Thomas Edison was an American Inventor who was known by a majority as one of America’s biggest businessmen. He was not born with a silver spoon as he had to rise from humble beginnings to inventing major technologies like the first light bulb, the alkaline storage battery, the kinetograph, the telegraph, and the phonograph.
Other Achievements
He was credited for building America’s economy during the American Industrial Revolution. It all seems like Thomas Edison had everything going from him with ideas flying around in his head like he was the fly emirates of his generation. It was not so. Edison was one who had to overcome failure before he could become who he was. He was practically the master of “trial and error” trying different hypothesis till he arrived at an answer.
One time, he was asked how many times he failed when trying to create the light bulb we know today and he said, “I have not failed. I just found 9,999 ways that did not work.” It sounds so plain and simple but there is more to it than that because as a child, people perceived him as dumb and told him he would never amount to anything by his teacher as his mind would often wander in class.
He could have chosen to listen to them but the good thing is that he didn’t and he went on to become the greatest inventor in history.
Thomas Edison’s Motivation: His mother’s letter
As a little boy, every time Thomas Edison got back home from school, he gave his mom a sheet of paper and said to her, Mother, my teacher gave this paper to me and revealed to me “you are to examine it.” What does it say? Her eyes were filled with tears as she read what the letter said about her son.
“Your son is a Genius. This school is not the right place for him, and there are no teachers efficient to train him. So, please train him yourself.”
Edison’s time in school only lasted for 3 months and this was a turning point for him because he explored a lot of things which increased his interest in mathematics and physics. After many years, his mother passed away when he had become one of the greatest inventors of the century. One day, he checked his cupboard and found his childhood letter from his teacher.
Edison opened the letter and it read; “the school can not allow your son to attend classes here anymore because he is mentally impaired. He is expelled.” Edison couldn’t helpbut burst into tears and he wrote in his diary……..
“Thomas A. Edison was a mentally deficient child, whose mother turned him into The Genius of the Century.” This goes to show that a positive word of encouragement can change anybody’s destiny.
How Thomas Edison made Failures, steps for his Success
10th December 1914, West Orange, New Jersey, USA experienced a massive explosion with the legendary inventor owning 10 buildings and a factory all engulfed in flames. The chemical inferno could not be handled by eight fire departments and after they tried all they could, Edison stood by and watched as the fire destroyed everything he had worked for.
His son Charles who was 24 years at that time and stood by him and in a mild voice, Edison said to Charlie, go get your mother and friends because I don’t think they would get to see another spectacular fire like this in their entire lives. Charlie was shocked so he asked, all our factories and offices have been burnt to ashes dad and all you see is a big fire? Thomas replied, “Yes, our factories are being burnt down, and so are all the mistakes we have made so far. We would start over tomorrow.”
That same night, Thomas Edison told a New York Time writer “Even though I am 67 years of age, I am tired of striving to control the fire. Tomorrow, I’ll start over.” This he did as Edison and Charles started the modification of what was left from the fire incident the next morning.
Motivational Message
Gaur Gopal Das says: this is what life often does to us. Our hopes are broken, dreams shattered and efforts baffled. STRONG PEOPLE DON’T CRY, they try to rebuild what was lost. GREAT PEOPLE DO NOT GIVE UP, they live up to their challenges. GREAT PEOPLE DON’T GO THROUGH, they grow through the difficulties they experience.
They experience challenges and start all over again with the same determination as the beginning, which is why they reach their potential, something many few do.
NO CHALLENGES NO SUCCESS
KNOW CHALLENGES KNOW SUCCESS
-Gaur Gopal Das
With life, you always have a second chance and what you do with it rests solely on your shoulders. You can either pull yourself up and become better for it or stay down and drool about how you lost everything. It is in these times you can truly say you have grown.
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