Motivational Story - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Greetings! If you ever sat in a kitchen and watched someone put together the ingredients that make up a meal, chances are you might not find it as appealing as the finished product that comes out of an oven. Same holds true with us humans!

Look at Dwayne Johnson as my example for this week. You may know him as "THE ROCK” from wrestling fame or for his acting in movies? I was most recently admiring his work when watching his 2017 hit movie JUMANJI “Welcome to the Jungle” for the first time.

Dwayne's big wrestling moniker was always: "Can You Smell what THE ROCK’S been Cooking?" I want to now give you some of his ingredients that were somewhat nasty and very spicy but turned out to be a pretty big hit!  

Dwayne was moved around continuously as a child because of his father’s work in pro wrestling. The family was living in Hawaii during his teenage years where his life was starting to spiral out of control. Between the ages of 13-17, Dwayne was arrested several times, mostly for theft, forging checks and many assault charges. He was kicked out of several high schools. His parents would ultimately divorce. Right afterwards, his mother and Dwayne would be evicted from their home due to lack of house payments.

Motivated, Dwayne became a man of action. He started to work on his body that already stood at 6’-4” and 225-pounds. He fell in love with football. The game helped improve his grades to the point he was being recruited by colleges across the country. He was given a scholarship to the University of Miami as a defensive tackle but never made the starting rotation due to many injury issues. Upon graduation in 1994, Dwayne accepted a try-out offer to play in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders but was cut two months into the season.

With his dreams destroyed and a mere SEVEN BUCKS in his pocket upon returning to the States, he fought through depression and felt his only recourse was to move back to his family home, now in Tampa, Florida. He admits that this period was the worst time of his life. Soon he would try his luck in the ring as a professional wrestler? His father (Rocky) was against the idea but agreed to train him.

In 1996, Dwayne had his initial WWE try-out. He was so broke that for his first big match, he had to borrow his uncle’s shorts for it. But wrestling was in his blood and in a few years after learning the ropes, THE ROCK was born! He would go on to dominate the WWE shows, the main storylines and take away the WWE Championship belt eight-times.

In the world of fate & destiny, it was THE ROCK’S appearance on the “Saturday Night Live TV Show” in the year 2000 where the Hollywood film producers would get their first glimpse of the man and his charismatic smile which played so well on camera! It helped launch a new career!

Today, THE ROCK has the distinction of being one of the highest paid actors in the movie business, a spot already on Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame” and a production company he formed called SEVEN BUCKS PRODUCTIONS to serve as a permanent reminder of his humble childhood beginnings.

Well, now you know the key ingredients to his success story! Never ever give up on yourself! 

Jim Loria

ACTUAL QUOTES OFFERED UP BY THE ROCK!

- “It’s You vs. You. There are hidden Blessings in every Struggle. Grind Hard, Shine Hard.”

- “Success isn’t overnight. It’s when everyday you get a little better than the day before. It all adds up.”

- “Blood, Sweat and Respect. First Two You Give. Last One You Earn.”

- “When You Walk Up To Opportunity’s Door: Don’t Knock. Kick it In, Smile and Introduce Yourself.”

- “Success at anything will always come down to this: ‘Focus & Effort’ and you control both.”


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