Lessons From People Who “Failed”Their Way To Success

Most people we regard today as successful men
and women were those who we can say failed
their way to success. The ability to turn their
failures and limitations around was what made
them successful. Their stories point to the fact
that failure is only a part of the process to
success.

I have here some of the famous people we know
today and some of the vital lessons we can
learn from their stories.
Henry Ford: He is known today as a top name
when it comes to American-made cars, but that
didn’t happen just like that. His first and second
attempt at starting and growing an automobile
company did not work. It seems more like there
was no hope for him in the automobile industry.
But he finally made it.
Vital Lesson: Be committed to excellence and
quality. It is not much about what you do but
about how well you can do it. Nothing good
comes easy.
Bill Gates: As a Harvard university drop-out and
a co-owner of a failed business. It seems like
Gates wasn’t ever going to make it. However
his love for computer programming drove him to
build what would later become the world’s
largest software company and global empire –
Microsoft.
Vital Lesson: Stick with your passion. No matter
what you do or where you go, never move far
away from your passion.
Walt Disney: Suffered family and financial
problem at an early age. Was told that he
lacked imagination and have no good ideas;
started couple of businesses that never
survived. Today He has created more than 81
feature films, earned more than 950 honors,
including 48 Academy Awards and founded the
California Institute of the Arts as well as
building what we know today as Disneyland.
Vital Lesson: People’s opinion about you does
not matter as much as what you think and how
much you believe in yourself.
Albert Einstein: Couldn’t speak fluently until he
was 9, had a terrible reputation as a student
and was at the verge of dropping out of school.
Even his father died believing Einstein was a
complete failure. However, he went from failure
to success. He revolutionized science especially
in the field of physics; developed the theory of
General Relativity, won the Nobel Prize and
today you can’t think of a genius without
reference to Albert Einstein.
Vital Lesson: Never be afraid to try out new
things. Be curious enough to ask questions, go
in search of answers; never back down until you
get convincing ones and learn all you can from
them!
Thomas Edison: He invented the light bulb but
before then, he was told by his teacher that he
is “too stupid to learn anything.” He got fired
from his first two jobs for not being productive.
He made 1000 attempts at inventing the light
bulb and failed. Yet he did not stop until he
achieved his goal.
Vital Lesson: Limitation is a perception. There’s
truly no limit to what you can achieve if you are
hungry enough to go for it.
Abraham Lincoln: He faced challenges and
failures in his business, relationship, health, and
political ambition (severally). It seems more like
life itself was against him. But somehow he
persevered through all these to become one of
the best American presidents in history.
Vital Lesson: Perseverance and determination
are vital keys to success; giving up most times
means giving up on success.
Oprah Winfrey: She had a rough background of
abuse and molestation; experienced a lot of
setbacks in her career. She was even told that
she was “unfit for TV” as a television reporter.
Today she is the best paid female in the
entertainment industry according to Forbes. She
is noted as being the richest self-made woman
and the only black female billionaire.
Vital Lesson: Where you are coming from does
not look anything like where you are going.
Shake of the shackles of your rough background
and past and embrace your amazing future.
Helen Keller: Became blind when she was only
19 months old. This could have made many to
accept failure as their fate. Somehow she
overcame the adversity of being blind and deaf
to become an author and speaker. She received
the highest American honor, the Presidential
Medal of Freedom. She founded humanitarian
organizations like Helen Keller International
(HKI) organization and the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU).
Vital Lesson: No challenge around you is as
strong as your attitude. With a positive attitude
you can turn your world around even when all
odds are against you.