Eminem. Slim Shady. Marshall Mathers III
. Love him or hate him, no one can deny that he leaves an indelible impression, nor can one argue his staying power.
Sure, he is not the only kid to come from a poor and broken home, or to have changed school every few months, or to have flunked the 9th grade three times. There are plenty like him who don't make it; but, make no mistake, Eminem has earned everything he has, fair and square, and there are inspiring life lessons to be learned here, for every entrepreneur pursuing a dream.
When the Going Gets Tough, Eminem gets Going (and then some):
Eminem is a fighter. He has overcome struggles, both physically and mentally, when most would have collapsed from overwhelming exhaustion. He's taken on challenges hardly suitable for the faint hearted (battling the Goliath of hip-hop as a young, white male). He had little emotional support from his family (his father left him when he was 18 months old and was raised by his mother on welfare); the one positive influence in his early life, his uncle Ronnie, committed suicide in 1991. A few years before that, Eminem himself almost died after being beaten up by a bully in middle school, leaving him in a coma for ten days. Barely in his early 20s, Eminem has a daughter. To top it off, rap labels continue to reject him because of the color of his skin, regardless of his rap skills. The odds were stacked against him before he was even out of the gate. Juggling the responsibility of a father with a less than stable career choice, e.g. aspiring white rapper, is enough for any sane person to go crazy.
The fight, for Eminem, never really stops. Despite his stardom, he still struggles with internal and external demons. In 2006, his best friend Proof was killed. There was concern that the tough Eminem had finally reached his breaking point. He almost nearly did. Amidst deep depression, his best friend's death, and an elaborate cocktail of prescription pills, he collapsed from an overdose in 2007; he was later told that had he been found just two hours later, it would have been too late.
Eminem doesn't pretend to be Superman nor act as if it's been a smooth ride, and in that humble honesty, is yet another layer of his unique toughness. He has an uncanny ability to lift himself out of some of the most traumatic circumstances, even when his own inner voice is driving him to further self-destruction. This isn't trite, this takes serious guts. It's this "signature" Eminem drive that every Entrepreneur should heed.
. Love him or hate him, no one can deny that he leaves an indelible impression, nor can one argue his staying power.
Sure, he is not the only kid to come from a poor and broken home, or to have changed school every few months, or to have flunked the 9th grade three times. There are plenty like him who don't make it; but, make no mistake, Eminem has earned everything he has, fair and square, and there are inspiring life lessons to be learned here, for every entrepreneur pursuing a dream.
When the Going Gets Tough, Eminem gets Going (and then some):
Eminem is a fighter. He has overcome struggles, both physically and mentally, when most would have collapsed from overwhelming exhaustion. He's taken on challenges hardly suitable for the faint hearted (battling the Goliath of hip-hop as a young, white male). He had little emotional support from his family (his father left him when he was 18 months old and was raised by his mother on welfare); the one positive influence in his early life, his uncle Ronnie, committed suicide in 1991. A few years before that, Eminem himself almost died after being beaten up by a bully in middle school, leaving him in a coma for ten days. Barely in his early 20s, Eminem has a daughter. To top it off, rap labels continue to reject him because of the color of his skin, regardless of his rap skills. The odds were stacked against him before he was even out of the gate. Juggling the responsibility of a father with a less than stable career choice, e.g. aspiring white rapper, is enough for any sane person to go crazy.
The fight, for Eminem, never really stops. Despite his stardom, he still struggles with internal and external demons. In 2006, his best friend Proof was killed. There was concern that the tough Eminem had finally reached his breaking point. He almost nearly did. Amidst deep depression, his best friend's death, and an elaborate cocktail of prescription pills, he collapsed from an overdose in 2007; he was later told that had he been found just two hours later, it would have been too late.
Eminem doesn't pretend to be Superman nor act as if it's been a smooth ride, and in that humble honesty, is yet another layer of his unique toughness. He has an uncanny ability to lift himself out of some of the most traumatic circumstances, even when his own inner voice is driving him to further self-destruction. This isn't trite, this takes serious guts. It's this "signature" Eminem drive that every Entrepreneur should heed.
