Top 25 Examples Of People Who Can Puke & Rally

Excerpt from the book

If we have been told or shown that we are not good enough, either by others or our circumstance, then we all can have a comeback.

Many do not, it is far easier to blame and give-up. 

It is up to you.

But here you’ll see both types of comebacks, people who had outwardly success early and those who had success later. 

• This girl was born prematurely in 1940 and was the 20^th of 22 children born to her dad that consisted of two marriages. She had double pneumonia, scarlet fever, and polio as a kid. She had such problems with her left leg that she wore a brace from age five to 12. She also was black and grew up in the segregated south. Wilma Rudolph ended up winning three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics. She became one of the first national role models for female and black athletes. Her advocacy transcended sports and opened up avenues for strength and prosperity for marginalized groups within the United States.

• This small horse was described early on as undersized, knobby kneed, and prone to sleeping and eating for long periods of time. He was the butt of stable jokes and called “lazy” by his initial trainer. He failed to win any of his first 17 races, and only won ten of his first forty races. Seabiscuit’s comeback, however, included being voted horse of the year in 1938. Seabiscuit also beat the reigning triple-crown winner, War Admiral, in a head-to- head race by 4 lengths. He was voted 25^th best racehorse of all-time. One of the epic stories of how someone believes in you can help you puke & rally. 

• Lebron James, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, was born when his mother was just 16 years old. She raised him single handedly from the age of 19 and had to move 12 times within just three years.

• J.K. Rowling’s manuscript of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was rejected 12 times and she was told “not to quit her day job.” To illustrate her character along with her comeback and because she donated so much money to charitable organizations, she dropped off the U.K.’s billionaire list.

• Paul Owen grew up on food stamps and welfare. His father died when he was five years old and his mother died when he was thirteen. He moved around among three states and seven foster homes. Paul eventually earned his PhD, became a published author, and a tenured professor at Montreat College in North Carolina. He remained patient. 

• This 17-year old moved to New York City with only $8 dollars in his pocket and a guitar. After a year of playing, while living off others to get away from the cold and hardships, he moved back to Los Angeles. He continued to play, but had a four dollar-an-hour job at a video store and lived in a shack. In 1993, Beck released the song, “Loser,” which reached the top 10 in the charts. His first album was released a year later and he has since become a four time platinum-selling musician.

• Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL, was one of last players picked in the 2000 NFL draft. There were six other quarterbacks drafted before him. It’s tough enough being the last player picked on the schoolyard games!

• Peyton Manning, Hall of Famer and two-time winning Super Bowl quarterback, was plagued with the moniker of “can’t win the big game.”

• Best-selling author, Stephen King, worked at a laundry mat and his first novel, Carrie, was rejected 30 times. He threw it in the trash, but his wife fished it out and he submitted it once more. It was finally accepted.

• Dubbed, the “queen of all-media”, Oprah Winfrey was born into extreme poverty in rural Mississippi. She had to wear clothes made out of potato sacks. She was molested and raped as a young girl on different occasions by three different family members. She was pregnant at the age of 14 and her son was born prematurely and died.

• Publishers rejected Dr. Seuss’ first book 27 times before And to think I saw it on mulberry street was published. Did you ever think Theodore Geisel could puke & rally? 

• David Blaine, one of the greatest magicians, once held his breath underwater for over 17 minutes. However, he was born with asthma and a severe leg condition that caused his feet to turn inward. It was because of his setbacks that he was forced to hold his breath as a kid and as a result, he improved dramatically.

• After becoming the youngest governor in California history at age 36 in 1974, Jerry Brown lost three bids at President of the United States. He ended up becoming the oldest governor in California history with his election in 2011.

• Billy Mills won the Olympic Gold Medal in the 10,000 meters and was the last Unites States male runner to do so. Before the Olympics, he needed a new pair of running shoes and was told “no, we only have shoes for potential medalists.” He ran almost an entire minute faster than he had previously to win. It’s never easy—It takes a lot to puke & rally! 

• Kate DiCamillo clocked up a staggering 473 rejection letters within six years before striking a publishing deal for her first novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, which became one of the top all-time children’s novels.

• Sergio Garcia burst onto the professional golf scene and dueled with Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship. However, he long carried the title, “best golfer to never win a Major championship.” He had zero Major wins in 73 career starts. He even once claimed, “I was not good enough to win a Major.” He shed that title by finally winning the Masters in 2017.

• Jack Canfield’s best-selling book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, was rejected 144 times. He wrote, “I encourage you to reject rejection. If someone says no, just say NEXT!”

• In 1967, this musician got booed off the stage and was subsequently dropped from the tour where he was opening for The Monkees. His name was Jimi Hendrix. 

• Hall of Fame coaches, Tom Landry, Bill Walsh, and Jimmy Johnson, collectively started off their NFL coaching careers with a record of 0-25. All three are major examples of how to comeback and puke & rally. 

• Steve Jobs was fired from the company that he founded only to be re-hired 11 years later. His return propelled Apple® to the elite status of innovation.

• Ellen Latham was fired at the age of 40 from her dream job as an exercise physiologist in 1996. Her comeback resulted in founding the franchise Orangetheory®

• Hillary Scott, twice, never made it past the preliminary stages on American Idol, meaning that she didn’t even get to sing for the judges. She then founded Lady Antebellum and has since won 5 Grammy’s.

• Mike Krzyzewski, during his first three seasons at Duke University, had an ACC record of just 13-29. He became the NCAA all-time winningest coach in basketball history.

• Robert Downey Jr. had several years of headline-grabbing setbacks of drug-abuse and mistakes. He once was arrested for driving his Porsche naked with heroin, cocaine, and a loaded .357 magnum. His comeback has resulted in him now being one of the best actors in history.

• Jan Koum and his mother moved to United States at the age of 16 from Kiev, Ukraine. They lived off government assistance and he swept floors at a local grocery store. He sold his company WhatsApp® at the age of 37 for approximately $7 billion.

Remember, It’s not about the setback, it’s about the comeback!

 

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. DRB & associates coach executives and professional athletes. Some clients have included three different winners on the PGA Tour, Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. 

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