Most people we regard today as successful men and women were those who we can say failed their way to success. The ability to turn their failures and limitations around was what made them successful. Their stories point to the fact that failure is only a part of the process to success.

I have here some of the famous people we know today and some of the vital lessons we can learn from their stories.


Henry Ford: He is known today as a top name when it comes to American-made cars, but that didn’t happen just like that. His first and second attempt at starting and growing an automobile company did not work. It seems more like there was no hope for him in the automobile industry. But he finally made it.

Vital Lesson: Be committed to excellence and quality. It is not much about what you do but about how well you can do it. Nothing good comes easy.


Bill Gates: As a Harvard university drop-out and a co-owner of a failed business. It seems like Gates wasn’t ever going to make it. However his love for computer programming drove him to build what would later become the world’s largest software company and global empire – Microsoft.

Vital Lesson: Stick with your passion. No matter what you do or where you go, never move far away from your passion.


Walt Disney: Suffered family and financial problem at an early age. Was told that he lacked imagination and have no good ideas; started couple of businesses that never survived. Today He has created more than 81 feature films, earned more than 950 honors, including 48 Academy Awards and founded the California Institute of the Arts as well as building what we know today as Disneyland.

Vital Lesson: People’s opinion about you does not matter as much as what you think and how much you believe in yourself.


Albert Einstein: Couldn’t speak fluently until he was 9, had a terrible reputation as a student and was at the verge of dropping out of school. Even his father died believing Einstein was a complete failure. However, he went from failure to success. He revolutionized science especially in the field of physics; developed the theory of General Relativity, won the Nobel Prize and today you can’t think of a genius without reference to Albert Einstein.

Vital Lesson: Never be afraid to try out new things. Be curious enough to ask questions, go in search of answers; never back down until you get convincing ones and learn all you can from them!


Thomas Edison: He invented the light bulb but before then, he was told by his teacher that he is “too stupid to learn anything.” He got fired from his first two jobs for not being productive. He made 1000 attempts at inventing the light bulb and failed. Yet he did not stop until he achieved his goal.

Vital Lesson: Limitation is a perception. There’s truly no limit to what you can achieve if you are hungry enough to go for it.


Abraham Lincoln: He faced challenges and failures in his business, relationship, health, and political ambition (severally). It seems more like life itself was against him. But somehow he persevered through all these to become one of the best American presidents in history.

Vital Lesson: Perseverance and determination are vital keys to success; giving up most times means giving up on success.


Oprah Winfrey: She had a rough background of abuse and molestation; experienced a lot of setbacks in her career. She was even told that she was “unfit for TV” as a television reporter. Today she is the best paid female in the entertainment industry according to Forbes. She is noted as being the richest self-made woman and the only black female billionaire.

Vital Lesson: Where you are coming from does not look anything like where you are going. Shake of the shackles of your rough background and past and embrace your amazing future.


Helen Keller: Became blind when she was only 19 months old. This could have made many to accept failure as their fate. Somehow she overcame the adversity of being blind and deaf to become an author and speaker. She received the highest American honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She founded humanitarian organizations like Helen Keller International (HKI) organization and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Vital Lesson: No challenge around you is as strong as your attitude. With a positive attitude you can turn your world around even when all odds are against you.


Source: www.successflame.com/motivation/lessons-from-people-who-failed-their-way-to-success.html


Cc: lalasticlala Fynestboi Seun