself after getting out of school. And for nearly 12 years after he turned 18, he would do small stand up comedy gigs, and local shows to break into show biz.

Interestingly, on the day he was considering giving up, instead of calling his dad to tell him he quit, he called an answering machine his parents set up for him for anyone who was looking to get in touch with him. And on that answering machine was a message from the Apollo Comedy Club inviting him to come on to their show.

Delighted by the invitation, Harvey pounced on the opportunity. And once he got on T.V., he never looked back. Steve Harvey has been on T.V. ever since.

motivational story about steve harvey

“A person has to remember that the road to success is always under construction. You have to get that through your head. That it is not easy becoming successful.” – Steve Harvey

Bonus Motivational Story:

Here’s one last and final motivational story. It is one that you may already be familiar with as they made a movie about it. This story is about about Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger , a 5 foot 6 inch man who dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame.

Rudy was dyslexic, undersized, and wasn’t gifted with the exceptional speed or strength that’s typically found amongst many other football players. He didn’t receive any scholarships to play football, nor was he invited to play anywhere, but he stayed true to his dream, so he walked-on to the team.

As a member of the scout team, he tried and tried again to make the official team, striving to do whatever it took to suite up in the blue and gold and enter the arena as a Fighting Irish football player.

He would go on to struggle for four long years. He would pour his heart into each practice, giving each one his full effort, all for one single moment. Rudy poured his soul into everything he did, and he did it for one single opportunity to get on to the field and play.

His grit and dedication to reaching his life’s goal of getting on that field inspired his entire team, community, and thousands of Fighting Irish fans. Rudy’s determination, heart, and commitment to never quitting helped him finally fulfill his dream of playing for the Fighting Irish.

On the last three plays of the last game of the season, Rudy finally got his shot. His coach put him in with very little time left on the clock, but Rudy seized his moment of glory. And on the final play of the game, Rudy sacked the quarterback.

Rudy’s persistence, dogged determination, and commitment to his dream, led him to becoming the first player in Notre Dame history to ever get carried off the field by his teammates.

motivational story quote by Rudy

“Sometimes a winner is a dreamer who just won’t quit.” – Rudy

Related: Keep Moving Forward Quotes

The key takeaways from these motivational stories is the following: No does not mean never, and the struggle won’t last forever, but if you lack staying power, success will inevitably evade you altogether.

The road to success is filled with no’s, rejections, mishaps and failures along the way.  But, despite all the obstacles, if you want to achieve your aims, you must decide to keep going every single day.

So, if you’ve learned anything from these motivational stories we hope it is this:  That there are only two rules when it comes to success.  Rule number one, never give up.  Rule number two, never forget rule number one .

Till next time,

PS – If you enjoyed these motivational stories about goals and achieving your dreams, and you’re looking for some more inspiration, then you’ll love these other powerful success stories that we’ve pulled together. But, if you’re just looking for some additional motivation, then you’ll these awesome quotes on motivation for winning will do the trick.

THE MARY KAY ASH STORY

Mary Kay Ash Story

Mary Kay Ash  was one of the most inspiring entrepreneurial leaders in modern history. She was the founder of the multi-billion dollar corporation Mary Kay Cosmetics. She also authored multiple best-selling books like The Mary Kay Way , Miracles Happen , You Can Have It All , and many others. And to this day, her legacy lives on, positively impacting people all over the world.

With that being said, we aim to explore how this remarkable human came to be known as America’s Greatest Woman entrepreneur in this Mary Kay Ash story of success.

We believe success leaves clues, which is why we cover stories of accomplished and inspiring people like Mary Kay Ash. We also choose to highlight individuals who have extraordinary stories that can inspire us to create successful lives for ourselves.

Each story possesses hidden insights that can teach us, guide us, and give us the advantage we all seek to get ahead in life. So, without further ado, if you’re ready to learn how Mary Kay Ash achieved the impossible, let’s dive in:

inspiring stories 6pr

Mary Kay Ash Story | Early Days

Mary Kay was born in 1918 in the small Texas town of Hot Wells just outside of Houston, TX. Upon graduating high school in 1934, she got married soon after and started a family at the age of 17. They eventually had a total of three children together, and Mary Kay nurtured and raised her children while her husband was away serving military duty overseas during WWII.

