In order to get to where they are today, some people really had to beat the odds — even if it meant living on the streets for awhile.
Some of these people weren't just poor — they were homeless.
They eventually turned their lives around and became an inspiration to anyone who dreams of a professional career despite starting from nothing.
Here are 15 inspiring stories of people who at some point in their lives had nowhere else to sleep but on the streets.
Oscar winner Halle Berry once stayed in a homeless shelter in her early twenties.
When she first moved to Chicago to become an actress, Berry ran out of money and her mother decided the best thing would not be to send her daughter money.
During these struggling times, the actress admits to staying in a homeless shelter.
In an interview with Star Pulse, the actress said:
"It taught me how to take care of myself and that I could live through any situation, even if it meant going to a shelter for a small stint, or living within my means, which were meager. I became a person who knows that I will always make my own way."
Chris Gardner inspired the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" and was homeless with a young son while he was in a finance training program.
Aside from a movie based on his life starring Will Smith, Gardner also has two New York Times bestselling books under his belt: his autobiography "The Pursuit of Happyness
But before his story was shared with the world, Gardner was living on the streets with his young son. At the time, he was trying to pursue a career in finance despite not having any experience in it, or even a college degree. He received a spot on the Dean Witter Reynolds training program, but couldn't afford to live off of the small salary, and his wife eventually left.
He is also a motivational speaker and CEO of Gardner Rich LLC with offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
According to his Web site, Gardner's childhood was "marked by poverty, domestic violence, alcoholism, sexual abuse and family illiteracy."
Hilary Swank grew up in a trailer park and lived in a car with her mother as a teenager.
Before she became an Oscar winner, Swank was a high school drop out and struggling actress.
When she was 15 years old, Swank and her mother left their home in Bellingham, Wash. and headed to California with "$75 and a Mobil card," reported Rebecca Leung at CBSNews.com.
After their arrival, the pair lived in a car for a couple of weeks.
Fortunately, Swank landed a role in her early twenties as Tina Brandon in the film "Boys Don't Cry" — a role she was paid $3,000 in total — which would eventually earn her an Academy Award for Best Actress.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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