Think Like Thomas Edison

I probably don't have to tell you that Thomas Edison was a prolific inventor. He is attributed to over 1,000 patents in the United States as well as many in other countries. In addition to early versions of the electric light bulb, his inventions also include the phonograph and the motion picture camera. What you may not know is that Thomas Edison was also an entrepreneur who started fourteen different companies, including General Electric. But the principles contained in this post do not only apply to entrepreneurs. They apply to everything in life.

Photo by Wilson Vitorino from Pexels.

Something else you might not have known about Thomas Edison is that his parents pulled him out of public school during his first year of attendance. However, he had an incredible appetite for learning. That's right...he was self-educated. This provided him the opportunity to study the topics of his choice and allowed him to focus on his unique potential.

With his self-education and meager upbringing, Edison knew the benefits of hard work and persistence. Many of his most notable quotes are evidence of this fact. Here are a few:

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

"I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work."

And finally, the one that we all should take to heart...

The moral to the story is this...

Never stop learning. There is always an opportunity to increase your knowledge.
Stop looking for an easier way to do things. Without putting forth the effort, you will not appreciate what it takes to create and maintain your successes. The key to true accomplishment is hard work.
Persistence Pays. The only way to fail is to stop trying.