 Elizabeth Arden was born on December 34, 1884, in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, as Florence Nightingale Graham. She happened to be the fifth of five children raised by a farming family that struggled to make ends meet. Her family was so poor that Elizabeth had to engage in odd jobs from an early age to help support her family. Elizabeth was finally able to attend school in her late teens, but she eventually dropped out of the nursing school in Toronto because she was too broke. She got a brief job as a bookkeeper from the ER Squib Pharmaceuticals Company, where she spent hours in their lab. Learning about skincare, she later worked for Eleanor Adir as a treatment girl. During this period, Elizabeth was able to save enough money to start a salon in partnership with another woman called Elizabeth Hubbard. When the partnership was dissolved four years later, Elizabeth decided to remain in the beauty industry. She launched her salon, named Elizabeth Arden. To grow her new business, Elizabeth hired a team of chemists to develop the face cream and lotion that became the first items in her new line of beauty products. However, there was a problem. Makeup and facial treatments were more often associated with prostitutes than with respectable women at the time. So, Elizabeth came up with a strong marketing campaign to change people's views of beauty products. She also taught women how to apply makeup and pioneered such concepts at the scientific formulation of cosmetics, beauty makeovers, and coordinating colors of eye, lip, and facial makeup. In no time, Elizabeth was able to establish makeup as being proper and appropriate. Even necessary for a lady-like image, she targeted middle-aged and plain women for whom beauty products promised a youthful, beautiful image. Her brand became so established that she opened her business in several locations and countries. By the 1930s, her company did so well that it even flourished during the Great Depression, bringing her over $4 million a year. Elizabeth ventured into many other businesses, such as horse riding, but the beauty product business was her major stake. Before her death on October 18, 1966, Elizabeth had turned her company into one of the most recognized and successful brands in the world. With over 300 beauty products and over 100 saloons, worldwide, Elizabeth died a successful, wealthy, and fulfilled woman at the age of 81. Here's the thing, Elizabeth could have otherwise remained poor and unsuccessful, blaming her failure and her poor background just as many in her shoes would have done. But, as Stephen Covey once said, I am not a product of my circumstances, I am a product of my decisions. Most of us were born into poverty. Some of us were unfortunately born into both poverty and sickness, but you have to get to a point in your life when you start blaming the person you see in the mirror. Yes, some people may say, but it's not my fault. Yes, it's probably not your fault that you were born by poor parents or into a poor country. But what can anyone do about that? The easiest strategy for most people is a complaint. But as you and I know, complaining about your problem doesn't solve your problem. Roy T. Binnette said, the majority is when you stop complaining and making excuses in your life. Anyone can complain as much as they want. Making an excuse is easy and cheap, but either excuse or complaints would make you a dollar richer. Let go of yesterday and focus on tomorrow. Let go of your background and focus on your future. Let go of excuses and focus on the execution of your plans. If you like this video, watch more videos on our channel. We love you.