Reach for the Stars

Readers of Reach for the Stars will be inspired by the true stories, powerful quotations and 'how to' suggestions encouraging each of us to aspire higher and reach for our highest hopes.

Excerpts from Reach for the Stars include:

To be a champion you have to believe in yourself even if no one else will.

Four young musicians auditioned in 1962 for the Decca Recording Company. The executives there were unimpressed with the British rock group who called themselves The Beatles. They turned the group down with these words: "We don't like your sound... and groups of guitars are on their way out."

Knock the "t" off of "can't".

Marathoner Joan Benoit underwent knee surgery only seventeen days before the U.S. Olympic trials, but her determination enabled her not only to make the team, but also to win the first ever Olympic gold medal in her event.

Stick to the fight when you are hardest hit. It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

Julio Iglesias was a professional soccer player in Madrid when a car accident left him paralyzed for more than a year - and destroyed his soccer career. To help Iglesias pass the time in the hospital, a nurse gave him a guitar. Although Iglesias had no prior musical plans, he went on to become one of the greatest music stars ever.

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.

Hollywood leading man Brad Pitt's first "acting" job in California was to dress up as a chicken in order to attract customers to a local restaurant.

Remember that your "I can" is more important than your "IQ".

Grandma Moses, the celebrated American artist, didn't begin painting until she was 78 years old - and never even had an art lesson!

Go the extra yard. It makes a mile of difference.

Cesar Ritz, founder of the grandest hotel in Paris, refused to open his establishment in 1898 until he had personally slept one night in every single room in order to test the comfort and quality his guests would experience.

If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it.

Jay Leno, in his early days of performing, would randomly enter a club and tell the manager, "I'm a comedian." He would then be told, "Get out of here." Then Leno would put a $50 bill on the bar and say, "Just let me tell some jokes, and if people leave, or if I embarrass the customers, you keep the 50." The wager always worked.

Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.

Claude Perrin (1644-1709), the noted French painter, found his right hand suddenly paralyzed at the age of 40. Instead of giving up, he taught himself to paint so well with his left hand that his later art works are his most valued.

The way to succeed is to never quit. That's it.

Jane Austen, author of the bestselling book Pride and Prejudice, struggled for seventeen years while she searched for a publisher who was willing to print her book.

Try to keep your soul young right up to old age, and to imagine that life is only beginning.

Asked which of his works he would select as his masterpiece, architect Frank Lloyd Wright said, "My next one." He was 83.

Most people achieve their greatest success one step beyond what looked like their greatest failure.

Levi Strauss failed as a tentmaker in the 1850's, but instead of giving up on the heavy-duty fabric he had invented, he decided to use the material to make pants instead of tents. His signature "Levi" blue jeans transformed the fashion industry.

Rochelle Pennington is a freelance author and newspaper columnist from Wisconsin whose work has been included in several bestselling series including Chicken Soup for the Soul, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and Stories for the Heart. She is co-author of Highlighted in Yellow, available in two foreign languages, and author of The Golden Formula, The Christmas Tree Ship and The Historic Christmas Tree Ship. (Pennington's research on the Christmas Tree Ship was featured on The Weather Channel's Storm Stories holiday Christmas special.)