Do you often struggle to finish things you start?
Do you often find yourself in positions where things simply do not work??
If you answer yes to the above questions, know that it is not peculiar to just you. Every human, at one point or other, has had to deal with such issues, including the most successful people among us.
We all struggle. And so, when assessing the so-called highly successful people, instead of simply assuming that they are lucky or have some unique skills that make them outstanding, we ought to study them to know how they overcame challenges instead.
One such person is Danielle Steel, and in this article, I will be sharing a bit about who she is, her peculiar challenge, and how she overcame them to become the influential person she is.
So, Who Is Danielle Steel?
Danielle Steel is one of the most prolific writers in America. By age 75, she had written over 209 books across various genres, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama.
Most of her works are bestsellers. Her work is also available in over 43 languages, and more than twenty of her stories have been made into films, and two have been nominated for the Golden Globe. She has a global fan base, and her work is published in 69 countries.
Steel started writing stories early in her childhood. She wrote poems when she was still a teen and published her short poem book"Love" in 1989. She published her first novel, "Going Home,” in 1973, which did pretty well. From then on, she produced continuous work averaging four books a year.
In 1978, "The Promise," her first bestseller novel, was published. Till now close to a billion copies of her work have been sold.
She has been on the Guinness Book of World Records list for her work being in the New York Times Best Seller list for 381 consecutive weeks.
Some of her most popular books are "The Wedding," which is a story of a Hollywood couple and their three children. "The Gift” is a 287-page novel about a strange woman and the importance of having a family.
"The Kiss" is a story of two couples of different worlds who finally find love in each other. "A Perfect" is a loving story of a mother and her daughter.
Danielle Steel can twist and turn any situation into a remarkable story through her words and make it a bestseller. This talent is not born but can only be earned through practice and thorough immersion in writing. And I think Steel has till now become a master of her work.
So, What Makes Her So Prolific?
Like all of us, Danielle Steel had struggles and stories to tell. She faced tons of rejection in her early years of writing. This alone has stopped many wanna-be authors on ther tracks. Had she taken these rejections to heart, she could have quitted.
She lived in depression and with limited resources, but Steel never stopped. She faced her challenges by simply producing more work. When the going gets tough, Danielle Steel gets strong.
She always worked hard, believed in herself, and tried her best, so she is millions of steps ahead of her contemporaries. She immersed herself in her work so much that she often forgot the dates.
She Was a Hard Worker
"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
In one of her interviews to HBR, Danielle Steel stated that she is no exception. According to her, she has a lot in common with the average person. She had to bring up nine children, and still, she managed to make time to write.
She had a strict schedule to work on 4-5 books at a time. And she was already ready to do even more when her publisher asked her to do 7 books a year.
When someone is famous and can produce interesting work, there is always demand for her work. Also, working on many projects at a time can keep you busy, and you will never feel bored because if you're stuck on a project, you can always jump to others. This little hack will make us productive.
She writes daily. And often, she keeps her so busy that she works 20-22 hours and sleeps for a few hours. She had no hobby or was on break except during Christmas.
She Never Gave Up
Below is a quote from her novel 'Bittersweet.'
The typical reaction to setbacks in our life is to stop making efforts. We stop and blame our fate. What if Danielle Steel had stopped trying when her first novel," Going Home," was rejected multiple times? She would end up an ordinary person whom nobody knows.
Success is inevitable after numerous failures. Failures teach us what we're doing wrong and how to do it better.
Steel's bestseller Fall from Grace" tells the story about a lady who lost her husband at 49 and had to face a lot of challenges. Although fictional, the story is carved out of the real-life experiences of billions of people.
We all face ups and downs, so we must never think ourselves special for our peculiar struggles.
"You need to wake yourself up and take a grab at life. No one is going to hand it to you."
Nobody will help us if we don't help or work for us. How can you expect a miracle when you don't do anything to experience a miracle? Life is tough, and we all should accept it. None of us will get anything without attempting.
Getting the work done is the only way to find ourselves in the place we most deserve. So, if you want to be a writer, write; if you want to be a speaker, you should speak. This is the only way to invite miracles in your lives.
Success may tarry, but it will come if you keep striving for them. So do the good work consistently.
When Danielle Steel divorced, she wrote. When her husband died, she wrote. When her son committed suicide, she wrote. She never stopped moving ahead, which is why she is prolific and one of the wealthiest writers in the World. Yeah, Danielle Steel has a combined networth of close to $600 million as per CelebrityNetWorth.
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What Next From Danielle Steel?
It is sure that Danielle Steel will never stop writing anytime soon, and we will get more best sellers from her. She will be busy with another 5-6 novels! While it all looks simple and easy, achieving such a milestone is tough.
Danielle Steel is not an exceptional personality, but she has exceptional traits that set her apart from us all. We can, too, be what we want to be. But what we need to do now is, get rid of our self-doubts and get to work with all enthusiasm and urgency.
Some of Danielle Steel's latest additions are:
Conclusion
Danielle Steel s a tremendous source of inspiration for us all. She has lived a life of sorrow, extreme achievement, and many ups and downs, but she never got derailed from her goal. And we all must follow her path to success.
What have you learned from Danielle Steel? Don't forget to comment.