Inspirational and successful people have their own stories and prove there are many different routes to success; but a recurring theme is the need to be ready to fail before you make it. Hear from the best about picking yourself up and cracking on after a knockback…

 
 
It’s easy to fall into something comfortable and become complacent. It’s much more difficult to be out of your comfort zone, take risks and be passionate about what you do.

‘You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and by falling over.’

‘The best advice I could give anyone is to spend your time working on whatever you are passionate about in life.’

— Richard Branson

 
 
If you are willing to work at something and be resilient against any setbacks, you are likely to succeed eventually.

J.K. Rowling earns approximately £5 every second. She created a global brand and the Harry Potter film franchise is to date the highest grossing series of all time. Yet, things didn’t start off easy for her as an author. Numerous publishers rejected her first Harry Potter book, until she eventually got a book deal with Bloomsbury Publishing (a once small independent publishing house). J.K Rowling famously talks of her early struggles and the two self proclaimed mediocre books that she wrote before she imagined the world of Hogwarts.

‘Focus on the unique something you have to offer to the world. The rest will surely come in ways you may not even be able to imagine.

‘It’s impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well have not lived at all – in which case you fail by default.’

— J.K. Rowling

 
 
If you are persistent and learn from your mistakes, you can find yourself achieving success where you least expect it. Blake Mycoskie, the founder of Toms Shoes, was taking some time off from his fourth entrepreneurial start up when he travelled to Argentina and saw an opportunity to create a for-profit business to help provide shoes for children living in poverty. The concept was simple… ‘Sell a pair of shoes today, give a pair of shoes tomorrow.’ Blake had no experience or connections in the shoe industry, but had faith in his idea. The company is now worth over $600 million.

“You don’t have to have a lot of money, a complicated business plan, or a great deal of experience to start something.”

— Blake Mycoskie

 
 
Pursue your aspirations and don’t let setbacks stop you from achieving your goals. If you are focused and driven, you have every chance of fulfilling your career ambitions. Watch this TED talk by Richard Branson talking about his motivations in life and the highs and lows of his career…