Eventually, when the war ended and her husband returned home in 1945, they chose to get a divorce. Mary would go on to support herself and her kids with various sales jobs.

At one point she sold books door-to-door to make ends meet. Fortunately she would eventually hit her stride in sales, and go on to become a top salesperson for Stanley Home products.

In fact, Mary Kay became so good at selling, especially in the home party environment, that she would eventually get offered an even better opportunity with the company World Gifts which she took advantage of.

After spending over a decade working for other people, Mary Kay would eventually get disenchanted with being overlooked for promotions and internal opportunities that she believed she deserved. She often felt overlooked because because she was a woman.

So, in 1963 at the age of 45 when all of her children were already grown and young adults, Mary Kay decided to retire from her 25 year-long career in direct sales, as a Director of Training. But, while enjoying her early retirement she eventually grew bothered by the idea that her hard work and abilities were never truly and justly rewarded.

Certainly, she was already successful, but she grew frustrated with the memory of having so many opportunities pass her by throughout her sales career primarily because she was a woman. As such, she ultimately decided to squash the negative thoughts and recurring doubts she was having by creating a business that she believed could keep help women avoid such unfairness altogether.

Mary Kay Ash Success Story

So, not knowing anything about starting a business, she decided to take ownership of her situation, and took a chance at becoming the owner of a business that would operate by the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”.

Inspired to call the shots, and earn the recognition she felt she (and all other women) deserved, she went on to form a cosmetics business named Beauty by Mary Kay with one of her sons. After procuring the ingredients and formulas for lotions and other feminine cosmetic products, she went on to open up her first store front in Dallas Texas.

Seized Opportunity

But Mary Kay didn’t want to just create any business, she wanted to create something that truly empowered others. She wanted to create a business that would create more opportunities for women, and that would give them the support needed for them to be successful.

As such, she organized her business in a format that she was familiar with, the direct-selling format . Mary Kay felt that this business model would empower her sales reps and put them in true control of their own future especially when combined with her ‘Golden Rule’ philosophy.

Mary Kay’s new business incentivized entrepreneurial-minded women who were eager to work independently to build a business with low start-up and overhead costs. As such, her business not only created new opportunities for women, but it gave them an opportunity to take control of their financial situation, while maintaining the flexibility to do it on their own terms.

Mary Kay Ash was a hard working woman, and she had a passion for helping other women get ahead. She was a strong leader.

And as highlighted earlier, she was a big believer in the Golden Rule from the Bible. Thus, she believed that anyone could get ahead if they would lead their lives according to good moral principles and the Golden Rule.

As such, Mary Kay became a big advocate for pursuing business from a position of principles and integrity, and she coached and led her sales people to live by these guiding rules. Mary Kay was also a big believer in listening, in treating people like she would want to be treated, in relationship building, and in the idea that when you aim to do good not just for yourself, but for others, you too will do well.

The results of her leadership speak for themselves, as she managed to create many successful entrepreneurs and millionaires , and in the process the world-renowned multi-billion dollar business franchise now known as Mary Kay Cosmetics .

Indeed, her leadership helped her achieve extreme financial and business success, but most importantly, here leadership helped her create a movement that inspired, and continues to inspire the hearts and minds of women all over the world.

Mary Kay Ash Accolades

No doubt the achievements just mentioned above are remarkable on their own, but, Mary Kay Ash also managed to accumulate an impressive list of additional accolades that are worthy of our admiration, and here are a just a few of them:

  • Awarded ‘Greatest Female Entrepreneur in American History’ Award by Baylor University
  • Named as ‘One of 25 Greatest Business Leaders of Our Time’ by Wharton School of Business
  • Awarded the ‘Humanitarian Rose Award’
  • Awarded the ‘Golden Plate Award’
  • Honored with the ‘Horatio Alger Award’
  • Inducted into Junior Achievements U.S. Business Hall of Fame

Success Ethos | In Her Own Words

A handful of qualities contributed to Mary Kay Ash’s achievement of success. In observing her story, it is apparent that she was a go-getter who didn’t wait for opportunity to come to her, but instead seized and created opportunities for herself.

