“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light”
This powerful quote has been given by one of my strongest role models, Joanne Rowling, who believes that happiness does not depend on external circumstances. It is internal and we can tap into this state at any point in time when we want to!
The renowned author has exhibited some really strong qualities, which are admired by many and I would love to acquire some of them myself.
Joanne Rowling was a passionate reader as a child and as the quote says “Nobody but a reader becomes a writer”; she started writing when she was very young. She wrote her first story at the age of six, about a rabbit and her first novel when she was eleven years old. This book was a collection of short stories of the seven cursed diamonds and the different people who owned them.
After a few years, she went to college to study French and later got her job where she had to do the translation work. Everything was as good as could be until she lost her mother at the age of 25.
‘Your life will not always be a happy one, but it will always have a meaning.’
And it was after this tragic event when she decided to change her career and went to Portuguese to become an English teacher. Here, she met a journalist named Jorge Arantes; soon she was married to him.
They had a daughter, Jessica, who was named after one of Joanne’s favorite author. The marriage did not last long and she was left to live alone in a very poor state with her daughter. By this time, she had got the idea of writing Harry Potter. Though in a situation like this, any other person would have easily lost hope but she believed in herself.
She said, ‘It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.’
She had an option of sitting and grieving over all the bad things that had happened to her but instead, she chose to take control of her life.
Even after all the difficulties and obstacles, she somehow managed to write the first book of Harry Potter series. But the worst was yet to come; she was rejected by twelve publishers in total, this was enough for a person to be left heartbroken completely.
But she was very determined and gained the courage to send a copy of her book to another publishing house named Bloomsbury.
At first, she was rejected here too but she was called back when the publisher’s eight-year-old daughter loved the story and started asking for more.
So, finally, after going through some serious hardships, Rowling was reaping the fruits of her hard-earned labor. This is how she became an inspiration for not just the children of her generation but also for the generations to come.
JK Rowling is an icon maker. It is not just the story of her life but it is her books too that reflect her strong character.
The book is entirely based on magic, maybe this is what she believed in. No matter how difficult life is, miracles can always happen if you don’t give up.
In her book, she has made the female characters very strong and intelligent like Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood. Though both the females have been made exact opposites of each other, both of them were very courageous.
Rowling values friendships and community a lot which can be analyzed from her writing. She laid strong emphasis on friendships which can be seen between Ron, Hermione and Harry from the very first book.
Some valuable messages such as face your fears and never give up have been shared by her when the entire Hogwarts stands united to fight against the most powerful and evil Voldemort.
JK Rowling became the world’s richest author but she is no longer one as she has donated a huge part of her fortune to charity. She is also the founder of an international non-governmental charity known as Children’s high-level group whose aim is to ensure that all children grow up in a safe and caring environment.
“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life” – JK Rowling
She is an ultimate role model who never gave up on her dreams and became stronger and stronger with every obstacle and rejection she ever faced in her life.
Megha is a creative writer. Just like the meaning of her name i.e. Rain (makes everything beautiful), she aims to make the world a better place to live in by being the most authentic version of herself. Also, encourages others to do the same through her writings.
She is an inspiration of mine too ❤️