Tweet

Your Setbacks and Cynics Don't Define You. Your Responses Do

Guest post by: Margie Warrell

Article Overview: The people history recorded as the most accomplished were not born with some super human like resilience that shielded them from disappointment, self-doubt or misgivings. Each had to wage their own inner battles with fear as they worked to overcome the obstacles that lined their path to success. What they ultimately learned was that your setbacks & cynics don't define you. Your responses do.

Your Setbacks and Cynics Don't Define You. Your Responses Do

In December, 1903, a New York Times editorial questioned the intelligence of the Wright Brothers who were trying to invent a machine, heavier than air, that would fly. "It simply defies the laws of physics," they wrote. One week later, at Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers took their famous flight. If you study history, you will find that all stories of great success are also stories of great triumph over adversity. But often we overlook the setbacks and only see the end success. We think the person got lucky: "He or she must have been at the right place at the right time." Or maybe they were just really smart. Or talented. Or well connected. But that's all bunk. While it may have been a little bit of each, what ultimately led to their success was their refusal to allow their setbacks and failures to define them.

Einstein did not speak until he was four and did not read until he was seven, causing his teachers and parents to think he was mentally handicapped, slow and anti-social. Eventually, he was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. You could say he had a slower start than many of his childhood peers. But I'm sure you'd agree that he eventually caught up pretty well. Today the name Albert Einstein is synonymous with genius.

As a young cartoonist, Walt Disney faced countless rejections from newspaper editors. He "lacked natural talent" they said. One day a minister from a local church took pity on the young cartoonist and hired him to do some cartoons in a small mouse infested shed behind the church. After seeing a small mouse, he became inspired to draw it. And so, Mickey Mouse was born.

One day a partially deaf four-year-old-kid came home with a note in his pocket from his teacher, "Your Tommy is too stupid to learn. We cannot have him at our school." His mother decided to teach him herself. Partially deaf and with only three months of formal schooling, Tommy grew up to be Thomas. Thomas Edison went on to fail approximately 10,000 times before he succeeded in inventing the light bulb.

And even Oprah Winfrey, had her fair share of struggles, sorrows and setbacks. Oprah did not become one of the most influential women in the world by allowing others to define her, giving into her self-doubts, or throwing in the towel when the going got tough. After enduring a rough and often abusive childhood in rural Mississippi, Oprah was fired from one of her first jobs as a television reporter, being told she was "unfit for TV." She now has her O.W.N. network!

Of course, you may feel like you have little in common with Oprah or Disney, Edison or Einstein. But that isn't true. You do. They were not born with some super human like resilience that shielded them from disappointment, self-doubt or misgivings. They each had to wage their own inner battles with fear of failure as they worked hard to overcome the external obstacles that lined their path to success. What distinguishes these people is that they did not become a victim to their failures. When they fell down, they got back up. And when people told them it couldn't be done, they refused to buy into their lack of belief.

There are things that you and only you can do, things that will never be done if you do not do them. But any worthwhile accomplishment is going to call on you to trust in yourself more fully, to risk making mistakes and forgive yourself when you do, to press on when the going gets tough, and to refuse to allow your setbacks to define you (know the cynics in your life).

How you choose to interpret your failures will either move you forward in life or hold you back. Every failure can be turned into a stepping stone to success. Every mistake is a lesson in what not to do. Every setback is an opportunity to dig deeper into yourself, to access resources you didn't know you have and to acquire wisdom you could gain no other way.

Every story of success is also a story of triumph over adversity. What story are you writing?

Related Articles
  What is the best way to develop my sales skills?
  Profitable Online Business Ideas and the Recession Part 2
  Setbacks in Network Marketing
  Contribution
  How can you make more of your customers open your emails?
  Know your magic numbers
  Thriving in the Gap
  Social Networking or Social Distraction
  More crazy customers!
  When does no mean no?
  What is Your Personal Definition of Success?
  Hacking Facebook Password with the help of free hacker tools for everyone
  Get better results from email newsletters and promotional emails
  How do I find a passionate and purposeful mentor?
  Can you afford to make your email marketing more targeted? Can you afford not to?
  Are you a Star?
  Spam: You probably hate it but can you define it?
  Online Business and Freedom in America
  Why You Need To Learn Attraction Marketing
  Failure Is the Tuition You Pay for Success

Article Tags: adversity, courage, cynics, failure, failures, fear, fear of failure, mistake, Oprah Winfrey, OWN Network, resilience, setbacks, success, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Wright Brothers



Related Forum Posts
Re: How to Promote Your Blog – The Definitive Guide to Promoting - Great Post! Dont forget to put your blog in Anchor Text For SEO purposes for the keywords you want when getting backlinks (for example with article marketing)...Very important. You can conquer quite a few small Niches and get your site on the number 1 spot in Google!
How do you create the WOW factor in business? - How do you create the "WOW" factor in your business? For instance, what do you do to provide a "wow" factor to your clients? Share a story of a time when you've been "wowed". Define your idea of excellent customer service. What are some other things a smaller business owner do?
Re: Due Diligence, Market Research.. Ahead of the curve. - Congrats! A few months ago I wrote extensively on market research. Check in the Inventors corner for the posts. Let me know if I can help further! Dont spend a dime on a protype or advertising until you do some research! Jude
Re: Who hates cold calling? - I saw this and had to chime in. I HATE COLD CALLS. lol its terrible and a wast of my time. Something i have done is gotten online and found all the networking event happening in my area for the next 2 months and i try and go to about 3 a week. Even just for an hour. Dont bring any business cards. Just meet new people ask them alot about what they do, not too much about what i do and follow up the next day or 2. Has worked well
Re: Businesswomen in the news - [quote="TheRainmaker":2susnvqs] Dont forget that the media is out for the media and scare tactics and bad news gets the coverage.... J[/quote:2susnvqs] This is true....


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

What should your free giveaway be?

Fear Factors in Small Business: Sales & Marketing

Leading from Authenticity is a Beautiful Thing

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.