While waiting for the bus at the end of the day, one of the older kids kicked my brief case across the paved parking lot. I remember watching it slide like a big black hockey puck.

I loved James Bond. He was tough and cool. Defeated lots of bad guys, and by the end of the movie, he saved the world. Bond would overcome ridiculous odds through cleverness, confidence, tenacity and well-honed skills.

And like most boys, I loved gadgets. And Bond had lots of innovative technology – a rocket belt, underwater jet pack, mini rocket cigarette, and a Rolex with a rotating bezel that cuts ropes (and let him escape from a tank of man-eating sharks).

But maybe all that toughness and all those inventions pale in comparison to the tenacity required to create the man himself.

Before he became 007, James Bond was homeless. Well, more accurately, the actor Daniel Craig was homeless. Craig was a struggling actor with no money, and slept on park benches. It should have been pretty obvious that villains wouldn’t stand a chance against him. The guy slept on park benches for a time.

And if James Bond is not your cup of tea (the British reference was unavoidable), there are a shocking number of other very successful people who were also homeless at one time. They include Suze Orman, Jim Carrey, Ella Fitzgerald, Houdini, Sylvester Stallone and Charlie Chaplin – to name just several.

I can’t imagine the difficulty and hardship involved in moving from the streets to establishing a successful career and life. But, amazingly, some people do it. Perhaps not surprisingly, they credit their early struggles with helping build the framework for their future successes.

Here is what some have said being homeless taught them.

Innovation
It probably goes without saying, but creativity and invention are often necessary in creating a new future to move towards. Without that invented or imagined destiny, you’d have no goal and would stop making progress.

John Paul DeJoria, the founder of the hair-care company John Paul Mitchell and an American billionaire says, “When you start with next to nothing, all you’ve got is a lot of thought, a lot of innovation, figuring new ways to do things without using a lot of money.” He was homeless twice.

Courage
The fear of being stuck, of failing, must feel incredibly discouraging. And that fear needs to be pushed aside with bravery.

Turns out David Letterman of the Late Show spent time living in his red 1973 Chevy pickup while he was a struggling comedian in Los Angeles. Dave said, “There’s only one requirement of any of us, and that is to be courageous. Because courage, as you might know, defines all other human behavior. And, I believe – because I’ve done a little of this myself – pretending to be courageous is just as good as the real thing.”

A Sense of Humor
Hard to imagine maintaining a sense of humor about such a difficult situation. But Joan Rivers, the Emmy-winning TV show host and comedienne, spent some time living in her car, said it was critical.  “Life goes by fast. Enjoy it. Calm down. It’s all funny. Next. Everyone gets so upset about the wrong things.”

Taking Action
No doubt, the ability to continue putting one foot in front of the other and moving towards your goal is essential in making progress. Whoever told you, “Nothing comes to those who wait.” was right.

Tyler Perry, the actor-director-writer-producer and playwright, lived in his Geo Metro convertible in the mid 1990s. Today, his net worth is an estimated $400 million. His words of advice, “The key to life when it gets tough is to keep moving. Just keep moving.”

Empathy
Although nobody wants to endure hardship for long, it does provide perspective. In general, and whether you believe it or not, there’s oftentimes a thin line and a very small number of events that separates people and their seemingly wildly different situations.

Singer-songwriter and musician Ed Sheeran, who at times slept on the Central Line and outside Buckingham Palace said, “Be nice to everyone, always smile, and appreciate things because it could all be gone tomorrow.”

Persistence
Halle Berry, slept in a homeless shelter in New York City for a time. “There have been so many people who have said to me, ‘You can’t do that,’ but I’ve had an innate belief that they were wrong. Be unwavering and relentless in your approach.”

Belief
Like a lot of things in life, what people do depends on what they believe they can do.

Jean-Claude Van Damme slept in the streets of Los Angeles, working for his break into Hollywood. “I came to America with a dream and I made it. The dream became reality. America is built for success.”

I continued bringing my 007 briefcase to first grade, but as I continued through school, I found an even better character to emulate – Captain Kirk, the commander of the USS Enterprise. He was cool under pressure, utilized lots of innovations (he went into warp drive in every show for goodness sake), and was a good leader (“Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor not an engineer.”). Captain Kirk also had to deal with things not even James Bond encountered – aliens.

In hindsight, it should have also been pretty obvious that aliens wouldn’t stood a chance against Captain Kirk. Turns out, William Shatner also spent some time nearly broke and living in his pickup truck.