Lately, I’ve been thinking about this great quote I saw recently from Thomas Edison. Did you know he tried 10,000 times before he was able to invent a working light bulb?
Now, most people would have given up long before 10,000 tries. But Edison, he was no quitter – he was determined to make the light bulb work. He knew he could do it, he could see it happening, but it took him awhile to find the right path to making it happen. Instead of saying, “I failed,” he told everyone, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
When you’re starting a business, or growing an existing one, remember Thomas Edison and his determined mindset. It’s the same mindset you need to have: fail forward, go for no, hear and face rejection. Keep trying things over and over again, learn what works and what doesn’t. Keep pushing and shoving those boulders in different ways until they move.
The people who never give up are the ones who make it, plain and simple. They’re not just executing on an idea and it’s a straight line to success; success looks more like a rollercoaster, like a child’s drawing. The path leads you in a million different directions; it’s all over the place. When you don’t give up, when you try and fail and push through each failure, you make it. You grow. You do bigger things than you first imagined, you reach greater heights than you knew existed.
When things don’t happen the way you intended, don’t look at it as a failure or mistake. Instead, say to yourself, “It’s fine, I’m one step closer to where I want to be.” Every no you receive means you’re one step closer to that life-changing yes. This life we live, this entire universe, it’s a numbers game. If you keep trying and play your cards right, it’s impossible for you not to make things happen. You have all the right stuff; just keep going, don’t give up and big things will happen.
