A Baby Abandoned in a Dumpster Grew up to Be the Founder of a Multi-Million Dollar Company

This is an amazing success story! “Rags to Riches,” “the American Dream,” “self-made man.” Every single cliché you’ve heard about that classic story, Freddie Figgers is living proof that it is actually possible.

Figgers is only 30 years old, but he’s already a huge success as the CEO and President of Figgers Communication, a telecommunications company that is now valued at a whopping $62 million.

Them: I don’t think it will happen ?Me: There are three kinds of people in this world: people who make it happen,…

Posted by Freddie Figgers on Friday, July 5, 2019

But life didn’t start out very well for Figgers. He was abandoned in a dumpster by his mother shortly after she gave birth to him in Quincy, Florida, though luckily he was adopted when he was two days old by a couple named Nathan and Betty Figgers. The Figgers’ gave young Freddie all the love and support he needed, and he grew up to be a curious boy who loved to tinker around with computers.

Figgers got his first job as a computer technician at the age of 12, and at age 15 he started his own cloud computing service. His first job in this field came after he helped a car dealership back up their information on a remote server after they had previously lost all their files in a tornado. Figgers set up the server in his own backyard.

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Posted by Freddie Figgers on Wednesday, June 26, 2019

The young entrepreneur invented his own creations as well, including a GPS tracking device that goes in someone’s shoe to help keep track of them. Figgers created this device specifically for his father, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He sold that idea to a company for $2.2 million and started Figgers Communications, the extremely profitable company that he now runs, with his earnings.

His business is also the only African-American owned company of its kind in the United States.

Bravo, Mr. Figgers!

Let Freddie Figgers’ story remind you that no matter where you come from or where you are at the moment, you can always achieve your dreams if you work hard and aim high.

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August 10, 2019

Why Grit Is More Important Than IQ When It Comes to Success

One of my professors in college told us about a former student who was now a bigshot at a company in New York City and how well they were doing. A classmate of mine said to me, “Well, I guess you can have an okay career after you leave here.” I didn’t respond, but I’ve always believed that, ultimately, it really is up to you how far you go in your professional life. Yes, education and connections definitely help along the way, but just because you went to a certain school or a door is opened for you doesn’t mean that anything is guaranteed after that. You have to work hard and keep improving if you want to fulfill your dreams.

And, by the way, everyone has their own definition of what success means. For some, it’s a prestigious job on Wall Street, for others, it’s flipping pancakes at the local diner in their hometown where they know everyone.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

But back to my original point: intelligence might not be the best indicator of future success in life. Instead, it might be what psychologist Angela Duckworth calls “grit.” Duckworth believes that a special blend of passion and persistence is what makes high achievers special. In other words, not high IQ scores, high SAT scores, or a diploma from a prestigious university.

Posted by Angela Duckworth on Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Duckworth believes that grit is about being resilient and hardworking, and always wanting to improve. And another important aspect of this mindset: being able to overcome failure, which is tough for all of us. Passion is another key element in being successful. Duckworth says of some of the successful people she’s studied, “Even if some of the things they had to do were boring, or frustrating, or even painful, they wouldn’t dream of giving up. Their passion was enduring.”

Duckworth believes that effort is more important than IQ and she came up with two equations to explain her concept.

• Talent x effort = skill

• Skill x effort = achievement

Duckworth says, “Talent is how quickly your skills improve when you invest effort. Achievement is what happens when you take your acquired skills and use them.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Bottom line: grit, heart, and busting your rear end really do count and pay off. So even if you didn’t get into the best school, don’t have a bunch of family connections, and get rejected from a job (or multiple jobs), keep pushing forward. Be gritty and you’ll go far.

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March 12, 2019

Lady Gaga Was Bullied by Ex-Classmates on Facebook, But She’s Clearly Laughing Last

I’ve always felt that the greatest revenge you can get on your haters is to succeed in spite of them. Haters never have anything good to contribute, so you’ve got to just ignore them and keep going on your path.

While plenty of celebrities have had that experience growing up, Lady Gaga has completely lived that truth.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

You see, back when she was a college student at NYU, playing dive bars and open mics for anyone who’d listen, a crew of her classmates created a Facebook group specifically meant to bully her. They used the forum to tease her mercilessly, making fun of her appearance, her music, and her dream of becoming a famous singer.

Photo Credit: Facebook

The group, which uses her real name, is titled “Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous,” and accused her of things like being an “attention whore”. It also repeatedly stated that she’d never, ever be successful at her chosen calling.

The group was first exposed back in 2016, when Lauren Bohn, a former classmate of Gaga’s made a Facebook post about it:

Photo Credit: Facebook

Lauren wrote how Gaga’s story is a perfect example of what happens when you don’t let your haters get in your head.

