Vincent Van Gogh, Michael Jordan, Thomas Edison, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg, Dr. Seuss, Oprah, Steve Jobs, Elvis Presley, Mark Cuban, and just about every other successful person.
What do all these people have in common?
Failure. Rejections. People doubting them.
But they also had & have perseverance & belief in their vision.
It’s more than a mindset.
It’s a pull.
Life pulls people toward their destiny but few people listen to life.
“Be in the world but not of the world.”
The world tells you to settle.
Life, the infinite, gives you signs of what you should do—your passions, hobbies, interests, etc.
But the world tells you you can’t do that as a career.
They tell you you’ll fail.
And you will. At first.
But in time you will succeed.
“Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.”
C.S. Lewis
• J.K. Rowling’s original Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was accepted.
• Dr. Suess’s first book was rejected 28 times before it was accepted.
• Stephen King’s first book, Carrie, was rejected by 30 publishers before it was accepted.
• Oprah was told she wasn’t fit to be on television.
• Steve Jobs was fired from the company that HE CREATED!
• Thomas Edison talks about failing over 10,000 times.
• Walt Disney experienced bankruptcy and a mental breakdown
• Vincent Van Gogh only sold ONE painting during his lifetime…He made over 900 paintings.
They never gave up because their purpose was never about “money.”
They “failed” over, and over, and over again, and again, and again.
Or maybe they just found a lot of ways that didn’t work.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Thomas Edison“I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is a step forward.”
Thomas A. Edison
The world laughed at them. And they will laugh at you if you try to attempt anything great, anything outside the “norm.”
Laugh with them. It is funny. And it will be even more funny when you make it, because it’s not about the critics and it’s not even about you. Your life’s work has a deeper purpose. It is life living through you.
It is Love.
As you begin to follow your life’s purpose, and it is hard in the beginning when you are experiencing failures, but the pull toward your purpose will grow within you. Your vision will be tested but your belief in it will grow as you persevere through the difficult times.
“Gold is tested by fire, and human character is tested in the furnace of humiliation.”
Sirach 2:5-7“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.”
J.K. Rowling
Don’t fear failure. Fear never trying.
More inspiring quotes to help you persevere through failure:
“The phoenix must burn to emerge.”
Janet Fitch“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. It is good to have a failure while you’re young because it teaches you so much. For one thing it makes you aware that such a thing can happen to anybody, and once you’ve lived through the worst, you’re never quite as vulnerable afterward.”
Walt Disney“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”
Dale Carnegie“Failure after long perseverance is much grander than never to have a striving good enough to be called a failure.”
George Eliot“Failure is success if we learn from it.”
Malcolm Forbes“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.”
Johnny Cash“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
Napoleon Hill“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”
Steve Jobs“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
Michael Jordan“Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others.”
Amelia Earhart“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
Robert F. Kennedy“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.”
Henry Ford“Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”
Zig Ziglar“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”
Oprah Winfrey“It is fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”
Bill Gates“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”
Winston Churchill“Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.”
John Wooden“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
Dale Carnegie“Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I’ve met people who don’t want to try for fear of failing.”
J.K. Rowling
With Ken Thompson 