“An inventor fails 999 times, and if he succeeds once, he’s in. He treats his failures simply as practice shots.”
Those are the words of the famous American inventor, engineer, and businessman who just happens to hold an unimpressive 186 patents—Charles Kettering.
Wow. One hundred eighty six patents!
His patents include the electrical starting motor, leaded gasoline, and the Freon refrigerant that goes in our refrigerators and air conditioning systems. This is some serious inventing he did—unlike those who win the Stupid Patent of the Month award (it’s actually a thing).
Here’s what stood out to me about this quote: Although everyone fails—especially leaders—the best leaders learn from their failures and keep on moving forward.
Where will your failure take you?
When I visited the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, WA over Christmas, I came across the Wall of Failure. Just as it inspired me to keep on stepping out in faith and trying new projects, I hope it does the same for you.
Here are the names and descriptions of some of the failed leaders on the Wall of Failure who kept on moving forward. This is directly from the exhibit.
J.K. Rowling – failed author
“An unemployed, single mother on welfare whose first children’s book was rejected by all 12 major publishers.”
Albert Einstein – failed genius
“A poor student who didn’t speak until age 4 or read until age 7, Albert was considered “slow” by family and teachers and was eventually expelled from school.”
Michael Jordan – failed athlete
“A somewhat promising basketball player who barely met minimum height requirements, Michael Jordan was not allowed to join his high school’s varsity team.”
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