No Pain, No Gain" (the title of the book that chronicles his successful return in 2012) was recently named in the top 10 bestselling motivational and inspirational books of all time.
After a life-changing injury, professional athlete Mark Wahlberg made a miraculous comeback. The man hailed as the biggest box-office draw in film history—and one of Hollywood's most fearless performers—once was the fated victim of a tragic accident, a broken back that ended his career and nearly his life.
Mark was in Paris in 1999, about to do a night shoot for "The Perfect Storm," when he slipped on a freshly waxed floor and fell hard, a fall that left him paralyzed from the chest down. His career shattered, Mark was faced with a choice: Live in physical agony or undergo experimental surgery. His courageous journey back to the playing field is a triumphant reminder that "No Pain, No Gain" is infinitely better than "no career at all."
Now, in Wahlberg, you can watch a master teacher share how he defied medical opinion, shattering myths about the limits of the human body and giving a new generation of patients new hope, faith, and the unshakable courage to face life's challenges.
Stories of Courage is a national conversation with Mark Wahlberg about the most difficult—and sometimes unexpected—choices that challenge every person's life and ultimately, every person's legacy. The one thing that does not change—a man's mind, a man's heart, and a man's will.
Mark Wahlberg is an actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his leading role in "The Fighter" and his breakout performance as Donnie "Doughnut" or "Donny P." in the Academy Award-winning film "The Departed." On the acting side, Mark starred in the film "Max Payne" and "Shooter," which earned over $100 million in worldwide box office.
Mark is also an entrepreneur who cofounded two successful businesses. He is the CEO of Wahlburgers and co-starred with his brother, Donnie "Donny P." Wahlberg, in the History Channel series "Donny P." and "Donnie."
Mark was born in the Dorchester section of Boston on July 1, 1969. His parents were Barbara (McClinton) and Donald James Wahlberg. At an early age, the boys began imitating their father's profession as a club DJ, entertaining their fellow classmates with their impressions of Elvis Presley, the Bee Gees, and Michael Jackson. At six years old, Donnie took up singing. And when he wasn't entertaining in the parking lot of their Boston housing projects, he took up hockey.
The brothers never lost touch with the neighborhood. The Wahlberg boys' love of entertaining—and their talent for it—would make their living in a lot of ways. After graduating from Dorchester High School, Donnie joined a family business that, through the years, flourished into Wahlburgers. Today, Donnie oversees every aspect of the food business, from menu planning to purchasing to quality control. Mark, meanwhile, set out to conquer Hollywood, where he has made a mark as a talented actor and director.
While each brother had his own dreams, when it came to music, they were inseparable. Donnie was famous for his song "Good Vibrations," and Mark, in addition to singing with the boys in the band, got his first break as a keyboard player. The band's name? Shark Squad.
Away from the stage, Mark's love of cooking found a home in Boston's bustling music scene, where the Wahlbergs regularly entertained in a basement eatery on Lansdowne Street, the same area where his later endeavors would be headquartered.
Mark's dream was to follow in the footsteps of his father and get a degree from Harvard Business School. But Mark wasn't sure he would get there, so he put off applying. Then, one day, he heard from one of his favorite teachers at his favorite school.
"Mark," he said, "you should go to college. You have a real gift and a passion for music."
This planted the seed for Mark's ambition. He decided to get a part-time job at the famed Cambridge restaurant Locke-Ober. Although Mark had not gone through with business school and would go on to make over $100 million from acting, he has kept the tradition alive, funding scholarships at Northeastern University in Boston, as well as the Wahlberg Innovation & Performing Arts Center at the University of Rhode Island, Donnie's alma mater.
After being in a serious motorcycle accident in 2003, which left him severely bruised and with a spinal cord injury, Mark began to feel frustrated and angry. His doctors told him that he would never walk again and urged him to think about euthanasia, but Mark turned those feelings into a desire to prove everyone wrong.
With the support of his family, Donnie, and their friends, and with a bit of coaching from his trainer at the gym, Mark decided to get back in the gym to get stronger. With an amazing combination of physical therapy, exercise, and determination, Mark was able to overcome the odds that everyone had thrown up against him.
That's when Mark made a choice: he had to make the choice. Mark had to make a conscious decision to live and he did it with the help of his mother and brother. He now lives with the goal of inspiring others to pursue their dreams and never giving up hope in his success. He has an amazing spirit to see the glass half full in everything.
In 2012, Mark returned to competition and finished third in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, eating 47 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes to defeat Joey Chestnut, who was hot on his heels.
To find out more about Mark Wahlberg, including how he became a millionaire and what he believes success is, visit http://www.MarkWahlberg.com.
For my younger students, I want to share a story from Mark Wahlberg's childhood that brings together two of my key principles. This is what I want my students to do—leave no stone unturned as they dig for the truth of what happened behind what we see on the screen.
It has happened again and again in the history of cinema. The hero of the movie is not as brave as the audience thinks. He is not as smart as the audience thinks, either. He is not as skilled at hand-to-hand combat as he thinks he is. In short, the hero may come across as larger-than-life, but the real action is usually happening on the stage when he is offstage, when no one is watching.
For a brief time, however, I want my students to see Mark Wahlberg as he really is. After being injured on a movie set, he was brought home on a gurney, which he used to create a fake fall to fake his death. To his surprise, he walked away from this terrible, tragic incident and started a rejuvenating career as an actor and filmmaker.
The life of Mark Wahlberg is a testament to what my mentors would tell me: do what you love to do, and do it with all you have. What we need to remember most is that the audience is never satisfied. They have little or no tolerance for mediocrity, and this is true in every field of endeavor, including the performing arts.
For my older students, Mark Wahlberg's accomplishments are a great example of the power of practice. I want to make sure you know how far from easy it is to make something truly great. The key is practice, repetition, and persistence.
To my middle and junior high students: I want to remind you of one of the core principles of this book: the road to becoming a champion is as much a mental road as it is a physical one.
One of my greatest mentors once said that the person who truly makes it in this business will find a way to do both, to do the hard work of practice in the time that is available to him or her, but also to make the practice time interesting.
What do I mean by making practice interesting? Practice will not be fun unless there is a goal that engages you. This is where imagination enters the picture. For Mark
