Dwayne Johnson first became popular as a wrestler for the World Wrestling Federation. Since then, he has worked as a producer and an actor, most notably in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise.
But before he became The Rock, he had a major career setback playing professional football that taught him an important lesson, which he discussed recently in an Instagram video to his 91 million followers.
Johnson recalls traveling to Vancouver, where he filmed the video, for the first time as a 22-year-old. "I was playing in the Canadian Football League, playing my first pro football game. I was playing for the Calgary Stampeders, we were playing the B.C. Lions. I was so excited," he says. "Two days later, I got cut."
His dream of playing in the NFL was shattered and he was sent home with only $7 in his pocket.
"Sometimes the goal we've worked our ass off for years is never achieved. Then years later, we look back and realize, it's the best thing that never happened," he says.
Johnson says he realizes that getting cut from the team helped him succeed as a wrestler and actor.
In the video, Johnson took his followers on a trip down memory lane to the last time he visited the Canadian city. "Look, I've dropped my blood and sweat in this city, wrestled multiple matches in this city, shot big movies in this city," he says.
The Rock now commands eight figures to be featured in a film, according to Forbes. In 2016, the magazine listed him as the highest paid actor and estimated his net worth at $65 million dollars.
He leaves his fans with an inspiring message: "You're going to get your ass kicked. We're going to get the s--t kicked out of us. You've got to get up, you've got to have faith that the one thing you wanted to happen oftentimes is the best thing that never happened," he says. "So have faith, and just keep that in mind and keep plugging away."
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