Her story also shows us that success doesn’t always arrive quickly, and that it sometimes takes a lot of frustrating experiences, challenges, and even failures before we hit our stride.

With that being said, here are a few additional Mary Kay Ash takes on success that demonstrates the type of thinking and mindset that helped her (and that can help you) achieve success.

“Opportunities have always and will always be around. You simply have to take advantage of them.” – Mary Kay Ash

“Honesty is the cornerstone of all success, without which confidence and ability to perform shall cease to exist.” – Mary Kay Ash

“One of the secrets of success is to refuse to let temporary setbacks defeat us.” – Mary Kay Ash

“Throw out the words ‘If I can’, ‘I hope’, and ‘maybe’, and replace them with ‘I can, I will, I must.” – Mary Kay Ash

Related: Mary Kay Ash Quotes

Key Takeaways of The Mary Kay Ash Story

There you have it, the inspiring Mary Kay Ash story that proves that anything is possible, and that you can find more success in your life or in your business if you put people first, listen more, and most importantly, seek to follow the ‘Golden Rule’.

Lastly, one the most important takeaway’s from her story is this; that you’re never too old to start something amazing. As Mary Kay Ash’s life has proven, the end of your career or the last phase of your life can become the beginning of your legacy. In short, your past up until this point, can be the stepping stone to your greater future .

DEFYING THE ODDS: HOW THIS YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR BUILT HIS $25M+ COMPANY WITH JUST $600

Wilbur You

Wilbur You is the founder and CEO of Youtech. He is a Chinese-American immigrant who moved to the United States at the age of two when he and his widowed mother decided to leave Brazil to pursue a better life. They settled in the Chicago suburb, Naperville, where his mother worked long hours to support their family while simultaneously attending college. From this, Wilbur witnessed first-hand the result of combining one’s current resources with determination to achieve goals at any age. 

In The Beginning 

Wilbur found his knack for problem-solving at 10 years old when he developed an online game, attracting over 10,000 active and daily paying users. Though the game would eventually get shut down for copyright infringement, this ignited his entrepreneurial fire.

Wilbur later attended Northern Illinois University where he studied computer science. Usually one of the busiest times in one’s life, Wilbur was determined to start a successful business while still just a college student.

He failed at this not once, but twice. While deciding to further his education through DeVry University’s Business Management School and after working as a marketing coordinator for a short while, Wilbur tried for a final time (and with a little more knowledge and experience) to launch a company. This is when Youtech was born.

Wilbur started Youtech & Associates as a one-man operation at the age of 21. It was by no means an easy start. Wilbur’s primary goal was to build something from nothing to create a positive change in the world. While his mission was clear, reality quickly set in when he realized that Youtech was merely an idea and that there was a tremendous amount of work that still needed to be done.

The challenges of launching a business started early on as the company had no money, no connections, and most importantly, no customers. Wilbur began working out of the basement of his childhood home, making over 100 cold calls every day asking every business he could find to give him a chance at building their professional websites for a small fee.

The company (Wilbur) knew that to be successful , he needed to take on anyone and any project, large or small, to build a significant client base.

As his small business grew, Wilbur recruited two of his best friends to help get the initial $600 investment off the ground. This grassroots effort required the team to work up to 80 hours a week but they pushed through each challenging day for months.

Slowly but surely their hard work began to pay off. They were now on the receiving end of those phone calls. At this point, Youtech was able to save enough from various projects to open a small office near Chicago and hire a few additional team members with experience in web design, marketing, client relations, and more.

By expanding services, Youtech’s preliminary roster of clients grew faster than Wilbur could have imagined. 

