Look at any person who has made it big, and you will find a story that does not start where you think it does.

Before the fame. Before the money. Before anyone knew their name. There was a version of them doing something small and hard just to get by.

That is not the embarrassing part of the story. That is the best part.

Because where you start does not determine where you end up.

Dan Aykroyd sorted mail for Canada's postal service. Jennifer Aniston waitressed and worked as a telemarketer. Alec Baldwin worked as a bouncer.

Lucille Ball was fired from an ice cream shop before she became one of the greatest comedians who ever lived. Warren Beatty was a rat catcher.

Marlon Brando dug ditches after getting kicked out of military school. Charles Bronson worked in a coal mine. Sandra Bullock tended bar.

Kurt Cobain pushed a mop. Sean "Diddy" Combs started as an intern fetching coffee. Simon Cowell started in a mailroom.

Michael Dell washed dishes for $2.30 an hour. Johnny Depp sold pens over the phone. Danny DeVito was a hairstylist.

Tom Hanks carried luggage as a hotel bellman.

What do all these people have in common?

They kept going.

They did not quit because their starting point was not glamorous. They did not look at where they were and decide it said something permanent about where they were going.

They learned from every job. They developed skills they did not know they would need. They built resilience and grit and a work ethic that no one could take from them.

And then, when the right moment came, they were ready.

Your beginning does not define your ending.

Maybe you are in a season right now that does not look like what you dreamed of. Maybe your job is not the one you planned for. Maybe you feel like you are miles behind where you thought you would be.

That is okay.

Every big story has a humble beginning. Every finished house was once just a hole in the ground. Every great career was once someone starting over from nothing.

You are not behind. You are in the beginning of your story.

And the beginning of a good story is supposed to be hard. That is what makes the rest of it worth reading.

So keep going.

Do the work in front of you. Learn everything you can from the season you are in. Show up every day.

Your story is still being written.

And the best chapters are ahead of you.