There is hardly a seminar that goes by that I do not tell the story of Thomas Edison and how it took 10,000 tries for him to make the lightbulb. There is also a story about one of my other great teachers, Napoleon Hill. His wonderful book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ was published in the year I was born and is still in the best-sellers on self-help. The book tells a wonderful story about when Napoleon Hill was interviewing Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb and Napoleon Hill asked him, "What would you have done if you had not finally uncovered the secret?" Thomas Edison replied, with a twinkle in his eye, "I would be in my laboratory working now, instead of wasting my time talking to you."
As I explained to the executives in my workshop, Mr Edison knew no reality as failure. Henry Ford was also such a man. He repeatedly told his engineers, who wanted to give up many times, to go back to the workshop. He would not accept failure. His great determination to achieve his dream gave us the first motor car.
We give up too easily.
Do you know that the majority of people give up after they are defeated just once? There is only a small number of people who will keep on trying a second or a third time and do whatever it takes. Many people even quit before they have had a defeat, because they expect to be beaten. They do not have the attitude to be persistent in their outcome.
I am proud to tell you that for two years, I have challenged myself. Although being of "radio-valve generation", I want to help people have a better quality of life. In the two years to date, I have had many more failures than I have had successes. It has been often one step forward and two back, particularly in finding people who can communicate with me in a language I can understand.
When the seeds of doubt flash into my mind, I make an excuse that I am too old, or I am mad attempting to do such a thing. However, my passion to help people have a better life drives me on, and I believe if you love what you do and do what you love, with blessings from upstairs and faith, you cannot fail.
Successful people speak about their vision, aspiration, and the big picture of possibilities of what they want to obtain in their future. They don’t speak about their disappointments and where they have failed in the past.
The other thing which I think is important is always think favorably about others who are succeeding. Have some heroes! I recently watched a documentary about the relationship between Bishop Desmond Tutu and entrepreneur Richard Branson and a group they belong to, called ‘The Elders’. This group also includes other famous people, like former President Jimmy Carter and musician Roger Daltry, and former Irish Prime Minister Mary Wilson. The documentary focused primarily on the relationship between Desmond Tutu, who is the chairman, and Richard Branson. What I specifically noticed between these two men, was the respect they had for each other, and the fun they enjoyed with each other. I have always believed that having fun in what you are doing is important and on a number of occasions when I stated this about the workplace, it received a frown from my superiors.
Sometimes on our journey's path, we meet people who stand in our way, or who let us down. I encourage you not to hold grudges against these people, even though you may have anger towards them. It is said, ‘Forgiveness is the key to happiness’. I would suggest that if you have the potential for forgiveness, then you have the potential for greatness. You will let it go.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." As challenging as it may be, we can control our reactions to the actions or circumstances that other people appear to create in our life. My mind is my own, and nobody can affect it, unless I allow them to. If you want to find peace of mind, be prosperous and successful, and do not allow other people to upset you. You are in charge of your life, and this is not a rehearsal.