Fast forward eight years, the team now consists of over 60 employees throughout its offices in Chicago, Arizona and most recently, Texas. The company has been ranked in Inc.’s Fastest Growing Companies in the country for four years running. 

Youtech Today

Today, Wilbur reflects on his (and his team’s) setbacks, failures, and hardships, and is proud of this challenging journey. The idea of Youtech created a full-fledged integrated marketing agency that is now the home of a hodgepodge of extremely creative individuals that have serviced over 1,000 clients in various industries including MillerCoors, Chick-fil-A, and 3M. 

Wilbur and his team recognize that today’s marketing landscape is moving quickly. Platforms are always changing and algorithms are changing even faster. So, every day, the Youtech team makes it a priority to learn how to best optimize leads and conversions to enhance their resources for current and future clients. 

Opportunities Available 

As a result of his dedication and work ethic , Wilbur has been able to secure opportunities for awards, speaking engagements, and more.

After only a decade in the marketing and advertising industry, Wilbur was selected by Forbes’ notable 30 Under 30 2021 Class for his achievements with Youtech. He has a unique ability to construct personalized marketing strategies for clients and is able to effortlessly bridge the gap between traditional and digital marketing methods.

As the visionary architect behind Youtech’s ever-growing marketing empire, Wilbur knows how to bootstrap a business from the ground up and keep the arrow pointing in the right direction without outside funding.

In addition to this, Wilbur was selected to serve on the advisory board of The Alkaline Water Company (the #1 bulk water brand in North America), where he consults on e-commerce and marketing. Wilbur also volunteers annually to speak to Naperville Central High School students about entrepreneurship. Additionally, Wilbur is a published author who published the inspiring must-read memoir, Happy, Humble, Motivated .

Wilbur You Book

Wilbur and Youtech’s journey has not been easy but they have certainly come a long way from building $500 websites in a basement. Wilbur’s hard work opened various doors and he is now the mastermind behind million-dollar marketing, app development, and web design deals.

Wilbur always notes that education is something that nobody can ever take away from you. Expanding your knowledge and continuously learning can bring you a sense of satisfaction without settling for less than you deserve. 

As Wilbur continually states, the most important thing for any business is the people with whom you surround yourself. He looks for candidates who don’t necessarily have the best resume and seeks out those who he can sense are high achievers at the end of the day.

His method is to find employees who are better than him in a particular area, like marketing or graphic design, and then welcomes them with open arms.

Wilbur said what he is most proud of, though, is that Youtech was built the right way and created an environment where each of his team members is significant and feels like a valuable asset to the company each and every day.

Until you reach your aims,

PS – If you enjoyed this success story about Wilbur You, then you’ll love these handful of success stories from other inspiring young entrepreneurs as well.

THE SUZE ORMAN SUCCESS STORY

suze orman success story

Suze Orman , a highly successful personal finance expert and advisor, is best known for her TV show, podcast, and numerous New York Times bestsellers. In the late 80’s, she founded the Suze Orman Financial Group. And she eventually ran a show on CNBC for 13 years where she shared helpful financial tips so people could learn how to manage their money better.

Time has named Orman one of the Top 100 most influential people on multiple occasions, and she has won numerous awards. Needless to say, she knows a thing or two about success and money, which is why we’ve decided to publish the Suze Orman Success Story in more detail.

“People First, Then Money, Then Things.” – suze orman –

It is important to take a closer look at why some people are more successful than others. That way, we can learn from some of the mistakes that they made without having to make them ourselves, while also following in the footsteps of what made them successful. Indeed, just about every success story leaves a blueprint.

Having said that, this Suze Orman’s success story is not straightforward. However, by taking a closer look at her journey we can find some inspiration, and maybe even discover a few success clues along the way that can help us move our dreams forward.

