February 8, 2021

“Never discourage anyone… who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.” - Plato

Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times trying to create the electric lightbulb. 1,000 times! Though his progress was painstakingly slow, Edison persisted. He was ridiculed by some for his many attempts but he had also earned some ardent supporters after his success inventing the phonograph. Can you imagine the world today if he hadn’t had those few supporters? If all he had faced was discouragement?

We might not invent the next lightbulb or PayPal or Walt Disney Co. (all byproducts of someone’s slow yet continued progress), but we should remember to ask ourselves one question the next time we’re being self-critical. Are we making progress? If so, keep at it. If not, change course.

This is key to our interactions with others as well. The world is full of critics. Can we be one less? Maybe our patience, or enthusiasm, or thoughtful listening is all the next Thomas Edison needs to persevere.