Successful People are Refined by failures, NOT Confined or Defined

By -

Met a techie friend two days ago (on the day this was written) at a conference and a brief chat with him further confirmed to me that success is simply a failure you learnt from, without giving up!

Suffice to put, one of my biggest inspiration, Jack Ma's story is also that of 'failing forward till you succeed'. Fresh off the biggest IPO in history, Alibaba founder and chairman, Jack Ma is now the richest person in China, with an estimated worth of $25 billion from his 7.8% stake in Alibaba and a nearly 50% stake in payment processing service, Alipay.

He grew up poor in communist China, but in 1972, after the then United States president, Richard Nixon, visited Ma's hometown, Hangzhou, it became a tourist 'mecca'; and as a teenager with a keen vision, Ma started waking up early to visit the city's main hotel, offering visitors tours of the city in exchange for English lessons which helped him in getting a High school education.

Without money or connections, Ma still applied to go to college but failed the entrance exam twice before finally passing on the third try, and went on to attend Hangzhou Teacher's Institute. He graduated in 1988 and started applying to as many jobs as he could but was rejected from dozens of jobs, including at KFC, before being hired as a local English teacher on a meagre salary.

Ma eventually started an English translation business and made a trip to USA in 1995 to help a Chinese firm recover a payment. With no experience with computers or coding, he got captivated by the internet when he used it for the first time during this trip. His first online search was "beer," but he was surprised to find that no Chinese beers turned up in the results. It was then that he decided to found an internet company to bridge this gap in China. He however failed on his first two but four years later he gathered 17 friends in his apartment and convinced them to invest in him and his vision for an online marketplace he called "Alibaba" which grew to become a global success that attracted investment from the likes of Goldman Sachs and Yahoo.

Behind every success are many failures that refined the involved people, instead of defining or confining them.

So, this new week, I dare you to revisit that 'failed' dream and idea or take on that 'risky' project, job, idea, or venture. Like failure, it is part of the Success journey.

Happy new week.
You are unstoppable!
@DrOsaz

By: Deji Osasona

Welcome to the Blog. I love Positivity. I love sharing Positivity. I encourage You to always be Positive. Positivity pays. It's what we all need to achieve both personal and cooperate Success and Fulfillment. Develop a Positive Mindset. Build Positive Relationships. Have an open mind to Learn and Improve. Always seek to grow and be the best available Version of Yourself. Always Believe that You CAN!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Business and Finance Quotes, this Week

By -
Image
The Quotes today features quotes from Eke Samuel Uz. The Quotes: • You can't be poor and still lack ideas at the same time. Find people problems around and think of its solution. • In business, Profit is the score while rendering Value is the game. Play the game and get the scores. • First You think; then organization of those thoughts into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. • A product in the marketplace is the result of thoughts in an inner space and a corresponding action more than the common place. • The motivating force of entrepreneurs isn't money. It's the desire and drive for building a product and leadership. Eke Samuel Uz
Read more

IPad, Android Phones Versus Bible

By -
Image
Yesterday (on the day this was written), I watched Pastor Chris Oyakilome live as he preached. He used his iPad to read out scriptures. Later in the day, I saw a post on Instagram, and one guy like that insulted Pastor Chris for using iPad, instead of his Bible. I laughed at the man's ignorance. I remember an Uncle of mine was invited to a Church. He went there with his iPad, and someone asked him: "Sir, where is your Bible?” He showed him his 10.1 inches Pad. “But Sir,” he said, “This is not a Bible, this is iPad, you need to carry your Bible. You're not a good preacher, if you don't preach with your Bible," one of the pastors said. Now this is my point: Before the advent of printing press, the scriptures were originally written on a scroll! The ten commandments were written on a stone! Not on a Book called “Holy Book”. If the Book where the Bible was printed on becomes Holy Book, then my android phone is “Holy Android” because God’s word is inside it. Than
Read more

Nothing Good Comes Easy (Dr. Nosa's Success Story)

