How to Win Even When You Fail

What do the premier designer Vera Wang, the famous 1800s scientist and author of “On the Origin of Species” Charles Darwin, and NPR radio icon Terry Gross have in common? They all failed. And it wasn’t just the trial-and-error, have-to-pay-your-dues kind of failures that most anyone has to endure in order to succeed in any given field. These talented people actually failed to reach their initial dreams, aspirations that were based on entirely different professions than what they are so famously known for! Vera Wang dreamed of becoming an ice-skater but failed to make the 1968 U.S. Olympic figure-skating team. Then, she became an editor at Vogue but was later passed over for a much coveted editor-in-chief position. It wasn’t till the age of 40 that she started to design wedding gowns and is now one of the top designers in the fashion industry. Charles Darwin had wanted to be a doctor, but eventually gave up his career in medicine to become a parson. Yet, due to the encouragement of a mentor, Darwin finally discovered his lifework when he traveled as a naturalist on a five-year journey around the world to uncover nature’s mysteries. After graduating as an English major, Terry Gross set out to be a teacher. She landed a teaching position in a tough inner city junior high school and admitted that she couldn’t keep any order in the classroom — much less teach a lesson plan. She only lasted six weeks at the job. After a year, Gross discovered radio and now hosts...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Happiness Industrial and Workplace Professional Self-Esteem Self-Help Stress Success & Achievement Coping Skills Failure Personal Growth Resilience Source Type: blogs