Find 10,000 Ways That Don't Work, Then You'll Get Your Greatest Success

This philosophy enabled Thomas Edison to change the world.

In the last twenty-four hours, I am sure that you have used an incandescent lamp at least once. They are part of our daily lives and have become essential to our way of life. I don't suppose you would imagine that you are constantly lit by candlelight in your home.

You've probably been to the cinema at least once to see the latest movie in the last few weeks. Again, even though streaming has changed the way we consume films, a trip to the cinema is still a time to enjoy with family and friends.

Long before the advent of computers, you may have used a device to record the sound of your voice, even if only to take notes or record an important conversation.

When it comes to inventions that still have a huge impact on our daily lives, I could go even further as the man I am about to tell you about was an incredibly gifted inventor.

Thomas Edison was a brilliant entrepreneur, but he had many, many failures

The man's name is Thomas Edison. You have probably heard his name at least once because he has a famous quote that I used as the title of my story:

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

— Thomas A. Edison

This quote may come as a surprise, but it was Thomas Edison who said this. I say this because many people think that genius entrepreneurs like Thomas Edison never doubt and never fail.

You might imagine that Thomas Edison set out to invent the incandescent lamp and succeeded. Similarly, you might imagine that he wanted to create the sound recorder and succeeded because he was brilliant.

Well, no!

Thomas Edison went through the worst difficulties in the world to invent these things that have changed the world forever. Thomas Edison probably had more failures in his life than we will ever have.

Thomas Edison was willing to fail more than 10,000 times to achieve his goals, which shows his determination to succeed

The reason for this is simple: Thomas Edison was a daring man who was not afraid to experiment in many areas. He believed that by trying again and again he had the best chance of achieving his goals. Throughout his life, Thomas Edison tried to achieve his goals.

Along the way, he experienced many failures, but always learned things that were essential for the continuation of his adventure. It was by failing to invent the sound recorder that he succeeded in inventing the telegraph in 1866. A great lesson for us all.

Failures can also be opportunities to be seized. That is if you have the right mindset. Never give up after a failure, but always try to do something different the next time.

This is how Thomas Edison became the great inventor we all admire today.

Final Thoughts

The big question you have to weigh up for yourself is this for me: are your goals important enough to you that you can try again 10,000 times before you succeed?

Success is all about resilience. Of course, you will have to work hard and be patient, because success may come tomorrow or in ten years. But without resilience, you will never get there. That's for sure.

The next time you are demotivated after a failure or even tempted to give up, you should remember this quote from Thomas Edison. If you are willing to give everything to achieve your goals, then you will probably succeed sooner or later. If not, I invite you to set new goals for your life.

It's up to you to decide if it's worth it. For Thomas Edison, you can see that it was.