Here are 6 ultra-successful people that failed forward to success:
1. Fred Smith
While
attending Yale in 1962, Smith wrote a paper for an economics class
outlining the idea for a worldwide, overnight package delivery service.
The professor returned the paper to him and commented that, to earn
better than a C grade, the idea would have to be feasible. Ignoring this
rebuke, Smith went on to form FedEx, the world’s first overnight
delivery company.2. Michael Jordan
Jordan
was cut from his high school’s basketball team as a sophomore. Within 2
years though he not only came back to make the team, but was also named
high school All-American his senior year. In his professional career he
lost over 300 games and missed over 9000 shots, 26 of them were
potential game winners. Yet, Michael Jordan
lead his team to 6 NBA championships, was named league MVP 5 times and
became only the second player ever to score 3000 points in a single
season!“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”
3. Abraham Lincoln
Perhaps
one of the best examples of failing forward to success is the 16th
president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln lost no less than 9 bids
for various public offices prior to his presidency. He was fired from
multiple jobs, failed at least twice as a business owner and even went
bankrupt. But, At 52 years of age Lincoln was elected president and led
the nation through its bloodiest war to preserve the union and abolish
slavery.4. Lucille Ball
From
the age of 15, she wanted to act even though her drama school teacher
once wrote to her mother, “Lucy’s wasting her time and ours…”. Ball went
on to be fired from her first two Broadway acting gigs and became
nicknamed “Queen of the B’s” for the number of second rate films she had
roles in.Today though we know Lucille Ball as the redheaded firecracker from the TV show, I Love Lucy, named in a 2012 ABC News survey as ‘The Best TV Show of All Time’. Her career persistence resulted in 2 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 4 Emmy Awards, and many other TV and Film honors. She is arguably the most recognized female actress of the 20th century.
“I don’t suppose that hard work, discipline, and a perfectionist attitude toward my work did me any harm.”
5. Theodor S. Geisel
Geisel
worked as an illustrator and cartoonist during the Great Depression.
But his love was for children’s books. His first manuscript was rejected
by 27 publishers with responses such as, “Too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling”. Only
a chance meeting with an old college friend saved the pages from being
burned. The book was published in 1937 opening the door for Geisel to
become one of the most popular children’s book authors of all time,
selling over 600 million copies. He penned most of his works under his
pseudonym, Dr. Seuss.6. Thomas Edison
Edison’s grade school teachers deemed him “too stupid to learn anything”.
He was fired from jobs for being “non-productive”. He persisted in
inventing but failed in gaining traction with most items. In fact, the
thing Thomas Edison is most remembered for was not even his invention
but rather the refinement of an existing idea… the light bulb. And even
in that, it took him 10,000 tries to perfect it!“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”Thousands more of these failing forward stories exist. In them, lessons abound. Grit, determination, persistence, and even some luck are clearly all part of the achievement recipe. But, there’s no denying that failure is something likely, and even useful, along the road to success.
