If you’re struggling to stay positive during turbulent times in your life, consider this script….
As a young man, Abraham Lincoln went to war as a captain but returned to civilian life as a private. He later faced failures as a businessman and, as a lawyer in Springfield, was too impractical and temperamental to find success. Lincoln turned to politics, where he faced a series of defeats: he lost his first attempt to enter the legislature, was again defeated in his first bid for nomination to Congress, faced rejection in his application to be commissioner of the General Land Office, lost the senatorial election in 1854, was unsuccessful in his efforts for the vice-presidency in 1856, and was defeated once more in the senatorial election of 1858. Despite these setbacks, he ultimately became the 16th President of the United States.
Winston Churchill failed sixth grade and faced defeat 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 give in— 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.”
When Sigmund Freud first presented his ideas to the scientific community of Europe, he was booed from the podium. Undeterred, he returned to his office and continued writing.
Robert Sternberg received a C in his introductory psychology class during his first year of college. His teacher remarked, “There was a famous Sternberg in psychology, and it was clear that there would not be another.” Three years later, Sternberg graduated with honors from Stanford University, earning exceptional distinction in psychology, summa cum laude, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. In 2002, he became the President of the American Psychological Association.
Thomas Edison’s teachers once claimed he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was also fired from his first two jobs for being deemed “non-productive.” As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts to create the light bulb. When a reporter asked him how it felt to fail 1,000 times, Edison responded, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention that required 1,000 steps.”
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and did not learn to read until he was seven. His parents believed he was “sub-normal,” and one of his teachers described him as “mentally slow, unsociable, and forever lost in foolish dreams.” He was eventually expelled and denied admission to the Zurich Polytechnic School. However, he eventually learned to speak, read, and even do a little math.
Louis Pasteur was a mediocre student in his undergraduate studies, ranking 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.
Henry Ford struggled with literacy, failed multiple times, and went bankrupt five times in business before achieving success.
R. H. Macy experienced seven failures before his New York City store succeeded.
F. W. Woolworth was not allowed to serve customers at a dry goods store because his boss said he lacked competence.
When Bell Telephone was trying to get off the ground, its owners offered all their rights to Western Union for $100,000. This offer was contemptuously rejected, with the statement, “What use could this company have for an electrical toy?” How many of you have a telephone today?
Rocket scientist Robert Goddard faced strong opposition from his scientific peers due to the belief that rocket propulsion would not function in the thin atmosphere of outer space.
An expert stated about Vince Lombardi, “He has minimal football knowledge and lacks motivation.” Lombardi later wrote, “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up.”
Babe Ruth is well-known for his impressive home run record, but he also held the record for the most strikeouts for several decades. Throughout his career, he hit 714 home runs and struck out 1,330 times. He famously remarked, “Every strikeout brings me closer to the next home run.”
Hank Aaron went 0 for 5 in his first game at bat with the Milwaukee Braves.
Stan Smith was once rejected as a ball boy for a Davis Cup tennis match because he was deemed “too awkward and clumsy.” Despite this setback, he went on to triumphantly win Wimbledon, the US Open, and eight Davis Cups.
Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, and Jimmy Johnson collectively achieved 11 Super Bowl victories between 1974 and 1993. However, they also share the dubious distinction of having the worst records for first-season head coaches in NFL history, as none of them won a single game.
In the NFL, Johnny Unitas’s first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, while Joe Montana’s first pass was also intercepted. Additionally, during his rookie season, Troy Aikman threw twice as many interceptions (18) as touchdowns (9), and he too did not win a single game. This raises the question: is there a lesson to be learned here?
After Carl Lewis won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1996 Olympic Games, he was asked to explain his longevity in the sport, having competed for nearly 20 years. He responded, “I remember that I have both wins and losses. I don’t take either one too seriously.”
After Fred Astaire’s first screen test in 1933, the memo from the testing director at MGM read: “Can’t act. Can’t sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.” Astaire kept that memo by his fireplace in his Beverly Hills home. He once remarked, “When you’re experimenting, you must try many things before you decide what you want, and you may spend days getting nothing but exhaustion.” However, there is a reward for perseverance: “The higher you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. At the top, if you make enough mistakes, it’s considered your style.”
After Sidney Poitier’s first audition, the casting director told him, “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?” In that moment, Poitier resolved to devote his life to.
Richard Hooker’s humorous war novel, M*A*S*H, was rejected by twenty-one publishers after he worked on it for seven years.
Dr. Seuss’s first book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected by twenty-seven publishers.
Jack London received six hundred rejection slips before selling his first story.
Woody Allen once said, “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying. Eighty percent of success is simply showing up.”
Could there be a deeper message in this?
I think there is: Always persevere and never give up…..