Yes this is ANOTHER motivational article…but this is the bearded version just for the beard gang.
We want you to know that whatever career path you are on, you can make it!
THE ACTOR:
Denzel Washington
Denzel is definitely a familiar face not only in his amazing movies but also in his motivational speeches. Try and search for motivational speeches on YouTube and see how many of those videos have Denzel in them. It is a staggering amount.
This is for a reason. This man has embodied the philosophy of failing forward which means failing, falling, picking yourself up, trying again and using lessons from the failure to do things better the next time.
He had a GPA of 1.8…out of 5. These are the kind of results you take to an African parent and know that you are about to get beaten up and disowned. He also failed multiple auditions when we first started acting and is now one of the most famous and successful actors in the world. His motto? Fall Forward.
THE FITNESS TRAINER:
Shiv Simani
Our very own Shiverenje Simani is another motivational story. He quit his 9-5 job to pursue a career in being a personal fitness trainer. This was at a time when many people in Kenya weren’t doing this and the only way to go was making it the ‘normal’ way (banking, aviation, medicine etc.)
This courageous step has made him one of the best and most sought after trainer in Nairobi. He took a leap of faith to follow his dreams and his passion.
Is there a passion you think is too out of the box? This story should give you the guts to go after what you want regardless of what people think.
THE MUSICIAN:
Jimi Hendrix
This talented musician rocked the goatee look and made it look so good. He not only rocked a great beard but was one of the most influential musicians of all time seeing as his music has been circulating in the music scene ever since it was first released in the 70’s.
His past reads like a scene from a horror story with an abusive alcoholic father who tormented the whole family and an alleged sexual abuse when he was growing up. To add on that, the family was struggling to make ends meet. Through all these hardships, he followed his dreams and passion to make music and he never gave up or let his horrid past affect his future.
This bearded man shows us what courage looks like.
THE BUSINESS MAN:
Last but definitely not least seeing as majority of the bearded men fall under this category…and if you think about it, doesn’t every career revolve around business?
John Paul DeJoria
This is the man behind the famous Patron tequila company which is one of the highest grossing liquor companies in the world, distributing alcohol internationally.
Before all this success…well below is a part of an interview he did:
“We didn’t know that we were really going through tough times, because everybody was going through the same thing,” he said. “I remember once in junior high school, on a Friday, my mom came home from work and said to my brother and I, ‘You know, between us, we have only 27 cents, but we have food in the refrigerator, we have our little garden out back and we’re happy, so we are rich.’”
And after all this, he still pushed through and has become a mogul in the business world. He also gives back to the less fortunate and was named philanthropist of the year in 2017.
So when you make it big, don’t forget to give back.
Mandevu’s got you motivated!
Words: Ciku Kimani