Joy Mangano, the star of the movie Joy, has sold more than $3 billion worth of home products.
Joy Mangano grew up on Long Island, tinkering in her father’s metal shop. She dreamed of inventing things that would improve life. But, sometimes life can be unkind. After a failed marriage, Joy, a single mom, spent many days struggling just to make ends meet. She worked as a waitress, a reservation clerk and selling homemade grapevine wreaths.
Despite all the obstacles and frustrations, Joy never gave up on her childhood dreams. One random day while cleaning the floor, she had a light bulb moment: The concept of the Miracle Mop was born. The rest, as they say, is history.
The producer of the movie Joy said, “The idea that drew me to Joy, was the story of more than 40 years of a women’s life; from the magic of childhood, through a failed marriage, divorce and single parenthood, to fulfilling her dreams. How do you tell the story of a person’s soul?”
Over time, Joy developed a quietly fierce determination that sees her through to build a business empire. There were lots of naysayers, but Joy never gave-up. She pushed through many external obstacles. In the film, Joy battles a mysterious man in Texas who claims to hold the patent to another self-wringing mop, invented in China. She flies to Dallas to confront him and discovers information that bolsters her case. It's a perfect scene to illustrate Joy's determination.
Joy believed in herself even when the whole world didn’t. She said, “Sometimes it feels like the whole world is watching and waiting for you to fail. When you surprise everyone with all the success you’ve achieved, it makes you feel that much more amazing.”
Achieving success is a hard and arduous journey. You have to gather your courage and never give up. Success isn’t pretty and it is not convenient. However, Joy’s story shows you that if you keep going, the rewards are worth the wait.
Five tips to “joy-ous” success:
1. Always be yourself.
2. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself.
3. Don’t take “no” for an answer.
4. Put in the work.
5. It’s not about where you start, but where you’re headed.
Don’t let a crappy job or life’s obligations stifle your ambition. Everyone starts at the bottom, but what matters is where you end up at the end of it all. Don’t quit until you reach the finish line, because it may be more glorious than you could ever imagine.