The statistics claiming that college graduates have more lifetime earning potential than non-graduates are now thought be off base. The truth is, ambitious people generally make more money and are usually found among college graduates. Researchers also suggests that had these same people never attended college their earning potential would probably have remained the same.
The same can be said of those who have attained success. It doesn’t matter what steps they took, the results would have been the same. The reason is success is an expression of the Authentic cause within each unique individual. Success is not achieved by following any set of steps or following any group of principals or assuming any archetype. That is why so called success programs have only limited success and continue to disappoint so many people. Success (much like happiness) is not something you can put on a “to-do” list, but rather it is a “state of being”.
A real simple approach to learning how to become successful is to read about those who you believe have attained your life’s dreams. By considering people who satisfy your definition of success you will find there is only one cause that they all share and that is persistence.
A Short List of Successful Failures
According to “The Secret of Success is Not a Secret,” by Darcy Andries, Tenacity or being persistent in maintaining, or seeking something valued or desired is the name of the game. Here are just a few examples from her book:
Clint Eastwood
Early in his career this actor, director and producer was fired. He was told by an executive at Universal studios: “You have a chipped tooth, your Adam’s apple sticks out to far and you talk to slow.” He took on odd jobs to earn a living then one day he starred in an Italian movie called, “A Fist Full of Dollars.” It was a huge success and the director had him also star in, “A Few Dollars More” and “The Good, Bad and Ugly.” Once these movies were released he became a global sensation.
Walt Disney
Walt failed very early on in his entrepreneurial endeavors and found himself bankrupt. He was also fired by a newspaper editor as he “had no good ideas.” He spent 4 years producing “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” despite his critics and it cost him1.5 million, and nearly bankrupted his second business. Since its 1939 release “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” has amassed well over 400 million bucks. Walt Disney also holds the record for receiving the most Academy Awards, twenty-six, with sixty-four nominations.
Albert Einstein
Due to his poor apptitude his elementary school teachers thought Albert was mentally impared. Shockingly, most simply considered him a failure with no real future ahead of him. Later he failed the entrance exam into the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and his doctorial dissertation was rejected as “irrelevant and fanciful.” He was recognized only after “The Special Theory of Relativity” was published. Einstein won a Nobel Prize in 1921 for Physics.
David Letterman
David was fired as an Indianapolis weatherman. He did land a small role on two TV programs only to loose them both when the shows were canceled early. There was another series to be called “Leave it to Dave” saddly it never made it on TV. His new morning show called, “The David Letterman Show,” was caned after only four months on the air. Finally Dave was given his own show “Late Night with David Letterman” earning five Emmy Awards and thirty nominations. Later he moved to CBS to host “The Late Show” with more than fifty nominations taking home nine Emmys awarded.
Clark Gable
Clark waited ten long years for Hollywood to take notice. He worked in small scale theatrical plays as he travel to Oregon from Ohio. To earn a living he began selling ties. He had to take on work as an extra in silent films due to failing his first MGM screen test. Leaving the movies he fled to the stage. He auditioned at Warner Brothers and unfortunatley was turned away. They felt his ears were just too large. In 1931 Clark went back to MGM and landed a part in the sucessful film “The Painted Desert”. It seems however that Clark let the fame go to his head and MGM studios sent him to smaller studios in an effort to teach him humility. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1934 for his role in “It Happened One Night.” His most famous role of course was as the male lead in “Gone With the Wind”.
Abraham Lincoln
Now this story is no doubt one of the best known successful failures in American history.
- In 1831 his first business, a dry goods store failed.
- A year later he was made Captain and fought in The Black Hawk War. Three months later he was demoted and left the Army as a Private.
- Lost an election for the state legislation in 1832.
- Opened another store, which also failed leaving him in debt in 1833.
- As a postmaster he had the worse efficiency record in the county.
- In 1834 he ran and won the House of Representatives for Illinois but lost for Speaker of the House in 1838.
- 1843 Lincoln lost an election for U.S. Congress.
- Won the next election but failed to get re-elected in 1848.
- 1855 he lost his bid for the U.S. Senate
- 1856 he ran for Vice President and lost.
- 1858 he again ran for U.S. Senate and lost a second time.
- Finally in 1860 he ran for president of the United States and won with 40% of the popular vote. It was assumed that he would lose re-election in 1864, but he won with 55% of the popular vote.
What form of success planning did these people subscribe to? What are the “7, 10 or 15 Principals of Success” that they followed? What might this teach us about the so called “Law of Attraction?”
Through Tenacity Your Success is Inevitable
The above stories reveal the dynamics of real life. They are all good examples of how everyday people eventually attain a successful state of being. The path, if you noticed is not direct. Success comes only after failure and persistence. It was their inner drive, fueled by passion that compelled these people to press forward against repeated failures and disappointments.
To sum it up, I feel actor Tony Curtis said it best. This is how he put it when interviewed for the book “Great Failures of the Extremely Successful” by Steve Young.
There’s no way I can point to a single experience or event and say that from then on, my life was changed. It’s just the living of life itself. You cannot put that into words. It’s too variable. Too changing. Every moment, every second we are alive provides so may inputs and impulses that it’s too difficult to choose one and say, ‘That’s what did it for me.’ - Tony Curtis - Actor, Painter and Writer
It is tenacity of our inner motivation that is responsible for success, and tenacity is very simply the willingness to insist on expressing your true inner self in the face of any and all obstacles.
Passion for an idea, is the tangible evidence that you are tapping into your Authentic Side where your inner motivator resides. When you feel excitement and exhibit a sense of joy found in your accomplishments, you are expressing your authentic inner self and given time, success is inevitable.
! Persist! Never give up!
However, there is a method that can inspire more passion within you. Think of it as a short cut on the way to your successful state of being. If you feel there must be a lot more to all of this, you’re right. Want to go deeper?
The successful “You” awaits discovery!
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