3 Stories of Inspiration
Times are such that we can all use a few invigorating doses of inspiration. (Keep aside your knowledge of survivorship and other such biases for the moment!)
1. The Fire in Edison's Lab
When Thomas Edison was 67, a fire in his research building destroyed many of his papers and prototypes. Yet the inventor refused to feel sorry for himself, choosing instead to see the million-dollar loss as an opportunity to begin anew. He was even grateful that the fire had helped get ‘rid of the rubbish’. He went on to start over and soon made a profit of $10 million. With his positive outlook, Edison turned his setback into a success story.
Read more about this story.
2. The Strength of the Arabs
By leveraging your skills, you can gain the upper hand. In 1917, T. E. Lawrence, aka ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, and his small group of Arabs took on the mighty Turkish army and won. They did this by playing to their strengths. The Arabs weren't that great with arms, but they did know how to survive in a desert. So, instead of arriving at a key port city by ship, they emerged from the Syrian desert, taking the enemy by surprise and defeating them.
Read about this famous battle.
3. The NASA astronaut who got stuck
Before sending its astronauts on missions, NASA tries to prepares them for different obstacles they might find there. Astronauts are trained so well that if something does go wrong on a mission, their learned reaction is almost automatic. This saves them from panicking and making dangerous mistakes.
Once, while hiking with an 85-pound backpack during a NASA-sponsored survival course, former NFL player Leland Melvin came across a turbulent river where his feet got stuck in the mud. He tried getting out quickly but only got stuck deeper. His team members called out to him, telling him to slow down his movements. Trusting their advice over his own instincts, Melvin was able to break free just in time to avoid a huge tree trunk barrelling down the river towards him. The incident taught Melvin the importance of trusting feedback, no matter how counter-intuitive it may seem.
More from Leland.
Got a personal story of overcoming adversity that you can dig deep into for solace and optimism? Use it for yourself and share it with your colleagues & friends.