When It Feels Impossible: 10 People Who Kept Going Anyway

There are seasons where your goal feels too far away to even touch.

Where you’re doing the work… and still hearing “no.”

Where motivation is gone, confidence is shaky, and hope feels expensive.

If that’s where you are right now, let this be your reminder:

Impossible is often just “not yet.”

And “not yet” doesn’t mean you’re done.

Below are 10 well-known people whose stories are often remembered for the

success—while the setbacks get skipped. Not because their pain was a requirement for

greatness, but because their persistence is a powerful mirror: you can be discouraged

and still keep moving.

Before we start: one important truth

These are simplified snapshots, not full biographies. Some of these people had support,

connections, or circumstances that helped—and that matters. The point isn’t to

glamorize struggle. The point is this:

Progress usually looks like rejection + adjustment + repetition.

1) J. K. Rowling

She wrote Harry Potter as a single mother navigating intense financial stress—while

also facing multiple publisher rejections before the book was accepted.

Resilience takeaway: Rejection isn’t always a reflection of your worth—sometimes it’s

the wrong timing, the wrong gatekeeper, or the wrong “fit.”

Try this: Ask, “What part of my plan needs to change—without changing the goal?”

2) Winston Churchill

Churchill had a long, messy political career with major criticism and setbacks—yet he

became Prime Minister during World War II and later received the 1953 Nobel Prize in

Literature.

Resilience takeaway: Your “late” doesn’t mean “never.”

Try this: Replace “I’m behind” with “I’m building.”

3) Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

His first children’s book was rejected by many publishers (accounts vary, often cited

around the high 20s) before it was finally published.

Resilience takeaway: Sometimes the difference between “failure” and “breakthrough”

is simply one more attempt.

Try this: Commit to a tiny, repeatable output: one pitch, one draft, one page, one call.

4) Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven began losing his hearing in his mid-20s and still composed some of the most

recognized music in history while his hearing worsened.

Resilience takeaway: Grief can exist alongside purpose.

Try this: Name both truths: “This is hard… and I’m still here.”

5) Michael Jordan

Jordan didn’t make his high school varsity team as a sophomore (a story he later

referenced as motivation), and he used the setback as fuel to train harder.

Resilience takeaway: Let disappointment become data.

Try this: Ask, “What skill do I need to strengthen next?” (not “What’s wrong with me?”)

6) Henry Ford

Before Ford Motor Company (1903), Ford had earlier manufacturing attempts that didn’t

work out the way he hoped.

Resilience takeaway: A “failed” version can still be a prototype.

Try this: List what the setback taught you—in plain, usable lessons.

7) Walt Disney

Before the Disney empire, Disney’s early animation studio (Laugh-O-Gram) went

bankrupt in 1923—an early venture that didn’t survive, but shaped what came next.

Resilience takeaway: A collapse can be a pivot point, not a dead end.

Try this: Ask, “If this chapter is ending, what is it making room for?”

8) Thomas Edison

Edison had limited formal schooling and was largely educated at home, then went on to

become one of the most prolific inventors in U.S. history.

Resilience takeaway: Your starting point doesn’t get the final word.

Try this: Build consistency around curiosity: one experiment, one test, one iteration.

9) Charlie Chaplin

Chaplin grew up in severe poverty and instability, yet became one of the most influential

figures in film comedy.

Resilience takeaway: Your circumstances can shape you without defining you.

Try this: Write down one quality you developed because you had to survive—and how

it can serve you now.

10) Vincent Van Gogh

The story is often told that he sold only one painting during his lifetime (commonly linked

to The Red Vineyard), though historians note he likely sold or traded more than one

work.

Resilience takeaway: Impact isn’t always immediately visible.

Try this: Track effort, not applause. Your work can matter before it’s recognized.

The common thread: what “impossible” really looks like

Across these stories, you’ll notice a pattern:

• They faced rejection and kept showing up

• They adjusted the approach without abandoning the goal

• They built skill through repetition (often quietly)

• They found some form of support, structure, or routine to keep going

That last one matters more than people admit.

Resilience is not just mindset. It’s capacity.

And capacity grows when you stop doing everything alone.

A simple reset if you’re feeling hopeless right now

Try this in 5 minutes:

1. Name the goal you’re tempted to give up on.

2. Name the real barrier (time, money, energy, rejection, fear, grief, burnout).

3. Pick the smallest next step that still counts.

4. Add support (accountability buddy, coach/therapist, community space,

structured plan).