 Madonna Luis Veronica was born on the 16th of August 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. Her father, Tonya Ciccone, was from an Italian immigrant family and became the first member of his family to attend college where he graduated with a degree in engineering. Of six children, Madonna was the third child and she intimately related with her mother more than any other sibling. Her parents were devout Catholics and her mother specifically wanted Madonna to be a strict observer of the Catholic fate, just as she was, if possible, a nun. Madonna was sent to a Catholic elementary school which influenced her. Although she didn't really desire to attend a Catholic school, she had to because of her parents. When Madonna was five, a family tragedy occurred. Her mother at the age of 30 died of breast cancer. She was pregnant with Madonna's youngest sister when diagnosed. Owing to her pregnancy, Madonna's mother couldn't undergo treatment until the baby reached full term. When the time came for her to be treated, cancer had grown too strong. There was no way she could recover. She died. Even as a young girl of five, Madonna's heart was seriously broken. Her mother, whom she really cared about, was gone. It wasn't an easy loss for her. Her adolescence was significantly affected by her mother's absence and she had to endure the pain for years. Madonna's father later remarried. He wedded another woman whom he met working as a housekeeper. Madonna's stepmother wasn't an ideal replacement of her biological mother. She was always forced by her stepmother to do tedious chores around the house and Madonna hated this. When Madonna got into high school, she was an excellent student with beautiful grades. She also developed a passion for dancing and was amazing at it. The girl's outstanding performances in school made her graduate a year before her colleagues in class. She was offered a full scholarship to a dance program at the University of Michigan. Before Madonna graduated at Michigan, she was granted an opportunity to study at the American Dance Theater in New York City. Following the advice from her dance instructor, Madonna dropped out of college to focus primarily on her dancing career. But this decision didn't result in pleasantness. Madonna had no money to cater for herself, which made her resort to doing various type of odd jobs to earn a living. In 1979, as Madonna began dating a founding member of a popularly known band, she fell in love with singing. She started doing music professionally as she performed with several bands of her own for years. Later on, Madonna had a problem to tackle. Her music was only recognized locally. It wasn't widely accepted. She was a lady and the then music industry was dominated by only male musicians. Females couldn't thrive. However, Madonna didn't confirm to what everybody believed. She hired an intelligent manager who helped her build a successful music career as a solo artist. Madonna developed her own style of music, releasing unique songs to the public. Soon enough, her brand gained wide reception throughout the United States. In 2008, Forbes declared Madonna the wealthiest female musician globally. Plus, Madonna earned numerous awards and recognition in addition to her best-selling albums over the years. Although she is now retired from music, the world still acknowledges her impact in the music industry. Whenever you're confronted by challenges, don't lose hope. Hope is the expectation or the belief that what you desire can come to you. Hope is what reassures you of a greater tomorrow. Jonas Salk said, Hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality. As someone who intends to live in a better future, you should chase that better life without losing an iota of hope in yourself. In every courageous person, there is hope. That hope is a little light that shines in the dark, reminding you that success is achievable. Thich Nhat Hanh said, and I quote, Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear the hardship of today. If you believe that tomorrow will be better, you can smile despite the difficulties you're going through today. The reason why most people aren't happy isn't always because their life is difficult, but because they have no picture of a better tomorrow in their heads. If you can see a better tomorrow, you can smile today. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, Hope itself is like a star, not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Hope should be kept alive amid difficulties, not in the absence of problems. The moment you're being locked in the dark, that would be the perfect time to shine your light of hope. The light of hope enables you to see through the dark tunnel until you find your way out. You will find your way through if you don't give up.