Sylvester Stallone has one of the most motivating success stories. Before he made it big, he was essentially a starving artist. For many years after his college years, he worked odd jobs to pay the bill while simultaneously taking on any acting role he could find to keep his dream of becoming a successful actor alive.
Most people don't know this about Sylvester Stallone, but as a young man, he was determined to become a big movie star in Hollywood. He longed to become a great director, producer, and writer. Everyone told him it could not be done, but he wasn't one to take no for an answer. And after finding little luck in the New York's film scene, he decided to take his chances in Los Angeles.
It was a struggle that Sylvester would endure for many years, seven in fact. Throughout all of those seven challenging years, Sylvester would gain a few small roles in a handful of movies, but nothing grand enough to get his career launched. During those seven long years of striving, he came face-to-face with near poverty. Getting so desperate for money, he at one point had to sell his wife's jewelry. And he even had to sell his dog because he couldn't keep him fed. And to top it all, there came a point where Sylvester was homeless, and had to sleep outside for a number of days.
But his days of struggle as an aspiring actor would not last forever. After facing seemingly many hardships for over seven years, he would finally get his big break. And this break would come after he managed to get a script he wrote in a three-day flurry of inspiration in front of two big-shot directors in Hollywood. It was this defining moment that would turn the tide for Sylvester, and his career would skyrocket after he negotiated the lead role in the film that would come to be known as Rocky.
Since then, Sylvester, and his series of movies revolving around Rocky have been inspiring people all around the world. His success story is one that should be observed, retold, and shared, just as much as his movies are.