Here’s guessing that you have heard the statement that Thomas Edison said to a reporter about the amount of times he failed to create the incandescent light bulb. If not, here it is again for you.
In preparation for this article and for most of the interviews I have done, more than five hours has been used to research these comments from Mr. Edison and the conclusion is this: Depending on where you go, you will see quotes that Mr. Edison had anywhere from 700 to 10,000 “Steps” as he calls them to creating the light-bulb. Most of the stories we were able to find did indicate that it was a New York Times reporter that asked Mr. Edison this question, or something similar to this (depending on where you look).
“Mr. Edison, how does it feel to fail 1000 times?” And Mr. Edison replied to the reporter
“I didn’t fail 1000 times, the light-bulb was a project with 1000 steps.” I know once again there are many other variations of this reply so this is just one source that I chose to take this from. None the less, we could sit and debate this for countless hours. Some even question the legitimacy of the actual event. Thomas Edison to this day holds more patents than any inventor and lets not forget what amazing inventions Mr. Edison did indeed provide the world that has made it a much better place.
Today we are going to discuss in my opinion our 21st Century Edison and we believe that he will become the next icon for people all over the world to help them overcome adversity the same way people have been using Edison’s quote for years.
Sir James Dyson: I love to watch some of the shows they air on CNBC, some are quite amazing and there is one in particular that I truly love it is called How I Made My Millions. The concepts in that show are amazing and they dig right into the heart of companies and share how everything comes together, (the ins and outs if you will) with either the originators or key executives of these companies and show us that in the end, they too are human just like us. The difference is they went for their dreams and didn’t let anyone stand in their way, this episode was no different This particular show was a step up from the original layout, it was called: How I Made My Billions
Sir James Dyson was discussing the beginnings of Dyson, how and why started the company, and what he had to go through to deliver his first prototype to the world. His dream was to produce products that everyday people use but to improve them, to make them easier to use, to increase the user enjoyment rate if you will. Mr. Dyson started to create his prototypes of his first vacuum in his garage (sound like a few other people that started these massive companies you see today?). During this interview, he said himself so this is no urban legend, this is concrete right from Sir James himself. He failed 5127 times before his prototype was even ready to show anyone. 5127 times, he said his friends thought he was completely insane, he went to dozens of banks, the Government, and venture capitalists to get funding, only to be turned down multiple times by them all.
“With every failure of the prototypes, I learned something fascinating. Each of these “Failures” brought me closer to my goal.” — Sir James Dyson
Sir James went to all the major vacuum companies like Shop-Vac, Electrolux, etc. You guessed it, he was turned down by them all, they were saying that no one wanted to see the dirt that they just picked up but Sir James believed that the bag-less vacuum was not only a more environmentally friendly but the vortex style bag-less suction was also much more powerful.
Since then the Dyson company has grown to exceed revenues of 1.5 Billion in 2011 and they are forecasting greater revenue in 2012. Not only had Sir James reinvented the vacuum, Dyson is now making other home products that are taking the world by storm like his blade-less fan and multiple other products that are cleaner, safer, and even more stylish than any of his competitors.
The big takeaway is that if you have a dream, if you believe in yourself, and if you make a choice to overcome ALL adversities that come your way…
Anything Is Truly Possible Sir James Dyson proves Edison’s theory of his steps to creating the incandescent light bulb, except he is alive today and produces products that we might not take for granted like we do lights. Mr. Dyson’s views, beliefs, and perseverance will carry just like Mr. Edison’s did.
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Dan Deigan serves as an inspiration to others. His energy, passion, and “laugh” are infectious. He is a devoted Husband, father, and the founder of Little Conversations Today. Dan is devoted to making not only a shift but a dynamic shift in the world today. He lives everyday with this belief: “Impossible is just an opinion”
-What was your biggest takeaway from the ideas above? Share your thoughts in the comments below.