“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison was perhaps one of the greatest inventors the world has ever seen, and quite possibly, one of the greatest entrepreneurs to have ever lived!
He is credited with some of the biggest inventions and technological breakthroughs the world has ever seen – such as the light bulb, as well as the motion-picture camera, to name just a few.
In fact, according to Wikipedia:
“Edison is the fourth most prolific inventor in history, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
He is credited with numerous inventions that contributed to mass communication and, in particular, telecommunications. These included a stock ticker, a mechanical vote recorder, a battery for an electric car, electrical power, recorded music and motion pictures.”
You might be surprised to know that many electronics, household items and electronic gadgets that are a big part of our lives now and those we continue to use on a daily basis borrow heavily from some of Edison’s earlier inventions and the technological breakthroughs that he achieved.
These include things such as the light bulb, a vote recorder, the telegraph, stencil, the electric lighting system, an electromagnetic braking system, a fruit preserver (haha!), electric current converter, ore separator, the typewriter, the photographic film, alkaline battery, and many more.
You can see a list of 31 of Edison’s greatest inventions here.
Safe to say, we are talking about an extremely accomplished man here!
A man who did not know the meaning of the word ‘giving up!’
Edison’s life is a testament to the fact that giving up gets you nowhere, and only with sheer persistence and perseverance will you be able to achieve something, and get somewhere in life. Yes, he was a brilliant man with a brilliant mind, but he owes a large part of his success to the fact that he possessed a never-say-die attitude.
And that’s one of the problem with people today: we give up too soon.
Success isn’t easy to come by, and often times, we will end up failing way too many times. What will ultimately decide whether we accomplish are goals and go on to be successful with what we set out to do, is whether one chooses to give up, or persevere.
Edison and his long list of accomplishments prove what one can achieve with the right attitude, a positive mindset, and above all, will-power. Like Edison says, you just might be this close to success without even realizing it – if you give-in, you’ll never find out!
Always set goals with anything and everything that you do in life, and make sure to continue trying until you achieve those goals. Never let failure deter you. Success might just be around the corner.
You’ll never know if you give-up, will you?
A few more words of wisdom and inspiration by Thomas Edison:
“Your worth consists in what you are and not in what you have.”
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
“Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.”
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”
“There is no substitute for hard work.”
“I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work!”