Sometimes the winds of fortune simply blow someone's way and sometimes a person has to sail their boat into the great storm of fate, risking life and limb just to have a chance at a lucky break. Let's examine and contrast the lives and careers of two famous people to see how they have achieved success.Jackie Chan has become famous all over the world for his daring stunts and action movies. He is one of the first Chinese actors to cross over from the martial arts genre popular in the Far East and to make a name for himself in Hollywood. Jackie works when he is injured, he works when he is sick and he does everything he has to do to excel on the screen and to become an entertainment icon.
In contrast, Ozzy Osbourne seems to have been given a golden ticket in life. While he grew up in poverty and found his way to fame with his band, Black Sabbath, Ozzy seemed to lack a certain 'panash' for hard work and self promotion. His rise to fame and fortune seemed to rely mostly on the work of others, most notably, his wife and promotor, Sharon. Now well into middle age and an admitted alcoholic and drug addict, Ozzy still seems to drink from the well of life despite his infirmity and limited ability to cope with the basic tasks of daily living.
In a side by side comparison, let's see how these two stack up:
Jackie makes movies.
Ozzy makes....music.
Jackie has several black belts in all forms of martial arts.
Ozzy has several black belts.
Jackie's hair defies gravity.
Ozzy's hair does not defy gravity.
Jackie can jump up walls and kick over trucks to save the girl and get the bad guy.
Ozzy clings with both hands to his microphone stand....so he does not fall down.
Jackie has his own production company and works tirelessly to further his career.
Ozzy has...Sharon....and the kids.
Fate has been very kind to Ozzy who has managed to be in the right place at the right time despite his relentless attempts at self destruction. Ozzy has made a successful career of co dependency, on everything and everybody. Jackie Chan has taken falls, broken bones, taken personal and professional risks and sacrificed a great deal to ascend to the heights of fame and popularity. Fate is very strange that way.
So, the next time you are relaxing at home watching 'Rush Hour' and listening to an old Black Sabbath LP on your turntable, you might want to reflect on these two vastly different people, now in the twilight of their careers (especially Ozzy) and thank your lucky stars that you don't have to work that hard (e.g,Jackie) or be that lucky (e.g, Ozzy) to be happy and successful.
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