Successful People
• Many successful
people were not
academic. What
qualities did they have
in order to be the
success they are
today?
Levi Strauss
• He began making denim
pants to sell to miners in
the 1949 Gold rush in
California. These were the
first “jeans” made. He had
no success finding gold so
he tried something else.
He was born in Germany
and immigrated to the
USA.
Richard Branson
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Richard Branson started a national
magazine entitled Student at the
age of sixteen. He was dyslexic but
good with people.
At twenty years old, he founded
Virgin as a mail order record retailer
and a short while later, he opened a
record shop in Oxford Street,
London.
In 1992, the Virgin Music Group -record labels, music publishing and
recording studios -- was sold to
Thorn EMI in a $1 billion US deal.
He then went on to establish
VIRGIN Airlines
Tom Cruise
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Tom was dyslexic at school and
found reading difficult. He moved
schools constantly because of his
father’s job.
He then decided to specialise in
sports until a knee injury forced
him into another area.
He ended up in a school drama
production and from then on
decided to dedicate his life to
acting.
He worked hard to overcome his
learning disability.
JK Rowling
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The author of Harry Potter started off as
a secretary but was too disorganised.
She then taught English in Portugal
and taught classes at night so she could
write in the mornings.
She wrote her first Harry Potter Book
and was rejected by publishing
Companies a few times. She finally
sold her book to a company for $1200.
She still worked teaching French whilst
trying to write the next novel. By this
time she was divorced and had to
support her child.
It was not until she sold the film writes
to Harry Potter that she did not have to
work as a teacher.
Thomas Edison
• Considered a geek at school
and had what is known today
as ADHD.
• Partially deaf and always
looking to invent things
• Almost starved trying to
make a living working on the
telegraph
• Invented hundreds of
patents, his most famous
being the electric light
Bill Gates
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As chairman of Microsoft , he
started fiddling with software
when he was 13.
He attended University but left
after a year and he and a friend
set up Microsoft in 1975.
He thought that computers may
become a tool in every home and
followed his vision.
He developed software that is
now in everyone’s home
He now devotes much of his time
donating to charities and has set
up a fund worth 27 billion dollars!
Abraham Lincoln
• As the 16th President of the
United States, Lincoln took a
long time to be elected.
• He had various lowly paid
jobs until he decided to
enter politics.
• He worked on farms and
eventually learned how to
read and write.
• He became a Lawyer but
was driven to represent
people in politics
• It took him 30 years to
become President
Dick Smith
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Dick left school early as he had an
interest in the bush and in radio.
Early on, he worked for an
electronics company but left to start
his own business.
He started with a small shop in the
suburbs
He sold his electronics business in
1982, retiring a millionaire
In 1986 he started the Australian
Geographic Magazine
He recently started putting Dick
Smith’s products on supermarket
shelves.
Kylie Minogue
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Kylie started her career in television at
11.
She was on a number of shows but her
most famous role was that of
Charlene in Neighbours.
After leaving Neighbours, she released
her first single, “The Locomotion”.
This became a huge hit in England and
Australia.
From then on she permanently
moved to London and has released
many albums, changing her style as
she has grown.
She is Australia’s most successful
woman singer.
Evonne Goolagong
• One of Australia’s most successful
tennis players
• Won Wimbledon twice and French Open
4 times.
• Came from a poor aboriginal family
with 8 children in the family.
• Her relatives lived tin shacks with dirt
floors.
• She loved playing sports and always
beat the boys. She left home at 14.
• She entered Wimbledon at 18 but often
when playing was the victim of
racism.
The achievement of something
desired,
planned or
attempted.
What makes people successful?
Why can some succeed but others
can’t?
Hard Work
COMMITMENT
Sacrifice
Patience
Taking a risk
Get out of comfort zone
What are the keys to success?
ORGANISATION
CONFIDENCE
Persistence
GETTING ALONG
How will you strive for success
this year?
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Don’t be afraid to have a go
Get organised
Prepare study timetable
Set up study area at home
Set up planner and fill in important
dates
How will you use study days?
Don’t give up- persist
Success=confidence
Confidence=success