Oh… my… word…

I am totally obsessed with a brilliant new book that I’m reading.

It’s Anatomy of a Breakthrough by Adam Atler, and it’s all about overcoming those horrible times in life when you feel like you’re stuck.

It might be that you’re stuck in a job… stuck in a relationship… or stuck in the process of starting a business (like creating a digital course for the first time!).

I haven’t finished it yet, but already it’s got my brain buzzing with ideas.

And today, I really wanted to share one with you.

You see, one of the examples Atler uses early on in his book is that of Brie Larson.

She’s the incredible actress who won an Oscar for her role in Room.

Or perhaps you’ve seen her as Carol Danvers, aka ‘Captain Marvel’, in the hugely popular Marvel superhero franchise.

We are talking MAJOR HOLLYWOOD STAR here.

So at first glance, it might seem like everything came easy to her, right?

But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

A few years back, Larson shared her experiences of failure on her YouTube Channel.

Despite her talent, good looks and eventual success, she faced rejection after rejection for 20 long years.

Casting directors even went as far as telling her agent to ‘never send her for another job’ because she was supposedly terrible.

“Being an actor’s hard; auditioning is hard”, she admitted. “You’re dealing with rejection constantly, every day… there’s been a lot of focus on my successes and not on how hard it was, how much I was rejected, and all the jobs that I didn’t get.”

If Larson hadn’t stuck at it, audition after audition, she would never have ended up starring in the lead role of a Marvel film or taking home an Oscar.

It could very easily have gone the other way.

So many women might have given up, faced with that amount of rejection and failure.

Ultimately, what made the difference was not her talent, but her persistence.

The good news is persistence is a quality that we can all learn to develop in life.

And it is crucial when you’re embarking on a project like course creation.

Why Failures Are an Inevitable Part of Your Success

When we try something new and important in life, it will rarely go smoothly without a hiccup or hitch.

Sure, you might read the odd story about someone who got lucky and sailed through the first time.

But for the vast majority of us – including the likes of Brie Larson – this is not how it works.

Instead, we hit a wall…

We get stuck on a difficult process we find hard to grasp…

We get a rejection or feel stung by a cruel troll comment…

We get hit by tech hitches and glitches…

We try something and it fails or disappoints.

Or life comes along and hits us with illness, financial troubles, personal problems and family crises.

These are often obstacles that make us give up.

Instead of going back and trying again, we blame ourselves… we doubt our abilities… or we look for excuses – it was all about the bad coaching, or bad luck, or the universe acting against us.

But here’s the thing…

Most of the time, it was simply that we didn’t stick with it and find a way to get over that hurdle.

This is where persistence pays off.

In her YouTube video, Brie Larson says:

“It’s hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that I’ve been on thousands, and thousands, and thousands, and thousands, and thousands of auditions. It’s sort of crazy; it’s mind-numbing to me. But I’m grateful for it because I felt it gave me more opportunities to refine my craft.”

In other words, she took each failure as a chance to become stronger and make those changes that would result in eventual success.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on that…

What Can YOU Do to Get Your Breakthrough?

Think about the times when you’ve faced challenges or felt overwhelmed.

Maybe you’re going through something like that right now.

You might be working on creating an online course, and it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.

Maybe you’ve hit a roadblock, or you’re feeling unsure of what to do next.

In those moments, it’s easy to think, “Should I just give up?”

Believe me, I get it. I’ve been there too, doubting myself and questioning whether I have what it takes.

But giving up is never the answer.

Instead, you need to find a way to take action.

What is it that you can do to overcome the problem?

What is it that you can change, or improve, or learn, to get over the obstacle?

Because the truth is, success rarely comes without a fight.

But the difference between those who make it and those who don’t is their refusal to give up.

It’s about summoning the strength within yourself to keep going, even when it feels impossible.

Remember, every success story is filled with setbacks, failures and moments of doubt.

But the ones who prevail – like Brie Larson – are the ones who keep pushing forward.

They learn from their mistakes, they adapt, and they never lose sight of their goals.

So I really hope this gives you some encouragement!

I’ll be sure to share more from Adam Atler’s book once I’ve finished it.

But until then, remember to just keep going!

And if you want help creating your online course because it’s always easier when you can follow the path of someone that’s already done it (!), just email me at [email protected] for details.