THE SUZE ORMAN STORY OF SUCCESS

Suze Orman Story of Success

Early Days: Speech Issues Make Life Hard

Suze Orman was born in Chicago, IL in 1951 to immigrant parents from eastern Europe. While growing she had a difficult time pronouncing letters such as R, S, and T. This meant that she had a hard time learning how to say certain words. For example, she had difficulty saying the word “beautiful,” and she had trouble saying words like “fair” and “shouldn’t” properly. [1]

Because she could not speak very well, she also could not read very well. She was consistently among the lowest-scoring students in the class in reading and writing, and she was often ostracized from the rest of her classmates because of her low test scores. 

Barely Scraping By: Going To College

Even though she scored poorly on tests, including the SAT, she decided to go to college anyway. Her family was having a difficult time with money . While some students had parents who could pay for their education, and other students were receiving scholarships because of their academic achievements, Suze Orman had neither.

Her parents were struggling to get by, and she knew she would have to pay for her college education herself. That meant that she had to put in the work to apply to all the state schools and community colleges.

To her surprise, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign accepted her.

When Suze Orman walked through the school doors for the first time, she met a guidance counselor who would guide her in her class choices. Her dream was to be a brain surgeon. However, the guidance counselor immediately thought that she did not have what it took.

So, Orman got to work doing some research. She realized that the easiest major was social work, as such, that’s what she signed up for. [2]

The Language Issues Resurface

She knew that she needed to make enough money to pay for her college education, so she got a job working in the dish room of her college dorm seven days per week just to make enough money to pay the bills. She even shared a one-bedroom apartment with two friends she had met in her dorm.

Even though her social life was looking up, her language skills would eventually come back to haunt her. Even though her expected graduation year was 1973, she could not graduate. She did not have her language requirement, and this time, it would be a foreign language.

Suze Orman knew that she was having a difficult time speaking the English language, so how on Earth would she learn a foreign language? So she decided not to put herself through the trauma, and essentially dropped out of college.

But all of her hopes and dream weren’t crushed. She still had a passion for travel and adventure. So she set off to travel across the country to see the Grand Canyon. 

She would have to make enough money to hitchhike across the country, so she worked some odd jobs as she explored everything the country had to offer. Eventually, she felt ashamed of not finishing her college degree, so she decided to take some Spanish classes at one of the local universities.

Finally, in 1976, three whole years after her scheduled graduation, she graduated and earned her degree from the University of Illinois. 

A Desire To Own Her Own Restaurant

One of the jobs that she worked while she explored the country was waitressing. While she enjoyed it, she wanted to own her own restaurant. Her parents did not have the money to finance her restaurant, and she did not know what she would do.

She talked to her brother, who gave her some money, along with numerous other generous people to help her make her dream come true. Orman eventually collected over $50K from friends and patrons who supported her dream.

One of her patron’s advised her to deposit the money into a money market account. However, a bad-seed at the brokerage where she went to deposit the money, advised her to instead invest the funds into a speculative and high-risk investment so she could earn more money from her invested money while she saved the rest to meet her savings goal.

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Sadly, just three months after she put the money in the account, it was all gone. All of the money given to her by her patron Fred, and her other supporters had been drained through those speculative investments. She believed her dream was within reach, and then suddenly, she lost the money.

This prompted Suze Orman to decide that she did not want something like this to happen to anybody else, so she decided to become a financial advisor. Orman felt like there were not a lot of female role models from which to learn, so she decided to change that fact by getting into the financial advising industry.

Founding the Suze Orman Financial Group

So in short order, she decided to join Merrill Lynch, where she completed her training. After some time she moved overt to Prudential securities to become a vice-president, and then after she felt like she really knew her stuff, she resigned and founded her own financial group. [3]

After leading numerous customers and clients to financial success, demand grew for her services. In fact, demand for her services grew so fast, that her financial group became the go-to for financial advising.

Thus, in short order she became a household name, especially when she started writing books. Suze Orman has since written ten consecutive New York Times bestsellers about personal finance. She has also earned two Emmy Awards and eight Gracie Awards.

She’s also appeared as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live nearly 30 times. And she gained her greatest fame for her show on CNBC.

