The Road to Success is Paved with Failure : How Hundreds of Famous People Triumphed Over Inauspicious Beginnings, Crushing Rejection, Humiliating Defeats and Other Speed Bumps Along Life's Highway

By Joey Green

Down on your luck? Don't despair. You might still be headed for the top After all, consider the experiences of: Marilyn Monroe, who in 1947, after one year under contract, was dropped by 20th Century Fox because the production chief thought she was unattractive; Walt Disney, whose first cartoon production company went bankrupt; Johnny Cash, who sold electrical appliances door-to-door; Barbra Streisand, who made her stage debut aged 19 in a show that opened and closed on the same night; and John Grisham, whose first novel A Time to Kill was rejected by 16 agents and a dozen publishers. This is an inspiring compendium of pop culture and historical trivia to amuse those who regard their glass as half empty.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316611166
• ISBN13: 9780316611169
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.6" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

A vital nutrient if you have a difficult goal.

This is a fun little book. But more than that, this book is an excellent resource to browse frequently if you are trying to accomplish a challenging goal. As the researcher, Martin Seligman, has shown, what determines whether you give up after a setback or try again is how permanent you think the setback is. Browsing this book, you see example after example of people who went on to succeed after experiencing setbacks. You see that your setback might not be permanent. This puts the fight back in you. I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I can tell you that reading Mr. Green's book really works. The more times you try, the more likely you will succeed, and this book will inspire you to try again.

Look to this for inspiration galore...

When people look at someone who is successful (even if the definition of "success" varies from person to person) they usually have a tendency to think that someone went from point A to Point B with nothing in between. It's the old story of the "overnight success" that may have taken someone a lifetime or may have been achieved with great heartache, pain, and stress. One way of being inspired is to read biographies constantly. I'm an entertainer (ventriloquist, believe it or not) and I love reading show biz biographies. And I've found that when I read them there is a LOT of drama that took place between Point A (starting out) and Point B (succeeding). In The Road to Success Is Paved with Failure Joey Green has boiled down these life stories into a small book that completes its mission so thoroughly you will not only want to read, keep and refer to this book again and again -- but you'll want to gift this book to some loved ones. The concept is simple enough: each page, in large type, refers to a less-than-successful, unflattering or downright failure item involving a now famous successful person. At the bottom of the page, in smaller type, he tells you who this person is and why they are now famous for succeeding. This is "no frills" inspiration. And it works. Here's one example: (Big type) "Barbara Walters was told in 1957 by Don Hewitt, who became executive producer of 60 minutes, to "stay out of television."" Bottom of page (small type): "Barbara Walters became a host on the television talk show Today, an anchorwoman on The ABC Evening News, and a host of 20/20. She has won six Emmy Awards for her work on television and was elected in 1990 to the Television Hall of Fame." There are many others. But this is the kind of book that you can quickly re-read, or just grab a few pages and read if you're feeling "down" or discouraged. It gives you the mental vitamins to resist the naysayers and ignore discouragement and focus on the possibilities. Great concept. Great execution. Great biographical examples. Great value...given what it can do to uplift your life.

Encouraging and Light

This easy-to-breeze-through, lively book was quite uplifting and a fun read -- a quick burst of encouragement for those moments when you just feel like you're not getting anywhere -- and then are reminded of all the NOW famous people who took circuitous routes to get there or who suffered all kinds of wacky failures behind the scenes while on their way up. I found it really helpful to reflect on these for a moment, to put things in perspective. A light and easy little book with more gumption and spirituality and motivational force than might appear at first. A quick pick-me-up and a good gift.

A Wonderful, Wonderful Book

This wonderful little book is chockful of famous people who failed before they became successes, and the message of the book is hard to miss: never give up! When you discover that the Beatles were rejected by nearly every major record label, that George W. Bush was arrested for drunk driving, that John Grisham's first book was rejected by twelve publishing houses......well, it makes you feel like you can accomplish anything as long as you remain persistent. I can't recommend this book enough. It's great for anyone on the road to success... from high school graduates to aspiring writers, artists, and musicians... to anyone in your life who wants to make a difference. It can be done!

If at first you don't succeed . . .

This is a wonderfully inspiring little book that is a 'quick read" in the style of the "Don't sweat" books. It really makes the point over and over again that the best things in life do not come easily - and that persistence is all important. It is really inspiring to pick out a successful person - and read about all their failures before they ultimately succeeded. I'm going to give this book to all my friends and relatives. A must read for anyone who is struggling with some aspect of life (everyone).