Society makes us believe that making mistakes is wrong, so we do everything we can to avoid making them. For instance, You just spilled your coffee, and everyone in the room looks at you like you just committed murder. You feel so bad about yourself, that you wish you were never born.
In my early school days, I remember one of my teachers who divided the class into 2. There were those who were his favorites and those who were not. The favorites were usually those who got all the answers to his questions, they were treated specially and made to believe the world was for them.
Life doesn't always favor the intelligent, it sometimes favors the persistent person. History is littered with examples of people who overcame the odds to become successful. Funny enough most of the people we celebrate today were failures yesterday, they were able to persistently overcome their situation.
I have been in situations where my back has been against the wall and I felt like giving up. But through self motivation and determination I have been able to overcome obstacles. I don't know what you might be going through now but, I am here to let you know that your mistakes can lead to a breakthrough.
In this article I will give examples of people who were able to overcome their failures to become successful.
1. Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was so poor he had to sell coke bottles for a living. He had to drop out of college six months after enrolling. Many years later he became the founder of apple computers, but was removed from the company he founded. At that point, it seemed like his life was over, but he never gave up and went on to become the founder of Next.
12 years later he returned back to apple as it's CEO and transformed the company into what we now know today.
2. Bill gates
Most people might not know, but Bill gates wasn't the smartest person in college. One famous quote that is attributed to him is this:
Success is a lousy teacher, It makes people believe they can't loose.
This statement above stresses the need to respect failure as a teacher and stay humble when we achieve success.
Bill gates dropped out of college to become the founder of Microsoft with his partner Paul Allen. Today, the company is one of the most successful in the world.
3. J.K Rowling
After her failed marriage, she had no job and she became a single mother. She hit rock bottom, and it was at that point she made a choice a choice to work on her book.
J.K Rowling's book Harry porter was rejected by several publishers until it was accepted and published by Bloomsbury publishing. Today J.K Rowling is known worldwide because of the success of her books (The Harry Porter series) and has made $20 billion through movie adaptations and sponsorship.
4. Richard Branson
When you hear the name Virgin Atlantic, I guess Richard Branson comes to your mind. But do you know that Richard Branson was not an overnight success, he had to go through many failures before he found success with the virgin brand.
The first plane used by virgin Atlantic was a rented Boeing 747. During the initial test flight a flock of birds flew into the engine causing extensive damage and as a result his Airline couldn't get certified. He remained optimistic and was able to rally round and raise cash for the repairs. Eventually Virgin Atlantic was able to successfully carry out it's test flight.
5. Walt Disney
Walt Disney started as an employee for a newspaper, that eventually fired him because they thought he was not creative enough. His woes further compounded when his first company went broke, and he couldn't afford to pay his rent.
He later created the MIickey mouse animation but MGM studios refused to distribute it because they thought it wouldn't sell. But through hard work and determination Disney is now a house hold name world wide.
Finally
The individuals listed above are just a few examples of people who have been able to overcome failures to achieve success. There are so many other examples we can draw motivation from. So urge you to pick a role model today because you are never too old or too young to be inspired. I want you to know that there is strength in all of us, and once we can tap into that inner will, there is just no telling what we can achieve.
