Tom Cruise (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and producer. He has received various accolades for his work, including three Golden Globe Awards and three nominations for Academy Awards. He is one of the highest-paid actors in the world. His films have grossed over $4 billion in North America and over $10.1 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time.
Here’s just a few of those amazing films:
- Top Gun
- Cocktail
- War of the Worlds
- Risky Business
- Oblivion
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Mission Impossible series
Here are some of Tom Cruise’s success lessons:
1. Stay Committed
One of the key success lessons anyone can learn from Tom Cruise is his level of commitment to his work. Although he is already a super successful celebrity known by the world, he has never been late to a set and he still works as hard as when he first started his career. He says, “Here’s how I’ve lived my life: I’ve never been late to a set. I make films I believe in. I feel privileged to be able to do what I love.”
A lot of people choose to settle down after they achieved some successes in their lives, but not Tom Cruise. This is the kind of mindset and attitude you need to possess. Always be committed to your work, your goals, and your dreams. In other words, you have to always be hungry and stay hungry for what you want. And keep your desire burning like when you are fresh and still new in the industry. Never settle for anything less.
2. Focused on Your Goals and Dreams
Cruise’s success in his acting career has not always been a smooth journey. He shot his fame to the sky after starring in the movie Jerry Maguire in 1997, but his career went down the hill after 2005 due to negative publicity. However, Cruise did not stop working even during those tough times. His ability to focus on his work and ignore the negative press is amazing.
It is difficult to stay focus when distractions are everywhere. The consistency and his focus has kept Cruise’s career afloat over the past decade and is a good lesson in how to weather the storms. Even though the media and the press have seemed to take more pleasure in ridiculing him than applauding his work, Cruise maintains his focus and staying on track to produce even better box office movies.
The same goes for you and whatever you are going to face in life. There will be times when you feel like quitting and difficult to handle the situation in front of you. However, do not get distracted and stay focused like how Tom Cruise did it. The moment you lose track of your goals, you will lose the game. So never take your eyes off the ball.
3. Take Risks
A lot of people are living a mediocre life because they are being too comfortable with their lives and they never dare to take the risk to venture out of their comfort zone.
Successful people such as Tom Cruise always have the attitude of “go big or go home”, which is why they are able to make it big in life.
Taking a risk might sound dangerous or risky as its name implies, but that is the way of success. Even you took some risk before you are where you are today. Why not take the risk that’ll make you big then?
Tom believes in his work and the movies he produces. Even if the movie fails, it does not matter as long as he tries.
To him, when you put everything on the line, you will go hard, work extra hours when you need to, and more importantly, find a way to make it there.
4. Hard Work
In one of the ten great life lessons from Lionel Messi, he also believes that hard work is key.
To reach new heights, it requires discipline and hard work. In his words, “When I work, I work very hard.
So I look to work with people who have that level of dedication. And I depend on that from everyone. From the director to my crews that I work with.”
One must not stop working hard at the slightest victory as it could be detrimental. Working hard is a continuance process; it never ends. Once you decide to relent on your hard work, depreciation sets in.
You know why? Everyone is on the move, if you decide to stop, you’ll be over-taken by a whole lot of people.
Stretch yourself, work hard because laziness doesn’t pay; hard work does.
5. Never Stop Learning
The most successful people in the world are avid learners. The more you learn the more you earn.
Plus, the more you learn the more you’ll realize how much there is in the world you still don’t know about. Tom once said, “I’m passionate about learning. I’m passionate about life.”
It is pertinent to keep up the curiosity of a kid and make learning a daily habit. You remember how inquisitive you were as a kid, always asking questions, trying all sort of things to get the solution on your own.
Do not let that zeal for learning die, and if it has, it’s still there somewhere, re-awaken it. In addition to Tom, being passionate about learning is being passionate about life.
