The formula for achieving greatness is 10% talent and 90%
persistence – not the other way around. Of course, we can all think of examples
of engineers, scientists, and other technical professionals who have natural
gifts and achieve success. But do these people ever really achieve personal greatness without
persistence? I would argue that they do not, because true greatness is
something that is measured as an absolute value rather than a
relative one.
Here are some examples of individuals who achieved greatness
as the result of their persistence, more so than even their talent.
- Henry
Ford went bankrupt twice in his first few years in the automobile
industry.
- In
1902, a magazine called the Atlantic
Monthly rejected the poetry submissions of a 28-year old aspiring poet
stating, "Our
magazine has no room for your vigorous verse." The name of that 28-year old
aspiring poet was Robert Frost.
- Michael
Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
- Twenty-three publishers rejected Dr. Seuss' first children's book. The twenty-fourth
publisher took a chance and sold over 6 million copies of his book.
- J. K.
Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone manuscript was
rejected by 15 publishers before it was eventually picked up and became a
multi-billion dollar phenomenon.
- In
1905, the University
of Bern rejected a
Ph.D. candidate's dissertation describing it as "irrelevant and
fanciful." The candidate's name was Albert Einstein.
- A
young quarterback named Johnny had a passion for football and played at a
small school because he was considered too little to play at Notre Dame.
After graduation, he played with the Steelers for a short stint and was
cut. Forced to work construction to pay the bills, he waited for another
chance to play football. The Baltimore Colts took a chance on him and
Johnny Unitas not only led them to a championship, but also was eventually
inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.
- A
young college economics student submitted a paper on a new way to send and
receive packages. His professor gave him a "C" on the paper stating, "The concept is
interesting but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be
feasible." That student's name was Fred Smith, and he founded
a company called Federal Express.
I would expect that many CR4ers have heard of these top
performers, and may be surprised and hopefully now inspired to learn of the
failures they overcame on their paths to greatness. If anything,
maybe this week's blog-entry will justify a moment of reflection as you ask
yourself, "How persistent am I?"
Dr. Doug
Editor's Note: You can visit Dr. Doug online at www.DrDoug.com or by email: DrDoug@DrDoug.com.
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