When Thomas Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration,” he wasn’t kidding around. He also could have said success is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perseverance. However, he did say, “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
Thomas Edison considered his failures as a learning experience.
My one percent inspiration was my creative idea to go out to Park Avenue to hand out resumes while wearing an “Experienced MIT Grad for Hire” sign board displaying my contact information—and my decision to start a blog—but the rest of my effort was perseverance and perspiration.
I was fortunate to have a resilient wife and family that did not lose faith in me, that I was contacted by a brilliant career coach who threw me a life-line and would not let go until I was safely on board—and that I had the opportunity to be inspired by a determined and compassionate doctor who had spent thirty years developing techniques to save peoples’ lives, reduce their pains and help them live with a better quality of life.
Dr. Okuno persevered and perspired each and every day as he practiced his medical art, performing his non-invasive procedures on people who had given up hope.
He gave them a new life and renewed hope.
There are many famous people who achieved great things by not giving up.
Albert Einstein was a late bloomer and faced many challenges in his lifetime but never gave up on solving the riddles of the universe and publishing his theories.
Sigmund Freud was ostracized when he first presented his theories of the subconscious, but he would not abandon his research, psychological practice and writing.
Abraham Lincoln was initially a failure as a soldier, business man and politician yet went on to become President of the United States.
Winston Churchill failed as a politician until he became Prime Minister at age sixty-two. He said, “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.”
Henry Ford failed many times before he finally got it right.
Vince Lombardi said, “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up.”
Babe Ruth said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
Robert Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
What all these famous people had is common is that they did not give up in the face of personal and professional challenges—and they went on to achieve great success.
I did not become a public figure as a result of a great achievement or ground-breaking discovery. I became a public figure because I lost my job, responded to my situation with creativity and caught the attention of the media and the public.
I was in the right place at the right time. My ultimate success was something that anyone can achieve. All I did was to persevere and find a job.
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