Why Thomas Edison Wasn’t Afraid To Fail

By Megan Garry-Evans, Legends Report Writer

How Thomas Edison become one of America’s greatest inventors through self-improvement.

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

- Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was a prolific inventor; inventing the practical and mass produced incandescent light bulb, the first machine to record and playback sound (the phonograph) and the motion picture camera. From a young age, Mr Edison had a fascination for chemical experiments and mechanical objects. This curiosity he pursued continuously and relentlessly, conducting experiments whenever and wherever he could.

While working on the Grand Trunk Railroad to Detroit, he set up a laboratory for his chemistry experiments. Later as a telegraph operator, if Mr Edison wasn’t at work, he was engaged in his experiments, until he finally quit his job and gave his undivided attention to his passion. He opened a new laboratory, where they worked on multiple inventions at a time. Countless hours of experiments were conducted here, as Mr Edison urged to resolve the faults in his ideas. Thomas Edison had the same expectation of his himself as he did his employees, he believed in hard work:

"I never quit until I get what I'm after. Negative results are just what I'm after. They are just as valuable to me as positive results."

- Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison used his failures to his advantage; they were his stepping stones to procure answers and ultimately success. If everyone was afraid of failure, our world would be a very different place! Human progress would be slower in all aspects of our world, from science to politics as failure is part of learning and self-improvement and is crucial for progression and advancement.

Mr Edison was successful at self-improvement because he focused on productivity, he had an interest which motivated him, and he had confidence in his ability. These are essential ingredients of developing true discipline in life and they are traits you will find common to anyone who succeeds in any field.

1. Productivity - As Edison said, “There is no substitute for hard work.”

2. Motivation - Find something that is interesting and significant to you.

3. Confidence - Believe in your work and don’t be afraid to take risks.

Self-improvement is a vital key to ensure that you reach your fullest potential. Get in touch with your Legends Report introducer below if you'd like to apply more of these key traits to your life.