Category Archives: Failure

Michael Jordan on Failure

Failure is the Key to Success

17 May 2012

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“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” ~ Michael Jordan

There’s nothing worse than working your ass off only to fail.

But it’s okay to fail.  Failure is just the first step towards success. Our failures give us an opportunity to reflect on why things didn’t happen as we’d hoped. We should embrace our mistakes in order to learn from them. Most of all, we should continue taking risks, even if we might fail.

Some of the most respected people in history have failed miserably, only to persevere and become wildly successful. Here are but a few examples:

Publishers rejected Stephen King’s first book thirty times. Frustrated, King decided to give up, throwing the book in the trash. His wife took it out, encouraging him to submit it again. Today, King has hundreds of published books, and is one of the best-selling authors of all time.

Walt Disney was fired because, according to his editor, he lacked imagination and had no good ideas. After starting a number of failed businesses, he eventually found the recipe for success. Today, Disney brings in billions of dollars from merchandise sales, movies and theme parks around the world.

Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was four, and didn’t read until he was seven, leading his teachers and parents to believe he was mentally handicapped. In 1921,  he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”

Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting (to a friend for a very small amount of money) while he was alive. Even though he was never a success during his lifetime, he kept painting. Today, his paintings are worth millions.

After a single performance, the manager of the Grand Ole Opry told Elvis Presley, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.” He went on to become one of the best-selling artists of all time, and is still a household name today.

Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” As an inventor, Edison made a thousand unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail a thousand times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail a thousand times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

This post was inspired by 100 Words On: Why It Pays to Never Give Up by Len Penzo

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Breaking an Addiction

30 June 2009

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"addiction" by chandrika221 @ FlickrOne of the first goals I succeeded in accomplishing when I began this website was to stop drinking soda.  I had attempted this multiple times before but had always fallen back into the habit.  This time would be different & I was able to break my addiction to soda.

After nearly six months of abstaining from my vice I caved in & had “just this one”.  Soon I would find myself drinking soda on a regular basis, though not nearly as much as before.  It has made me realize that breaking habits & addictions can be incredibly difficult, even after going so long without.

Though I realize it is difficult to make changes I still am left with the question “Why?”  I wanted to stop drinking soda & I had been doing a great job of staying away from it, but one moment of indiscretion has left with in a complete state of relapse.

Alcoholics & drug addicts undoubtedly experience the same challenges with their addictions, but what about a less obvious addiction like shopping?  Some people spend themselves into a hole, leaving themselves in a precarious financial situation.  The next time there is a bit of money left over at the end of the week, instead of saving to prepare for what comes next they run to the store to buy themselves a new gadget or pair of shoes.

Though it is more socially acceptable to buy a DVD than a gram of cocaine, I wonder if the same tendencies are at play.  If the same struggle must occur for a person to stop shopping as for a person to stop smoking or drinking soda.

There are those who would argue that there is a difference between drug or alcohol addiction than going to the Gap to buy a new shirt.  They are right, there is a difference.  Buying a new shirt isn’t physically destructive, though it is financially destructive.  Chemical addictions also require overcoming a physical addiction and the bodily reactions of withdrawal, but after that point I think the same emotional and psychological struggles come into play.

You want to buy something just as the alcoholic wants a drink or the drug addict their next fix.  If we are to overcome these addictions we must first want to eliminate them from our lives then resist our urges and impulses.  One mistake or mis-step can cause all of our hard work to dissolve back into the same habits we worked so hard to overcome.  I know.