2008
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008I’m guessing you’re reading this at the end of the year or at the start of Jan 2008, so like it or not, it’s time to think about what you want to accomplish in 2008.
Before we get to that, next time you’re near your computer, visit this website: http://tinyurl.com/36z576
It’s a video review of 2007 that can’t be described. You’ll enjoy it, I promise. It’s both funny and poignant at the same time.
Now, how was your 2007? Could have been better, right? Let’s be realistic. Stuff happens. Bad stuff sometimes. Really bad stuff occasionally. Does that mean that 2008, or even the rest of your life is doomed? Of course not, but you’d be surprised at how many people take that view. You know, an acquaintance of mine personally auditioned a singer by the name of Reg Dwight in the 1960’s. He unceremoniously shoved the singer out of his office for wasting his time. That singer is now better known as Elton John. My friend would have made millions from that deal if he’d signed Elton. BUT, he didn’t let it affect him. He moved on.
Everybody fails sometimes. I think the following examples will convince you that you can succeed:
Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He was subsequently defeated in every election for public office until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62. He later wrote, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up.”
Charles Darwin gave up a medical career and was told by his father, “You care for nothing but shooting, dogs and rat catching.” In his autobiography, Darwin wrote, “I was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect.”
Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.” As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4-years-old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was “sub-normal,” and one of his teachers described him as “mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in foolish dreams.” He was expelled fromschool and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. He did eventually learn to speak and read. Even to do a little math.
Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because make enough of them, it’s considered to be your style.”
After his first audition, Sidney Poitier was told by the casting director, “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?” It was at that moment, recalls Poitier, that he decided to devote his life to acting.
When Lucille Ball began studying to be actress in 1927, she was told by the head instructor of the John Murray Anderson Drama School, “Try any other profession.”
The first time Jerry Seinfeld walked on-stage at a comedy club as a professional comic, he looked out at the audience, froze, and forgot the English language. He stumbled through “a minute-and a half” of material and was jeered offstage. He returned the following night and closed his set to wild applause.
In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency, told modeling hopeful Norma Jean Baker, “You’d better learn secretarial work or else get married.” Norma Jean was later known as Marilyn Monroe.
After Harrison Ford’s first performance as a hotel bellhop in the film Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, the studio vice-president called him in to his office. “Sit down kid,” the studio head said, “I want to tell you a story. The first time Tony Curtis was ever in a movie he delivered a bag of groceries. We took one look at him and knew he was a movie star.” The vice president dismissed Ford with “You ain’t got it kid , you ain’t got it … now get out of here.”
Michael Caine’s headmaster told him, “You will be a laborer all your life.”
Charlie Chaplin was initially rejected by Hollywood studio chiefs because his pantomime was considered “nonsense.”
Decca Records turned down a recording contract with the Beatles with the unprophetic evaluation, “We don’t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on their way out.” After Decca rejected the Beatles, Columbia records followed suit.
In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.”
Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him “hopeless as a composer.” And, of course, you know that he wrote five of his greatest symphonies while completely deaf.
A Paris art dealer refused Picasso shelter when he asked if he could bring in his paintings from out of the rain.
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his life. And this to the sister of one of his friends for 400 francs (approximately $50). This didn’t stop him from completing over 800 paintings.
Rodin’s father once said, “I have an idiot for a son.” Described as the worst pupil in the school, he was rejected three times admittance to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.
How do you feel now?
You know, a friend of mine personally auditioned a singer by the name of Reg Dwight in the 1960’s. He unceremoniously shoved the singer out of his office for wasting his time. That singer is now better known as Elton John. My friend would have made millions from that deal if he’d signed Elton.
I recently found out that there’s a professor at MIT who offers a course on failure. He does that, he says, because failure is a far more common experience than success. An interviewer once asked him if anybody ever failed the course on failure. He thought a moment and replied, “No, but there were two ‘incompletes’.”
Imagine if any of the examples on the last few pages HAD given up, believing they were doomed to failure, that they would never get anywhere. Do you think they got down or even depressed? Sure. But I can guarantee you that they didn’t allow the gloomy state to overtake them, to overpower their desire to succeed.
And in every case they did succeed, in a HUGE way, far greater than their wildest dreams. Bad experiences can be viewed as positive in hindsight. They can be viewed as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. It’s your choice “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” He went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.
In fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of Anaheim on the grounds that it would only attract riff-raff.
Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he succeeded.
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball teams. Jordan once observed, “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.”
Charles Schultz had every cartoon he submitted rejected by his high school yearbook staff. Oh, and Walt Disney wouldn’t hire him either.
“Never, Never, Never Give Up.”
After Fred Astaire’s first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, read, “Can’t act. Can’t sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.” He kept that memo over the fire place in his Beverly Hills home. Astaire once observed that “when you’re experimenting, you have to try so many things before you choose what you want, that you may go days getting nothing but exhaustion.” And here is the reward for perseverance: “The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it’s considered to be your style.”
When Lucille Ball began studying to be actress in 1927, she was told by the head instructor of the John Murray Anderson Drama School, “Try any other profession.” The first time Jerry Seinfeld walked on-stage at a comedy club as a professional comic, he looked out at the audience, froze, and forgot the English language. He stumbled through “a minute-and a half” of material and was jeered offstage. He returned the following night and closed his set to wild applause.
Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and his teacher called him “hopeless as a composer.” And, of course, you know that he wrote five of his greatest symphonies while completely deaf. Imagine if any of these examples you’ve just read HAD given up, believing they were doomed to failure, that they would never get anywhere. Do you think they got down or even depressed? Sure. But I can guarantee you that they didn’t allow the gloomy state to overtake them, to overpower their desire to succeed. And in every case they did succeed, in a HUGE way, far greater than their wildest dreams. Bad experiences can be viewed as positive in hindsight. They can be viewed as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. It’s your choice. Decide now to make 2008 your best year ever. It’s not determined by anyone else but you.
Now, you should know that in order to buy the full version of WinAmp I had to submit my full contact details, and WinAmp knows when I’m online because it verifies that I’m a paid user when I open it up, and then the software displays ads. If you’re one step ahead you’ll have noticed the ad that was showing as I was preparing this article. Look again at the screenshot. It’s for tampax, the feminine hygiene product! Like I said, WinAmp KNOWS my profile, KNOWS I’m male, and yet they still display an ad for Tampax. Actually, the fault here might lie with the makers of Tampax because they should have demanded demographic targeting. That ad should obviously only be shown to women, and an ad that matches the male audience should have been shown to me. Inexcusable for a company like that.