Are these failures?
Walt Disney
was fired by a newspaper editor because, "he lacked imagination and had no
good ideas," but later on…
Bill Gates
dropped out of Harvard to start his business called Traf-O-Data which
failed and then…
Einstein didn't speak till 4, didn't read till 7, was expelled from school but then
in the end…
Edison
was fired from work twice, had 1000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the
light bulb and today the light you see…
Elvis Presley took
a break from driving his truck to give his first performance, and he was asked
to yet again go back to driving trucks because that was all he would ever be good at; but eventually…
The world thrives on winners
The world
needs winners. And you and me want to be one of those. We don't have to invest
our energies in failure, that’s not the prerequisite. We don't ‘have to fail’
like many of those who did and then succeed ultimately. Its great if we win at
the outset (who of us wouldn't want that?). But this is not a perfect world.
More often than not, you have to strive very hard to get above that ‘average’
mark. And the slope to the top of the mountain is not a steady one.
Ordinary and extraordinary differs by that ‘little’
extra (pun)
Steve Jobs had
stated in one of his interviews about the degrees of excellence, that
categorizes people into different abilities.
The vast majority of the populous usually is in the average range
(almost 90%). At a school, college or university; or even at a job interview,
80 to 90% of candidates usually ‘pass’ the requirements. 4% to 7% may fail
(they are significantly lower than standard) and the 4 to 7% who excel are
appreciably loftier than the average. It takes a ‘lot’ to be up there. The rise
from mediocre to good is smooth but that from good to superior is a very sharp
ascent and few can sustain it. Most fail and topple back to the average level;
some get disheartened and get thrown below the ordinary too.
But I’m not that lucky!
Luck is not
available in the stores or online. None of us were born with it. None secured
it in safety lockers for the rainy day. No one steals our providence from us.
You make your own luck with your head, your intellect, your heart, your hands
and everything in the realm of your personal abilities. You claim credit for
your skills when things go your way and blame bad luck when they don't. How
trivial can we get? Take charge of your life and take the glory as well as disgrace
for what happens to you. Luck, destiny, faith, hope, optimism; all are
mandatory but they don't make for 100% success. They are merely the seasoning
not the substance of your meal.
Appraise then reappraise
Look back at
the times things didn't work out. Look with a magnifying glass. If you still
don't see what was botched, glance through a microscope. You will definitely see
what went wrong. And that will be the learning of your lifetime. It’s not
possible for you to fail without a reason. Sometimes someone else was simply better.
Explore how and why they were better. Don't just see what they have; seek what
you don't. Focus on yourself. Your greatest critic, worst challenger and best
competitor are right there in the mirror in front of you. Don't miss a chance
to learn from them.
Humility pays
Michael Jordan,
the best basketball player of all times was cut from his school basketball
team, but he didn't give up…
"I have
missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26
occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I
have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeeded."
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