We all admire people who’ve succeeded in their field – successful people who we all admire. We want to be like them, be as rich as them. Sometimes, we want to be them. We want to know what they know, what they did, so we can reach that pinnacle where they are standing.
Here are 20 people sharing what they did to succeed:
1. Warren Buffet, Investor
“I don’t try to jump over 7-foot hurdles; I look for 1-foot hurdles that I can step over.”
The Oracle from Omaha is the 4th richest man in the world and probably the best investor of the century. Buffet is actually known for his meticulous and deliberate analysis of any business he is interested in.
2. Oprah Winfrey, Media Mogul and Businesswoman
“Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.”
Oprah Winfrey, the Queen of All Media, is one of the most successful media personalities in the world. You can bet she got all her achievements because of her perseverance.
3. Larry Bird, Professional Basketball Player
“I don’t know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough. I still wonder if somebody – somewhere – was practicing more than me.”
Larry Bird played for the Boston Celtics from 1979 – 1992. He is a 12-time NBA All-Star and an MVP for 3 consecutive years. Bird won 3 NBA championships and 2 NBA Finals MVP awards.
4. Tiger Woods, Professional Golfer
“No matter how good you get you can always get better and that’s the exciting part.”
Tiger Woods is one of the most successful golfers and one of the highest paid athlete in the world. Woods has been the ranked 1 golfer for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest number of weeks.
5. Stephen King, Author
“If you don’t want to work your ass of, you have no business trying to write well.”
Stephen King is one of the century’s most successful authors, with 54 novels, 200 short stories and 5 non-fiction books under his belt. Over 350 million copies of his books have sold worldwide, many of them adapted into film and television movies.
6. Vince Lombardi, American Football Coach
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”
Vince Lombardi is one of the most successful NFL coaches in history, leading the Green Bay Packers to five NFL Championships. For him, getting back up is an achievement and a vital key to winning.
7. Bill Gates, Businessman
“Never took a day off in my 20s. Not me.”
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, is one of the richest people in the world, has been since 1995. His work ethic while building Microsoft one of the reasons the company is a leader in computer technology.
8. Twyla Tharp, Ballet Dancer and Choreographer
“Be aware of what distract you and give it up for a while.”
Twyla Tharp is a successful American ballet dancer and choreographer. She has been awarded with 2 Emmys, a Tony, 19 honorary doctorates and various other awards, recognizing her achievements in dance.
9. Larry Page, Computer Scientist
“Always deliver more than expected.”
Larry Page is an engineer and computer scientist who co-founded Google. He is currently Google’s CEO.
10. Mark Cuban, Businessman and Investor
“Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it all away from you.”
Mark Cuban is known as the current owner of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. He is a businessman and investor, who cashed in early on the first tech boom.
11. Jack Welch, Former CEO of General Electric
“Be candid with everyone.”
Jack Welch was the CEO and Chairman of the Board of General Electric from 1981 to 2001. During his tenure, he increased GE’s market value from $12million to $280 billion today.
12. Stan Lee, Comic Book Writer, Editor and Publisher
“I try not to do anything that’s too close to what I’ve done before. And the nice thing is we have a big universe here. It’s filled with new ideas.”
Stan Lee is a comic book writer, editor, publisher, and former President and Chairman of Marvel Comics. He co-created many of Marvel and DC Comics’ biggest characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, X-Men, Silver Surfer and many more.
13. Wayne Gretzky, Professional Ice Hockey Player
“I wasn’t naturally gifted in terms of size and speed; everything I did in hockey I worked for…”
Wayne Gretzky is a former professional ice hockey player and is considered the greatest hockey player ever. He leads in the NHL in number of assists and point-scoring, and is the only player to have over 200 points in one season.
14. Neil Gaiman, Author
“As an author, I’ve never forgotten how to daydream.”
Neil Gaiman is an English author of novels, comic books, graphic novels and short stories. He has been the recipient of many awards including the Newbery and Carnegie medals.
15. Donald Trump, Businessman
“…listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper.”
Donald Trump is a successful businessman, investor and celebrity. He is the chairman of The Trump Organization and he built his money on real estate, hospitality and entertainment.
16. Richard Branson, Businessman and Investor
“As much as you need a strong personality to build a business from scratch, you also must understand the art of delegation. I have to be good at helping people run the individual businesses, and I have to be willing to step back.”
Richard Branson is a businessman, investor and the founder of Virgin Group, a conglomerate that is made up of more than 400 companies. Branson is the 7th richest citizen of the United Kingdom.
17. Simon Cowell, Producer and Talent Scout
“The secret of my success is that I make other people money.”
Simon Cowell is a producer, talent scout and celebrity who rose to fame as a judge on talent shows like American Idol and Britain’s Got Talent. Some of the talents under him include One Director and Il Divo. He is one of the richest persons in the British music industry.
18. Steve Jobs, Inventor and Entrepreneur
“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
Steve Jobs is an inventor, businessman and the co-founder of Apple, Inc. He was the CEO of Apple, Inc and under his tenure saw the development of the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone and the iPad, some of the most successful devices in the world today.
19. Madonna, Entertainer
“I’m always looking for something new: a new inspiration, a new philosophy, a new way to look at something, new talent.”
Madonna is one of the most successful artists in the world today. She is a singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman, known for reinventing herself and her music throughout the years. She has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is the best-selling female recording artist of all time.
20. Meryl Streep, Actress
“I think the most liberating thing I did early on was to free myself from any concern with my looks as they pertain to my work.”
Meryl Streep is one of the greatest film actors of all time. She is a three-time Academy Award winner, eight-time Golden Globe winner and was awarded the 2010 National Medal of arts and the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Featured photo credit: 04222014 – Success Boot Camp Graduation at PCP/US Department of Education via flickr.com