These days, Suze Orman still pops up on various shows or podcasts, offering her helpful insights to all who listen.

Related: Suze Orman Quotes

So, there it is. The Suze Orman story. No doubt, her journey is rife with lots of challenges and adventures, but it is also one filled with helpful advice on how everyone, including you, can navigate an eventful life where everything doesn’t goes as planned, to eventually coming out on top as a success, both financially and professionally.

That said, if if you’re looking to learn more about Suze Orman and her wonderful financial philosophy, her website is a good place to start .

PS – If you enjoyed this Suze Orman success story, then you’ll probably enjoy learning about the success journeys of fellow financial experts like Dave Ramsey or Robert Kiyosaki .

THE WARREN BUFFETT SUCCESS STORY

Warren Buffett Success Story

Warren Buffett is known to many as the “Oracle of Omaha”, and is one of the most successful businessmen and investors in the world. He’s a self-made financial icon with a multi-billion net worth who’s story showcases more than just the power of determination and hard work, but also the power of focus, patience, and taking calculated risks to achieve success.

Having said that, we believe every success story leaves clues that others can leverage if they’ll spend a little time seeking to discover them. This is why we cover titans of industry, to see if we can reveal some of the less obvious success secrets that usually lie hidden in their humble journey’s towards success.

So if you’re ready t o dive into Warren Buffett’s Success Story to see what kind success insights we can unveil, let’s jump right in:

THE WARREN BUFFETT STORY OF SUCCESS

Warren Buffett Story of Success

Warren Buffett’s Early Days

Warren Buffett was born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the son of a US congressman and a stay-at-home mom. While his family had the means to provide a comfortable life for him, young Warren was driven to earn his own keep from a very young age.

Buffett always had a knack and a passion for personal finance. One particular book entitled “One Thousand Ways to Make $1000” attracted his attention at the public library one day. He was only seven when he opened his mind to the possibilities of making money.

Inspired by his research, young Buffett sought as many ways as possible to sell whatever he could in his neighborhood. He attempted to sell chewing gum, cokes, papers, and even magazines.

Entrepreneurship Early

Buffett was becoming a young entrepreneur. When he was in high school, he picked up odd jobs such as washing cars and selling collectibles and stamps. His first semi-passive franchising income came when he and a friend bought a pinball machine and placed it in a local barbershop.

This venture went so well that they placed even more machines in other barbershops in the area. He and a friend later sold the business to a war veteran for $1,200 in addition to its profits.

Young Warren was well aware of the stock market during his first trip to New York City. At only 10 years old, he insisted on visiting the New York Stock Exchange. One year later, he was investing in his first shares of Cities Service, a company that is now called Citgo. [1]

He also purchased three shares for his sister Doris Buffett, showing early in his life that his vision was to create wealth to share with others.

While other kids his age were playing outside, Warren Buffett stayed busy by generating more cash flow through various businesses and investments.

By the time he finished college, he had the equivalent of $112,000 in today’s dollars saved. This was an extraordinary amount of money for a young man in his early twenties.

While he was studying at Columbia Business School, one of his professors, Benjamin Graham, taught him the principles of value investing. These lessons would serve him well throughout his career as an investor.

A Budding Business Career

Buffett began his professional career by working as a securities analyst at Buffett-Falk & Co. in Omaha, Nebraska. At this time, he also married his wife, Susan Thompson, who he would go on to be with until her death in 2004.

In 1956, he started his own company, Buffett Partnership Ltd. This was a very successful venture and he had made enough money to retire if he would so choose.

However, he decided to continue working because he found it enjoyable and stimulating. In 1959, he met Charlie Munger, who would become his business partner for life. [2] Together, they formed Berkshire Hathaway Inc ., which is now one of the most successful companies in the world.

Over the next few decades, Warren Buffett continued to grow his businesses and investments, creating tremendous wealth off of a mere $100 of initial investments.

Becoming a Billionaire

In 1962, the various partnerships he had formed generated over $7 million in wealth. About $1 million of this was his personal share, which made him a millionaire at only 32 years old.

