Refuse To Believe In Failure

During World War II the U.S. government was seeking a new synthetic rubber from inventors. General Electric decided to throw their hat into the ring, creating a strange substance that could stretch and bounce. Though the military decided they could not use the new creation, General Electric sent it do different scientists around the country to see if they could come up with a use for the material.

At the conclusion of the war, a marketer named Peter Hodgson and a toy store owner named Ruth Fallgatter paid $147 to GE for the patent rights to the substance, believing it would somehow make a great toy. After some trial and error, they finally hit upon a use. Putting the substance into a plastic egg and slapping a funny name on the package, they would go onto make countless sales of Silly Putty, making themselves millionaires several times over.

There is a well known story about Thomas Edison as he sought to perfect the light bulb. The Wizard of Menlo Park had literally tried hundreds of versions of the bulb before hitting upon the secret. When asked how he viewed all of his previous attempts he famously said, "I have not failed; I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

One of the secrets to success is in understanding that those who succeed are willing to do what other people won't. They see possibility when other people give up; and they refuse to believe that they can fail. As Edison's words of wisdom note, as long as something is learned in the process, there really is no such thing as failure.

As Dr. Srikumar Rao says, "Don't go around putting a '˜good thing' or '˜bad thing' label on everything. When you put a '˜bad thing' label on things, it increases your chances that you will experience it like that. Put a '˜good thing' label on something or try an '˜I don't know.'"

This past weekend I was watching a woodpecker as he was searching for food. Intricately constructed for the task of locating a tasty meal, they are a marvel of creation. Though there are plenty of insects along the ground and in far easier places to reach, woodpeckers search inside of trees for their next meal.

They have especially strong senses of smell and hearing to locate prey beneath the bark. They remain firmly attached to the side of a tree with powerful claws and short legs that can withstand the pressure of the jackhammer affect of drilling holes. Woodpeckers are also equipped with a special shock absorber that protects their skulls as they smash their extra hard beaks into the dense wood of a tree. And to top it off they have a very long, sticky tongue that is used to pull grubs out from the newly drilled hole.

When you see one in action, you are seeing a perfectly engineered machine doing exactly what it was designed for.

In a similar fashion, you have been given certain strengths and weaknesses for a reason. When you understand this, and refuse to believe in failure as a concept, you will be well on your way to knowing and living out your life's purpose.

George Eliot says, "It's never too late to be what you might have been." Wouldn't today be a great time to start?