Every week, million of viewers tune in to watch Rick Harrison on Pawn Stars. He’s a high school dropout.
This information comes from the celebrity news site Starcasm, which references Harrison’s new autobiography.:
He dropped out of high school in the 10th grade, and that he has an insatiable love of books and thirst for knowledge. If only more high school graduates had that last bit.
Rick first fell in love with books when he was eight years old, and began suffering horrific grand mal epileptic seizures. He feared for his life, and after he had one he’s been laid up in bed for about ten days. During that time, he feasted on books.
Long time readers of the Failure Book Blog may recognize this story. It sounds like what happened to another Hollywood legend. That man is Martin Scorsese, who suffered from asthma as a child.
Countless successes grow out of failure early in life. The concert violinist Itzhak Perlman contracted polio at the age of 4. President Bill Clinton grew up watching his mother be abused—and later passed the Violence Against Women Act. Jack London, Louis Armstrong, H.G. Wells and many more dropped out of high school. Failure is the secret to success.
That’s not to say that you should quit school, leave a job or wish for a debilitating illness. But rather, that adversity is what makes success meaningful and possible. Don’t fear failure. Instead: embrace it.