Did you know that Jerry Seinfeld was booed off stage the first time he did stand up?  Did you know that Stephen King’s bestseller “Carrie” was rejected by publishers 30 times?  Or how about this one?  Thomas Edison failed at making the light bulb over 1000 times!  The Beatles were rejected by a music label and told they have “no future in show business.”  Walt Disney was fired and told that he lacked imagination and had no original ideas.

There are many, many other stories of how now-famous people once failed miserably.  Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Abraham Lincoln, and Steve Jobs are just a few.  The stories of their failures have been widely circulated around the internet and often used to inspire others.  Sometimes it’s hard for me to look at those people and think that they have anything to do with ME.  I’m not a millionaire.  I’m not a famous author or inventor.  I’ve never won any awards, well, unless you count that podcasting award!

The point is, if you’re like me, when you hear stories of famous people who once failed, you quickly tell yourself why you’re not like that person and their story may not inspire you the way it was intended.  In reality, all those people are normal humans just like the rest of us.  And while we may not ever be a famous inventor, TV personality, athlete, author, or musician, we can do the EXACT same things that each of those people did.  We can learn from our failures and use them to make us stronger.  Read More...