Jennifer Lopez is a prime example of how to achieve success in both life and business. She started out as a dancer on television and worked her way up to becoming one of the most successful entertainers in the world. Her music, acting, and fashion careers have all been incredibly successful, and she has also branched out into other businesses, such as fragrances and restaurants.
How was it that this woman from humble beginnings was able to achieve such great success? How did Jennifer Lopez become famous? Well, we aim to answer both questions about Jennifer Lopez’ success in this JLo write-up.
“I Have Found That Taking Risks, Being True To Myself, And Making Decisions With Good Intentions Can Exceed Even My Own Expectations.”
– jennifer lopez –
To do so, we’ll have to take a look at some of the things that she has done right. So, in this article, we’ll take a closer look at Jennifer Lopez’s story and see if we can discover her blueprint for success. We’re certain you’ll learn a few lessons that you can apply to our own life in order to achieve greater success. Let’s dive right in and see what she can teach us.
THE JENNIFER LOPEZ STORY OF SUCCESS
JLO’S Early Beginnings
Jennifer Lopez was born in the Bronx, New York, in July of 1969. Puerto Rico is where her parents, Guadalupe Rodriguez and David Lopez, hailed from. Growing up, Jennifer shared a love of music with her sisters, Leslie and Lynda.
Her favorite Caribbean music included salsa, merengue, hip-hop, pop, and R&B, which she grew up listening to in the Bronx. Influences of these styles can be seen in her work across her career.
At the age of five, the young prodigy began learning how to sing and dance. She took singing and dancing lessons throughout her entire childhood.
Beginning at the age of 7, she started performing and knew that she wanted to achieve fame. She performed in stage musicals around the world and made her film debut at 16 in the 1986 film “My Little Girl”.
Challenges Along the Way
Lopez and her mother often had arguments about her future after high school. While her mother wanted her to continue on at college, Jennifer wanted to continue performing and pursue her dancing dream in show business.
Lopez eventually separated from her mother due to this disagreement and often found herself sleeping in dance studios instead of at home.
It was not always easy for Lopez to make it as an entertainer. Early on, she started out as a “Fly Girl” dancer on the television series “In Living Color” from 1991-1992.
From there, she landed small roles in several feature films and television shows. She continued to work hard and kept trying, even when it seemed like she was not going anywhere in her career.
At times, she recalled rationing her earnings to eat and hoping for the next opportunity to keep her financially afloat. While these times were challenging and occasionally demoralizing, she persevered and kept working hard.
How Did Jennifer Lopez Get Famous
Jennifer Lopez’s dancing career quickly bloomed into a film career, most notably by appearing in the popular movie “Jack” featuring Robin Williams.
Her break into Hollywood eventually led her to achieve the headlining role in the 1997 film “Selena” where she portrayed the late Tejano singer. Lopez’s performance in “Selena” was lauded and won her a Golden Globe nomination for best actress. So, it could be argued that what made Jennifer Lopez famous was her performance in this hit film based on the true story of the famed Tejano movie star.
Despite her newfound fame, she continued to work on a series of successful films through the early 2000s and is now considered one of Hollywood’s most bankable actresses. Her 2003 film “Monster-in-Law” grossed over $200 million at the box office.
In music, Lopez released her first album, “On the Six”, on February 23, 1999. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 236,000 copies in its first week. It, later on, became a double-platinum album. Her success as a singer led to multiple Grammy Award nominations and an American Music Award for the best new artist of 1999.
She then went on to collaborate with many popular musicians and produce several albums, most recently including her newest album “A.K.A” in 2014.
From January 2016 to September 2018, she was invited to take residency at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. This deal was worth approximately $350,000 per night and was one of the highest-paid residencies of all time.
Investments and Entrepreneurship
Jennifer Lopez didn’t stop once she conquered the performing arts. She has invested in a number of businesses and has diversified her portfolio to support a wide range of individuals and cultures.
One notable investment is in “NRG Esports”, a competitive gaming team. Lopez raised $15 million in Series B funding in late 2017. Since esports has grown in popularity and earning potential over the past few years, this is a wise move. In 2019, the industry earned over $1 billion in revenue.
Jenniffer Lopez is proud to support “Project Destined”, which is an organization dedicated to empowering inner-city youth by educating them on real estate and giving them the opportunity to profit from what they learn.
Both locally and internationally, Lopez has invested in fitness facilities. She invested in “Sarva”, an Indian yoga startup with 34 studios. Furthermore, she’s a seed investor in “TruFusion”, a chain of fitness centers that have been gaining popularity for their addition of heat to workouts such as Pilates and boxing.
Jennifer Lopez Success Insights
Jennifer Lopez is an excellent example of someone who has achieved great success by being true to herself. She followed her heart and pursued her dreams, even when it was difficult and challenging. She also took risks, which led to some of her biggest successes.
In order to achieve success, it’s important to be resilient and never give up. Lopez has faced many obstacles in her life and career, but she has always found a way to overcome them.
She is a testament that hard work and determination pay off.
It’s also important to be humble and give back to the community. She has demonstrated this through her philanthropic efforts such as investing in the “Project Destined” organization.
Jennifer Lopez has also let many admirers know that they can achieve what they want, no matter their age, race, gender, or cultural background. She has achieved her goals time and time again, based on her own opinion of herself rather than the opinions of others.
Success In Her Own Words
That said, Jennifer Lopez has shared her own perspective on what it takes to succeed in countless interviews, stories, books, etc. So, here are a few of her own insights on success, captured from her own words:
Related: Jennifer Lopez Quotes
JLo’s Secret to Success
With that being said, here’s a short video the provides a powerful, but concise insight on exactly how JLo managed to achieve the success and fame she now enjoys. So, take a few minutes to digest her self-ascribed secret to success in this short video:
Video Credit: Variety (Subscribe Here)
Final Thoughts
The Jennifer Lopez success story is certainly an impressive one. As an actress, singer, dancer, entrepreneur, and investor, Jennifer Lopez has proven that she is a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.
She trusted her intuition, and pursued a field she loved. Which then set her up to achieve massive success in her career due to her work ethic, determination, and resilience.
It’s important to remember that these gifts came to her through the hard work of keeping her dream alive both in her heart and mind, ever since she was a young 6-year-old with a dream.
She encourages others to have a sense of faith and belief in themselves to make it through all seasons of life. That said, we encourage the same, and we hope you’ll take some of these Jennifer Lopez success insights to help you discover the success that is bound to come your way.
Till you reach your aims,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed our Jennifer Lopez story, then you’ll definitely love this collection of short but uplifting success stories. And if you’re looking for even more inspiration, then you’ll also enjoy digging into JLo’s Net Worth profile.