What do you think Warren Buffett was doing at your age? Applying to Ivy League universities and being welcomed with open arms? How about Steve Jobs? Probably designing an incredible gadget all of his friends would want, right? Or Vera Wang–surely she was sketching breathtaking dress designs late at night, no?
The answer to all of those questions is a reassuring, “nope.” Buffett was denied to Harvard, Jobs dropped out of Reed College, and Vera Wang had tried out for the US Olympics team but was rejected.
It’s so easy to see successful people through the lens of their greatest hits, but the reality is that everyone faces setback. A website we recently discovered, called Fleximize, chronicles the steps–and missteps–of some of the world’s most powerful people.
Take a look at what your favorite business people were doing at your age, and then give yourself a break. Sometimes it’s the closed doors that lead to the most important breakthroughs of one’s life.
