Thomas Edison – perhaps you’ve heard of him – had a factory constructed completely of concrete and steel. Basically indestructible.
One night in 1914 the unthinkable happened – like winning the Powerball lottery – his factory exploded in a maelstrom of flames. Edison’s son, Charles – you’ve never heard of him – found the great inventor watching as his factory slowly collapsed into itself, a pile of charred ruins. The son was inconsolable about his father’s loss. Here was, let’s face it, an old man, 67-years-old and virtually everything he had struggled to create and discover had been completely destroyed. Totaled.
Maybe not.
“There’s value in disaster; all our mistakes are burned up,” Edison said the next dawn as he looked at the torched remains of his factory. “Thank God, we can start anew.”
There is an invaluable lesson to be taken away from Edison’s observation. Older now than Mr. Edison, I am struck by his optimism and resolve, his determination to reject defeat. And the lesson is this – the harder you fall, the higher you will be able to bounce back. And never give up. When one door closes, another must open. It’s a law of nature, like gravity. You can start again, and this time you will be wiser and stronger. You can still succeed.
But you have to put the past behind you. Everything you have worked for may be torn away but the lessons of life remain. You can lose money, you can lose stuff and things but who you are as a person – your strength, your courage, your knowledge – is an indestructible foundation upon which to rebuild.
When it seems like your hopes have evaporated in flames, be assured in your heart of hearts you now can start anew.
I did not have the winning ticket. Sigh. But I’ll bounce back.