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His next major move was to invest in and ultimately acquire the textile manufacturer Berkshire Hathaway. This purchase would serve as the foundation for his eventual empire.

Throughout the years, he continued to invest in a variety of companies, including Coca-Cola, Gillette, and American Express. He also helped finance the launch of several businesses, such as the Washington Post and Geico Insurance.

Warren Buffet hit billionaire status in 1985. [3] Although, some say that it was in the 1990s when Hathaway began to trade class A shares, that he finally became a billionaire. Either way, he is still a multi-billionaire and considered one of the most successful investors in history.

While he has gone on record about having regrets about some of his investments in Hathaway, it has not stopped him from continuing to grow his wealth.

Educating a Generation of Investors

Throughout his career, Warren Buffett has been an outspoken advocate of investing in quality companies for the long term. He has taught investment principles since he was a young stockbroker in the 50s after taking a Dale Carnegie public speaking program.

With much greater reach in the media, he has taught these lessons to millions of people over the past several decades through his annual shareholder letters, interviews, and books.

He has also provided one of the longest case studies on index investing through his personal portfolio, which is now worth over $100 billion. He did this by investing in small amounts of various companies and holding onto them for decades to prove that anyone can achieve financial success without needing to know which stocks will go up or down in the short term.

This has inspired a new generation of investors to look beyond traditional methods of stock picking and to focus on building a diversified portfolio of quality companies that can provide them with consistent returns over time.

Staying Humble In Abundance

Buffett is known for his simple lifestyle, despite his billions of dollars in net worth. He still resides in the same house that he bought for $31,500 back in 1958 and for many years lived only on a salary of $50,000 despite his wealth. He is also known to drive his own car rather than using a chauffeur, and he frequently flies economy class when traveling.

On top of all of this, Buffett has given away billions of dollars to various charities over the years, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has agreed to donate the majority of his wealth to charity upon his death, and he has set up a giving pledge in which billionaires agree to donate at least half of their fortune to charitable causes.

Applying These Lessons

While Warren Buffett’s success may seem extraordinary, we can still learn from his story and apply some of his lessons to our own lives.

Warren Buffett’s story teaches us about the power of compound returns. It shows us that when we put in the effort to save and invest early on, our money has the potential to grow exponentially over time.

It also shows us that we don’t need to take unnecessary risks in order to achieve success. By investing in quality companies and having the patience (and the guts) to hold onto them for the long term, we can build a sizeable portfolio that will provide us with consistent returns.

There are also lessons to learn outside of the world of investing. Warren Buffett is known for using creativity matched with determination to solve problems and generate new ideas.

As such, when we face challenges in our own lives, we can use these same principles to overcome them. So, the next time you’re feeling down about your finances or career, remember the story of Warren Buffett and let it remind you that you too can achieve great things.

With a bit of faith, patience, and a good dose of hard work, everyone can improve their financial situation.

PS – If you enjoyed this Warren Buffett Success Story, then you’ll likely certainly enjoy these Warren Buffett related resources:

Warren Buffett Quotes | Warren Buffett Net Worth | Warren Buffett Success Advice

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    Inspiring Stories Inspiring Stories, hosted by Tim McMillan each week will speak to great Australians who have made their mark on our state and our country. This Sunday night from 6:00pm - 7:00pm on 882 6PR.

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    Hear Inspiring Stories every Sunday night on 6PR 882 in Perth at 6pm AWST. 0 seconds of 7 minutes, 20 secondsVolume 0% 00:00 07:20 This video file cannot be played. (Error Code: 232011) Catch up on the latest episode as Tim McMillan is joined by Jo McManus.

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    1. How to Hunt a Monkey (Inspirational Short Story about Letting Go) "Do you know how hunters of old used to trap monkeys?" A man asked his child. "Rather than chasing them up a tree or shooting arrows from below, they'd put a heavy glass jar with a narrow neck on the floor, which had the monkeys' favourite food inside.

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