INSPIRING FAMOUS FAILURES
By: Lubnah Abdulhalim
When
I first came across the names of the most inspiring failures, I immediately
wanted to share it to all the readers who are facing failure at the moment.
Whenever I came across hardships and failed miserably in achieving what I want,
I always remembered these great personalities. It is inspiring to know that the
most famous successful personalities in the world are yet the most famous
failures, but what makes them outstanding is how they tackled their failure to
become very successful. These are just some among'st many other achievers in the
world and who knows; maybe you and I could be the next people in the world
charts?? Let us have the will power and confidence that we can get there
someday.
1. Bill Gates, founder and chairman of Microsoft, has literally changed
the work culture of the world in the 21st century, by simplifying the way
computer is being used. He happens to be the world's richest man for the last
one decade. However, in the 70's before starting out, he was a Harvard
University dropout. The most ironic part is that, he started a software company
(that was soon to become Microsoft) by purchasing the software technology from
"someone" for only $US50 back then.
2. Abraham Lincoln, received no more than 5 years of formal education
throughout his lifetime. When he grew up, he joined politics and had 12 major
failures before he was elected the 16th President of the United States of
America.
3. Isaac Newton was the greatest English mathematician of his
generation. His work on optics and gravitation made him one of the greatest
scientists the world has even known. Many thought that Isaac was born a genius,
but he wasn't! When he was young, he did very poorly in grade school, so poor
that his teachers became clueless in improving his grades.
4. Ludwig van Beethoven, a German composer of classical music, is
widely regarded as one of history's supreme composers. His reputation has
inspired - and in many cases intimidated - composers, musicians, and audiences
who were to come after him. Before the start of his career, Beethoven's music
teacher once said of him "as a composer, he is hopeless". And during
his career, he lost his hearing yet he managed to produce great music - a deaf
man composing music, ironic isn't!
5. Thomas Edison who developed many devices which greatly
influenced life in the 20th century. Edison is considered one of the most
prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S patents to his name. When he
was a boy his teacher told him he was too stupid to learn anything. When he set
out on his own, he tried more than 9,000 experiments before he created the
first successful light bulb.
6. The Woolworth Company was a retail company that was
one of the original five-and-ten-cent stores. The first Woolworth's store was
founded in 1878 by Frank Winfield Woolworth and soon
grew to
become one of the largest retail chains in the world in the 20th century.
Before starting his own business, Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when
he was 21. But his employer would not let him serve any customer because he
concluded that Frank "didn't have enough common sense to serve the
customers".
7. By acclamation, Michael Jordon is the greatest
basketball player of all time. A phenomenal athlete with a unique combination
of grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable
competitive desire. Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar. Before
joining NBA, Jordan was just an ordinary person, so ordinary that was cut from
high school basketball team because of his "lack of skill".
8. Walter Disney was American film producer, director,
screenwriter, voice actor, and animator. One of the most well-known motion
picture producers in the world, Disney founded a production company. The
corporation, now known as The Walt Disney company, makes average revenue of US
$30 billion annually. Disney started his own business from his home garage and
his very first cartoon production went bankrupt. During his first press
conference, a newspaper editor ridiculed Walt Disney because he had no good
ideas in film production.
9. Winston Churchill failed the 6th grade. However, that never
stopped him to work harder! He strived and eventually became the Prime Minister
of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Churchill is generally
regarded as one of the most important leaders in Britain and world history. In
a poll conducted by the BBC in 2002 to identify the "100 Greatest
Britons", participants voted Churchill as the most important of all.
10. Steven Spielberg is an American film director. He has won 3
Academy Awards and ranks among the most successful filmmakers in history. Most
of all, Steven was recognized as the financially most successful motion picture
director of all time. During his childhood, Spielberg dropped out of junior
high school. He was persuaded to come back and was placed in a
learning-disabled class. He only lasted a month and then dropped out of school
forever.
