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Hello, dear readers of Valery Kharlamov’s blog! To inspire you to achieve and show that it’s never too late to start doing something different and unfamiliar, I want to tell the stories of people who have changed their lives dramatically and irrevocably.
Ruth Flowers
Quiet life in retirement
Who can think that at the age of 70 it is possible not only to change life drastically, but also to achieve success and recognition? Usually, after retirement, people lead a quiet life, nurse their grandchildren and grow a garden. But Ruth Flowers wanted to prove that she was still capable of much at her age.
At the age of 58, having lost her beloved husband, Ruth tried to cope with depression, and in order not to live through loneliness and longing, she decided to take up photography. She worked as a music teacher and lectured on the work of Charles Dickens. She lived calmly and measuredly, until one day her grandson invited her to his birthday party, which was celebrated in a nightclub. Surprisingly, Ruth agreed, although at that time she was already 68 years old.
New purpose in life
The trip to the disco turned out to be difficult, which played a significant role in the future — the security guard remarked skeptically that the grandmother had no place in such establishments. And instead of turning back, Flowers considered the remark a challenge, answering that if she wanted, she could still become a DJ there. And so that the words would not be thrown to the wind, granny met Orel Simon, a young producer, a couple of days later.
Explaining that she is not satisfied with the attitude of others towards the elderly, believing that they should only sit at home and worry about their health, not visiting places where they can relax, and that she wants to prove to everyone that the old people know how to have fun just as much as the younger generation . Eagle supported Flowers, and while she was learning how to mix tracks and make sets, he punched for her the opportunity to perform.
For almost two years, all attempts were unsuccessful, because club managers categorically refused to cooperate with Mami Rock (Ruth took such a pseudonym) as soon as they heard about her age and former lifestyle. The electronic music of a 70-year-old granny, singing in a church choir and a passion for the work of Charles Dickens, in their opinion, was completely incompatible and strange. Unsuccessful attempts to break into the stage deprived them of hope and strength, so much so that Mami Rock was already ready to abandon her idea.
World star
But one case changed everything — Orel managed to enroll his ward in the program of one party in Cannes. The audience was so enthusiastic that within a few weeks, Mami began to pour in a lot of offers from all over the world, and within a year she became a world star, playing with DJ Tiesto and DJ Guetta, and even releasing her single Still Rocking.
Sania Sagitova
Another example of how a dream can become a reality. Saniya Sagitova, having retired, finally decided to do what her soul has always been drawn to — hitchhiking around the world. The desire was so great that the brave woman, having no experience and health for such a lifestyle, visited more than 40 countries, covering more than 120 thousand kilometers, and this is at 55 years old. Not every man dares to sit alone in a car with a stranger. But Sania is absolutely happy at the moment, because she allows herself to do what she wants.
She even passed on the rights, so that in case of poor health of the driver or any breakdown, she could help. Doctors are sounding the alarm, having discovered a lot of diseases in her, and regarding diabetes, they even offer to issue a disability to the traveler. But Sania refuses, joking that what kind of person with disabilities will she be if she hitchhikes around different countries without stopping and restrictions?
And indeed, without restrictions, visas are opened for her with ease, because she always submits documents on her own. At the same time, she puts examples of her reviews and stories about the places she has visited. After reading them, ambassadors sometimes even offer to issue a visa without payment, in exchange for an interesting article about visiting their country.
Cheri Schmelzer
Sheri was 40, unemployed, raising three children with her husband, and had an outstanding loan. In general, nothing foreshadowed that she would turn into a millionaire, and even so rapidly — literally in a year. And it’s all thanks to the routine.
Sheri wanted to bring a little variety and creativity out of boredom into Crocks products by sealing the holes with rhinestones and all sorts of jokes. Fortunately, the family had a lot of such slippers, and there was something to experiment on. Friends appreciated the creative approach, and orders fell on her.
One day, at a family council, the husband offered to organize a website selling accessories for crocs, to which the enterprising woman agreed. And in 2005, a company called Jibbitz appeared. Cheryl at first worked around the clock, managing to make time for the children. She and her husband sold goods not only on the Internet, but also offered them directly in specialized stores.
Deciding that it was pointless to spend time writing a business plan, we decided to act directly and aggressively. They called acquaintances with an offer for shoe design services. But no matter how difficult it was at first, a year and a half later, Crocks bought the rights to this company, bringing income to the Schmelzers in the amount of $ 10 million. And the most interesting thing is that it began with the fact that they simply wanted to close their loan, without even guessing what success they could achieve.
Danny Johnson
Just an amazing story that shows that even in the most difficult situations there is a way out. Dani Johnson was born in Hawaii to a family of drug addicts. Childhood, you guessed it, was difficult, so there were no prospects for a happy future.
At 21, she was a girl of easy virtue, moonlighting as a waitress. She had only 2 dollars in her pocket and 37 thousand debt and lived in a car. She gave birth to a daughter who was raised by other people and, of course, used drugs and alcohol in addition to alcohol.
Once, before Christmas, realizing that it was a dead end and there was no point in going further, Dani decided to drown herself. But at the moment when she was already under water, she heard a voice that told her that there are better things than drugs, and she can spend her life differently if she does not use.
Returning back to the car, she noticed a booklet with an advertisement for a weight loss drug. Deciding that this was a chance, the girl called this company, finding out that in order to sell products, she must have money and a license.
Neither was available, so Dani dialed the telecom company from a phone booth and set up voice mail for $15. She wrote a flyer by hand, where she indicated the mail number, and after 3 hours she had 25 applications. When they accumulated under 40 pieces, Johnson dialed this company back, telling how cool it was to find clients, and that she wanted to receive a percentage for this.
The management agreed to pay her, only bad luck came up with the delivery address of the goods, because she still lived in the car. But even here the girl got out, agreeing with the local liquor store that the delivery would be to his address. And so in the first month she earned $ 4000, and a year later — $ 250 thousand. Today, Johnson is considered a multimillionaire and the owner of 18 centers that help to cope with excess weight.
Heidemarie Schwermer
And there are other examples when successful people give up material values and go to live where there is no civilization. Almost the same story happened with Heidemarie. As a well-known psychotherapist, she realized around the age of 50 that almost everything in the world comes down to money. Such concepts as “kindness”, “selflessness” and “help” are fading away.
To fix this and help a little to help low-income people, Heidemarie came up with a whole network called «Come on and take it.»
Its essence was that you do not pay for something with money, but provide in exchange a service in which you are competent. For example, you got a manicure, and in return you helped to make a competent report to the tax office. As the network began to gain popularity, Heidemarie ventured an experiment where she would stop using money for a whole year.
She canceled her rental agreement, gave away all her belongings, and started a completely new life. Interestingly, the experiment was planned for a year, but from 1996 to this day, Schwermer lives freely and without financial restrictions. At first, she provided psychotherapeutic services in exchange for food, after which she began to guard houses where she could stay overnight.
Despite such an unusual way of life, which many consider abnormal, the woman does not look untidy. She is always with her hair styled and in beautiful clothes, having only a suitcase with a dowry on her back.
Conclusion
It is never too late to start from scratch, following the call of the heart. After all, you have one life, so why not live it in joy, doing what brings pleasure? And the people whose real life situations I cited today as an example prove to us that even at the age of 70 you can master a new type of activity and become successful and famous. So go ahead, listen to yourself and be happy, and remember — better late than never!
And for more inspiration, I recommend watching an article about people who have achieved success solely by their hard work. And don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and leave your comments!
The material was prepared by Zhuravina Alina.