“Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.” — Charlie Chaplin
- Les Brown was labelled "educable mentally retarded" as a child.
- Albert Einstein was labelled a major failure, and he didn’t speak until he was 4-years old.
- Fred Astaire was described as “Can’t act. Slightly bald. Dances a little." by Hollywood executives.
- Harrison Ford was told he would “never make it in this business” by studio executives.
- Henry Ford was a 3 time automobile company failure before succeeding in the industry.
- Jack Canfield's book Chicken Soup For The Soul was rejected 144 times before publishing.
- J.K. Rowling was on welfare, was clinically depression and was suicidal before Harry Potter.
- Jon Hamm was cut by his agent, worked as a waiter and was called a failure before Mad Men.
- Marilyn Monroe was called fat and ugly and had a stutter.
- Michael Jordan didn't make his H.S. varsity basketball team because he was "not good enough."
- Sylvester Stallone was rejected 1,500 times by talent scouts.
While many have overcome negative talk and degrading, limiting labels, many have not. Not everyone has the strength of character to push through the negativity of this world. I can just imagine how many people must have brought their talents to the grave with them because of someone else's insults and characterizations.
I think Les Brown said it best when he said, “The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.” I would add that many of these folks simply listened to the dream killing voices of those around them.
The late Myles Munroe had a slight variation on this idea when he said, “The wealthiest place in the world is not the gold mines of South America or the oil fields of Iraq or Iran. They are not the diamond mines of South Africa or the banks of the world. The wealthiest place on the planet is just down the road. It is the cemetery. There lie buried companies that were never started, inventions that were never made, bestselling books that were never written, and masterpieces that were never painted. In the cemetery is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential.”
Munroe wrote over 70 books and had thousands of quotes, criss-crossing various genres. Leslie Calvin "Les" Brown has authored over 272 books. Imagine if these two great men had allowed the bullies in their lives (young and old) suppress their desire to write, or convince them of their inability to do so. Instead, they set criticism aside and silenced the haters (critics) by overcoming every obstacle to become the great men God intended them to be.
Albert Einstein once said, "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." Imagine if he had allowed his critics to stop him from researching, thinking freely and speaking his voice. Imagine if the label of major failure had become his identity. He didn't worry about meeting other people's definition of success, as is evident when he said, "Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value."
My favorite Fred Astaire quote is, "The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any." This was true during his lifetime, and even more appropriate today. We've entered the age of cancel culture and mudslinging politics, where the person with the most damaging comment is often considered the most clever. In today's world, Jesus would've been labeled a fool, and the devil would be labeled a diplomat. Fred Astaire hit it right on the nose. How can today's children learn any manners when they are groomed to be over sensitive, weak minded, illiterate, socially awkward, clout chasing, woke adults who fit everyone of those descriptions? Yes, that was a bit of mudslinging of my own.
My favorite Harrison Ford quote is "I don't think I've mastered anything. I'm still wrestling with the same frustrations, the same issues, the same problems as I always did. That's what life is like." Harrison understood that none of us will ever truly be masters of anything. We may be better than everyone else at something until someone comes along and is better at it than us.
A Henry Ford I've shared numerous times is, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right." Very few people in Henry Ford's time, including those closest to him believed would be successful at anything. With each failure, more and more people doubted his ability to be a success. But the most important person in his life believed in him; himself. Henry Ford continued pressing on, pushing forward and reaching upward. If he'd given up, the world would probably look very different today.
"What others think about you is none of your business.", Jack Canfield. This is so true. There is no way we will ever please everyone, and if we are seeking the approval of men rather than that of God, we are destined to fail. Social media has created a society that is likes, shares and followers driven. People will do anything for likes, shares & followers on Instagram and TikTok. They will set aside their values just to have others like them. They become fake personalities online that do not translate to their authentic selves. These people fall apart when they lose the approval of others. It's why so many of today's celebrities become tomorrow's hasbeens.
OK Harry Potter fans. Please forgive me but I am not as well versed on the books as some of you may be. I will also admit that I did not watch all the movies either. I think I watched one. Again, please forgive me. But, I do like many of J.K. Rowling's quotes. One in particular is, "It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default." She failed early and failed hard. She found herself on her back, looking up. But like many greats before her, she picked herself up, dusted off and kept on going.
Jon Hamm captures the secret to success in this short but powerful quote. "Happiness... is freedom from fear." I am anti-fear. I didn't allow it to be spoken over my children. I didn't allow it to be spoken over my life. I have walked as a 2 Timothy 1:7 Christian for years. I've been physically, emotionally, mentally & spiritually attacked for it. But I know that in my own journey of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness", I've learned that my life, my liberty and my happiness all rely in my courage in Jesus Christ.
Marilyn Monroe grew up being told she was imperfect, unattractive and worthless. She did not let these labels define her. While the people in her youth abused her and discarded her, she found her own value and her own strength and said, "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." She lived life her way, and while it certainly was not a life without struggles and without brokenness, she lived it without allowing the labels of her childhood to define who she was as a woman.
Michael Jordan's words became the battle cry for athletes, entrepreneurs and people in general. His success despite his failures made him the greatest basketball player of all times. Many have held on to this quote as a their driving force. He is quoted as "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
I'll finish this with one final quote by Sylvester Stallone. "Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!"
CONCLUSION:
Do not allow negative words from others define who you are. You are a child of God and destined to fulfill a calling. Your life has purpose and meaning. Your life matters. From this day forward, for every negative word spoken over you, speak two powerful positive words.
Words have power. Words have the power to build and to destroy. Words have the power to bring forth life and cast things into death. Words have the power to heal or harm, bless or curse. If you want to surround yourself with powerful life giving energy, speak life into existence in all aspects of your life. Use your words carefully.
I find my life giving words in the Holy Bible. Where do you find yours?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
George L. Rosario is a Brooklyn NY born & raised businessman & entrepreneur turned consultant. He started GC Rosario Group with his lovely wife Claudia. With over 30 years of service to the marketplace in NYC, George has relocated and been graciously adopted by the business community of South Florida. He now travels the country helping businesses and organizations thrive in today’s noisy environment. The post-Covid era forced many to close their doors, but also opened new doors of opportunity, growth and prosperity for innovative thinkers. George & Claudia Rosario help companies, businesses, organizations and teams develop the necessary skillset and plan of action to not just survive, but thrive in this new world. GC Rosario Group helps both secular and Christian based institutions meet their goals.
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