WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM EDISON

In 1879, Thomas Edison’s light bulb test passed successfully for the first time. Although we know about his contributions to society and the impact that his over 1,000 patents had on the world, we hear very little about the countless failed attempts prior to the success. The reason why he remained so persistent was because he had VISION. Edison dreamed about what can be possible and kept working towards it. He shared the same attitude that all successful people have. If something doesn’t go the way that it was originally planned, make a few adjustments, keep getting back up when you fall down, but never give up!

In business, there are so many people who set goals, only to give up on them after a few weeks or months. It is so important to have a long-term mindset in business, because you have to expect that the road to success is never a perfectly smooth one. There will be bumps in the road, because that is just the nature of business. True entrepreneurs understand the importance of making sure that the activities that they do are aligned with the goals that they set, regardless of the results that they are getting at a particular moment in time. If Edison became so frustrated by the many failed attempts to make the light bulb work, there would have been severe consequences for the world. It would have taken much longer for electricity to be a possibility; civilizations may have industrialized decades later; economies may have operated at a fraction of the speed. These were just a few possible consequences, but the point is that you must realize that the work that you do as an entrepreneur has the potential to impact many people in this world. Whenever the idea crosses your mind that you should stop and give up, start thinking about how that decision can negatively impact others if they do not get to experience the product or service you are offering.

Although getting the lightbulb to work is amazing, today, we have LED lights. We would never know for sure, but I think it is likely that Edison believed that it was possible to improve his version of the light bulb, because he had VISION. I would argue that he probably knew that many great things would be accomplished because of that innovation, but he probably was already thinking about how the invention can be improved in the future. LED lights now allow consumers to light up a room with a fraction of the energy of a fluorescent bulb. Use the lesson of Thomas Edison to inspire you to think about what can be possible, and do not think about giving up until you get the light turned on. Find out what makes your personal light turn on. For me, making a difference by helping people reach their goals turns my light on. What about you? What makes your light turn on?