When I was a freshman at NYU and Facebook was only a year old and people created/joined groups like “I have dimples, f*** me” and “Fake ID, please!,” I remember coming across a Facebook group that broke my heart. It’s name: “Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous.

The page housed pictures of a pretty Norah Jones-esque young 18-year-old NYU student who sang and played piano at local bars. The group was peppered with comments, sharp as porcupine needles, vilifying the aspiring musician for being an “attention-whore.” Scores asked: “Who does she think she is?” I also remember one dude posting a flyer for one of her upcoming gigs at a local village bar. He had clearly stomped on the flyer, an outline of his muddy sole [soul] struggling to eclipse her name.

I couldn’t shake the raw feeling of filth while scrolling down that Facebook page, but I pretty much — and quickly — forgot about that group and that girl with the intense raven eyes.

Until about five years later. I was on an Amtrak train from NYC to Philly, reading a Vanessa Grigoriadis New York Magazine profile on Lady Gaga. I floated somewhat mindlessly through the piece until I got to the first sentence of the second graf:

“Before the meeting, I assumed that someone with a stage name like “Lady” (her given name is Stefani Joanne Germanotta) was going to be a bit standoffish…”

“HOLY SHIT,” I screamed to an empty car (Those who hang with me will know that I actually shrieked). “LADY GAGA IS STEFANI GERMANOTTA? STEFANI IS LADY GAGA?”

I was overcome with a dizzying emotional cocktail of stage-mom-at-a-beauty-pageant and nerd-revenge triumph. But also shame. Shame that I never wrote on that group, shame that I never defended the girl with the intense raven eyes — the girl whose brave flyers were stomped on, probably somewhere near my dorm.

But again, I soon forgot about that revelation and that feeling. Feelings. They’re so fleeting. Even more so, revelations. We need to constantly re-discover them every damn day. Like last week, when I woke up to this meme. I saw the muddy sole eclipsing her name. The eye-rolls. The cowardly virtual-giggles. The “Who does she think she is?”

I’ve got a lot of feelings, but the easiest one to articulate: gratitude. Stefani, thank you. Thank you for always thinking you’re a superstar, for using your cracks to let the light come out more brightly. Humans, let’s follow suit. #LadyGaga #ThatsWho

Well, Gaga is clearly getting the last laugh today. She’s a household name who recently broke barriers by becoming the first woman to win a Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA in the same year for her incredible performance in “A Star is Born.”

Photo Credit: Twitter

Plenty of folks were also curious as to what the creators of the group are up to now.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Others also noted that this just shows how people will always try to hate on each other, but that haters should never be the reason you give up on your dreams.

Photo Credit: Twitter

If you need even more inspiration…

…check out Lady Gaga’s Oscar acceptance speech in the above video.

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January 25, 2019

Here’s How Some of History’s Most Successful People Started Their Mornings

Everyone has their morning routines, and starting your day off on the right foot is vital to the success of your day. Some of us find it a lot harder to start our days out productively, but it’s a new year so what better time than now to get inspired for a little self-improvement?

And, what better place to get started than taking advice from some of history’s most successful people? Here are morning routines from some names you will definitely recognize. It might be time to incorporate some of these tasks into your daily routine.

1. Meditate.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Morning meditation can help get your head on straight and help you focus on what you need to achieve throughout the upcoming day. It also helps reduce anxiety.

Philosopher Immanuel Kant was a huge proponent of meditating each morning before he began his work day.

2. Treat yourself.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Even though it may feel like you’re procrastinating, doing something that you enjoy or that helps you relax each morning is very important. Before jumping into their work days, Freud had a barber trim his beard each morning, and Napoleon and Mozart spent a good amount of time primping and getting dressed.

3. Make a new resolution each morning.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Let’s look to Benjamin Franklin for this one. One of America’s greatest figures followed the same routine each day: He arose at 5 a.m. and said to himself, “What good shall I do this day?” Make each day count, just like Mr. Franklin did!

4. Take a walk.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Is there anything more relaxing and mind-clearing than taking a long walk? I think not, and I’m in good company. Charles Darwin and Georgia O’Keeffe are two examples of brilliant minds who took morning walks in order to get the creative juices flowing.

5. Work from your bed.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

This one may sound a little odd, but look at the proof: The legendary French writer Voltaire regularly worked from bed and he was incredibly productive during his life, writing more than 50 plays. He was known to work 18 hour days, too, so he was clearly not a lazy guy.

Winston Churchill was also a prolific bed worker, working from there for hours each morning.

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