Thomas Edison invented the light bulb after going through 2000 different prototypes before he finally perfected his revolutionary invention. A young reporter interviewed him soon after the announcement of his creation and asked what it felt like to fail 2000 times before he finally got it right. Edison replied, I didnt fail at all, I invented the light bulb. It was just a 2000 step process. Our precious egos often make us enormously fearful of the creative process, which may require several attempts at something without achieving the desired result. We get so intimidated by what could go wrong instead of focusing on the prize and committing to do whatever it takes to get there. And sometimes it can take a long time to get there! But what would our lives be like today if Thomas had quit after step number 1763'? I have always told my acting students that the less afraid you are of being wrong, the faster youll get where you want to go. You may be sitting on a gold mine right now that youre too afraid to pursue for fear of what may go wrong. Stop that today and take the leap. Youre not only cheating yourself but youre also cheating the rest of us who could benefit from your great invention. True failure only happens to those who never try or when they quit. Those are the only steps you should ever be afraid of. |
