FAILURE IS NOT THE END STAY IN THE STRUGGLE

WHO AM I? I WAS FIRED FROM MY JOB AS A NEWSPAPER EDITOR BECAUSE I “LACKED IMAGINATION AND HAD NO GOOD IDEAS.” I STARTED SEVERAL BUSINESSES THAT EACH ENDED IN BANKRUPTCY. MY FIRST BIG CHANCE AT SUCCESS WAS DISMISSED AS BEING “TOO SCARY FOR WOMEN.” I EVENTUALLY FOUND A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS AND MY BUSINESS EMPIRE IS NOW WORTH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. WALT DISNEY

WHO AM I? I WAS FIRED FROM MY FIRST JOB AFTER ONLY 7 ½ MONTHS. ONE OF MY CO-WORKERS HARASSED AND CRITICIZED ME EVERYDAY WE WORKED TOGETHER. MY EMPLOYER DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ME SO THEY TRANSFERRED ME TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. MY BOSS FORCED ME TO LET HIS GIRLFRIEND LIVE IN MY APARTMENT, RENT FREE. OPRAH WINFREY

WHO AM I? I DIDN’T SPEAK UNTIL I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD AND DIDN’T START TO READ UNTIL I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD. MY TEACHERS TOLD MY PARENTS I WAS MENTALLY HANDICAPPED, SLOW, AND ANTI- SOCIAL. I WAS EXPELLED FROM SCHOOL AND REJECTED FROM COLLEGE. I EVENTUALLY TOOK A JOB AS A CLERK IN A PATENT OFFICE. ALBERT EINSTEIN

WHO AM I? MY FIRST BOSS TOLD ME I DIDN’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL. I WORKED AS A CARPENTER TO MAKE ENDS MEET WHILE I PURSUED MY DREAM. I NEVER EARNED A GRADE ABOVE A “C” IN HIGH SCHOOL. I DROPPED OUT OF COLLEGE. LATER, I EARNED MY PILOT’S LICENSE AND HAVE PILOTED ONE OF THE COOLEST AIRCRAFT EVER IMAGINED. HARRISON FORD

WHO AM I? I WAS TEASED ABOUT MY LAST NAME AT SCHOOL. I WAS A DIVORCED SINGLE MOTHER STRUGGLING TO GET BY ON WELFARE. MY PARENTS THOUGHT I SHOULD GO TO VOCATIONAL SCHOOL AND GET A “USEFUL” JOB. INSTEAD, I WENT TO COLLEGE AND EARNED A DEGREE IN FRENCH LITERATURE. I BEGAN WRITING A CHILDREN’S BOOK WHILE SITTING IN A TRAIN STATION. J.K. ROWLING

WHO AM I? I WAS CUT FROM MY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TEAM BECAUSE THE COACH SAID I WAS “TOO SHORT.” I EARNED A SPOT ON THE JUNIOR VARSITY TEAM BY TRAINING VIGOROUSLY. AS A SENIOR I AVERAGED 20 POINTS PER GAME AND WAS NAMED AN “ALL- AMERICAN” PLAYER. I HAVE MISSED OVER 9,00 SHOTS IN MY CAREER AND LOST OVER 300 GAMES. I HAVE MISSED 26 LAST SECOND SHOTS TO WIN THE GAME. “I HAVE FAILED OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE. AND THAT IS WHY I SUCCEED.” MICHAEL JORDAN

FAILURE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE FAILED AT SOMETHING DURING THEIR LIFETIME. SOME WERE TOLD BY OTHERS THEY WOULD NEVER BE SUCCESSFUL, WERE FIRED FROM JOBS, OR HEARD THE WORD “NO” COUNTLESS TIMES. WHAT THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON IS THEY NEVER GAVE UP. FAILURE AND MISTAKES ARE THE WAY WE LEARN AND GROW. WHENEVER YOU ATTEMPT TO DO SOMETHING AND FAIL, TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF ARE: WHAT HAVE I LEARNED? WHAT CAN I DO BETTER? THEN, YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IT WILL NEVER ALWAYS BE EASY, BUT WHEN YOU LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES AND KEEP TRYING YOU WILL SUCCEED!