• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Thomas Griffin

Be a better leader

  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Articles
  • Business
  • Favorites
  • Contact

The Better Leader Newsletter (The Will to Try Again)

Thomas Griffin Avatar
written byThomas Griffin
posted onJanuary 29, 2023

Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, was stumped.

Edison was smart and industrious from childhood. He delivered newspapers as a boy, and as a reward for heroically saving a child’s life, Edison was taught how to use the telegraph.

He quickly became adept at using the telegraph, landing him a job as an official telegrapher. He pursued ways to simplify and automate the telegraph process, leading to the inventions of the automatic telegraph and message printer.

He soon dedicated his life to pioneering new inventions, and in 1876, he began inventing full time at a brand new laboratory in New Jersey.

But for Edison and his associates, one particular invention left them puzzled: the light bulb.

The idea was simple: heat up a thin piece of metal (filament) inside a vacuum-sealed glass bulb. The metal would heat up, and the vacuum-sealed bulb would prevent the metal from melting, leaving it to “glow” and give light.

After testing 2,000 different theories, nothing worked. Time and time again, trial would lead to error.

But Edison never gave up.

Finally, in 1879, after 3,000 trial and error tests, Edison discovered the solution to create the first lightbulb. He spent the next year tweaking and perfecting his invention, filing an official patent for the Edison light bulb in 1880.

The work wasn’t easy. Many of his colleagues gave up.

‘The electric light has caused me the greatest amount of study and has required the most elaborate experiments. I was never myself discouraged, or inclined to be hopeless of success. I cannot say the same for all my associates.’

Thomas Edison

Although Edison experienced setback after setback, he got back on his feet and found ways to forge ahead. During the process of inventing the lightbulb, Edison remarked:

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

Thomas Edison

Edison lived a life characterized by resilience, continually grappling with failure and bouncing back from it to try the next experiment. His resiliency led to some of the greatest and most well know inventions of our time.

Imagine if he would have given up.


Take a step back and analyze your life. Identify the most important initiatives you are working on at this moment.

What would happen if you gave up?

Great leaders are resilient. Here are 9 proven strategies to help you build it:

  1. Always be failing forward.
  2. Reflect on the past. Set sights on the future.
  3. Face the person in the mirror.
  4. Expand your time horizon.
  5. Step into the pain, not away from it or around it.
  6. Cultivate a growth mindset.
  7. Accept responsibility and avoid the victim mentality.
  8. Make the choice to be optimistic.
  9. Force adversity to plant the seeds of resilience.

Click here to read the full article on how to build resilience in your life →

Don’t give up. Listen to the words of Bruce Lee and apply them to your life:

Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.

Bruce Lee

How do you need to grow in resilience?

To resiliency in all areas of life,
Thomas

Thomas Griffin's Signature

Get the Better Leader Newsletter Delivered Directly to Your Inbox!

Join 6,889+ leaders taking the right steps to grow in their leadership. No spam – just real, thought-provoking stories and advice to make you a better leader. Grow in your leadership by subscribing today!

FacebookTweetLinkedIn
Thomas Griffin Avatar
Thomas Griffin

Hello! I'm Thomas, and I’m the co-founder of OptinMonster, a partner at Awesome Motive, and a leader of leaders. My software powers organizational success for more than 20 million websites across the globe, and my content is read by thousands each month.

Subscribe to my newsletter•Read latest issue →

All Newsletters

Read past issues of The Better Leader Newsletter.


2023
January 29
The Better Leader Newsletter (The Will to Try Again)

2022
December 19
The Better Leader Newsletter (Good Leaders vs. Bad Leaders)
November 24
The Better Leader Newsletter (Your Personal Mission)
September 2
The Better Leader Newsletter (Striving for Simplicity)

2020
April 30
The Better Leader Newsletter (Hard Decisions)
April 16
The Better Leader Newsletter (Change to Thrive)
April 2
The Better Leader Newsletter (The Right Attitude)
March 19
The Better Leader Newsletter (Leading in Crisis)
March 5
The Better Leader Newsletter (Creative Problem Solving)
February 19
The Better Leader Newsletter (Busy vs. Productive)
February 5
The Better Leader Newsletter (Zones of Discomfort)
January 20
The Better Leader Newsletter (Hard Questions)
January 2
The Better Leader Newsletter (Your Impact)

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

previous newsletter: The Better Leader Newsletter (Good Leaders vs. Bad Leaders)
Breakthrough Leadership: 5 Surprisingly Simple Qualities of Today's Exceptional Leader

Breakthrough Leadership

Great leaders share common traits that separate them from the pack. Download your copy of my signature ebook, Breakthrough Leadership: 5 Surprisingly Simple Qualities of Today's Exceptional Leader, absolutely FREE when you enter your name and email address below.

If there is no wind, row.

Latin Proverb

Footer

ThomasGriffin.com Logo

Copyright © 2010-2023 Griffin Media LLC.
All rights reserved.

Connect

Sites I Like
OptinMonsterTrustPulseWPFormsMonsterInsightsWPBeginnerEclectic TigerSyed BalkhiAwesome MotiveT214

Misc
WordPressPrivacyDisclosures Sitemap

The Better Leader Newsletter

The Better Leader Newsletter

Join 6,889+ leaders taking the right steps to grow in their leadership. No spam - just real, thought-provoking stories and advice to make you a better leader. Grow in your leadership by subscribing today!