Apr 18
Falling on the Road to Success
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Mark Twain once said, “All you need in life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” Well, that’s not altogether true, but his premise is on track.
Whether we fail or succeed can sometimes depend on our own tenacity and on the confidence with which we approach a task. We’ve all heard stories of people who beat the odds and achieved where others tried and failed. But we seldom stop to think about the many times those same people fell flat on their faces before realizing their goals. Thomas Edison reportedly built and tested more than 1,000 different light bulbs before finally getting one to work. How many of us, I wonder, would have continued the quest after so many disappointments? The late Colonel Sanders took his chicken recipe to more than 1,000 different restaurants before finally convincing one that it was finger-lickin’ good. And consider Abraham Lincoln. For 28 years he couldn’t seem to do anything right. He lost several jobs, he failed in business, he endured numerous losses while running for public office, and eventually suffered a nervous breakdown. But he refused to give up. Finally, he won the election that made him one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States.
Time and again, we look into the lives of people who succeed, and we find a string of failures and disappointments. That’s a vitally important understanding for us all... but especially for young people just starting out in life. You can find more Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson at myfamilytalk.com.