By -
Image
This is an inspiring Success Story by Dr. Ewere Thompson Nosa, a Medical Doctor and graduate of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) Dr. Ewere Thompson Nosa ----- After rounding up my Secondary School education, and losing my Dad to the cold hands of death in 2009; I decided to fend for myself, and complement the support I was getting from my wonderful siblings. I had to do this because I don't like depending on anyone wholly, plus the fact that finance was limited and things were not all rossy. So I started off as a phone technician at Third junction in Benin. It wasn't easy for me as I was a bit too young and innocent to hussle in such kind of environment. I faced a lot of reproach, rejections and oppressions. I can remember a day I was beaten up at my work place, by some cultists for not fixing their phones to their specification. I also faced a lot of disappointments even among my loved ones. Well, that's all history. I endured all and passed
Read more

Comportment and Etiquette

By -
Image
I am a member of "The Let's Talk About Series" community. I'll be sharing notes from Tobi Afolabi (TASpeaks) on Comportment and Etiquette, a lesson delivered this year, in the month of February. Let's Talk About Series is a personal and career development discussion platform that discuss diverse topics to help boost people's productivity and build personal confidence. They are passionate about self discovery, and believe the strife for personal development helps in adding value to one's life; creating opportunities and setting priorities for the areas that make them most effective. You can check out the community on Facebook. ----- Tobi Afolabi: If I were to ask what we love most about Pastor E. A. Adeboye, I am likely to get comments such as he is humble, generous, polite, well dressed, cultured... If I ask same for Buhari, Dangote, Steve Harris, Jimi Tewe and many more, I am equally likely to get a similar feedback. Doesn't it amaze you that we
Read more

Life Lessons from the Clock

By -
Image
Photo credit: Wikipedia Staring at my clock one sunny afternoon at home, I began to notice some unique features of the clock which could also help imbibe in us important life lessons which when practiced will enable us get to the peak of success in our various endeavors. Let us take a look at these features; 1. Each ticking of the second hand offers you another opportunity to start all over again . That is, giving up when you fail should be the last option in your mind. There's always an opportunity to start all over and do things differently. And always remember, for a child of God, this opportunity comes with renewed mercies to help you. Lamentations 3:23. 2. Once a particular set time passes, it cannot be regained anymore. It's gone FOREVER!!.  Therefore make the most of every opportunity. Yes, I know it contradicts the first lesson. But think about this deeply. When you have an opportunity to do something, make sure you make the most of it cause even if you get anot
Read more

Why Salt kills earthworms?

By -
Image
A lot of us have become used to using salt to kill earthworms when we encounter any in our houses. I've thought about this for a while now, but I recently decided to check it up and I'll share what I learnt about the science. Before that, I'll share some points about earthworms: - They are in the lumbricus genus, there are various species of earthworms, but the common earthworm's scientific name is lumbricus terrestris - Their digestive system runs through the length of their skin - Earthworms respire through their skin - They are hermaphrodites (each one carries both male and female sex organs) - They lack either an internal skeleton or exoskeleton , but maintain their structure with fluid-filled coelom chambers that function as a hydrostatic skeleton. Okay, let's talk about salt and earthworms: Earthworms respire and secrete mucus through their skins. Salt (sodium chloride) has the ability of absorbing moisture (desiccant). When a large quantity of salt i
Read more

The Betrayal – A Short Story

By -
Image
(Part 1) "I think my husband is cheating on me" Eukera informs her baby Sister. "How do you know, or did he confess this himself?" Esther asks as she returns to the sitting room with a tray containing fruits.. She always entertains her Sister this way. "I know it, I'm not a baby you know. I will find that lady who has the guts to go out with my husband, and when I do.. Oh Lord, Oh Jehovah, She will regret ever being born", Eukera answers as she bites into an apple she had just taken off the tray her sister had brought. "I will recommend you do not conclude based on just a hunch. If he is really cheating on you, we will find out one day. I personally will get him arrested and dealt with. As for the lady, let me not even say anything". "Hahahaha, I trust you, but that won't be necessary. I can handle this. Thanks Sis". Just then, Eukera's phone rings. It's a call from her office. She grabs another apple, hurriedly g
Read more

Leadership and Politics Quotes, this Week

By -
Image
The Quotes today, is credited to Ekwe Chijioke, a friend and contributor on the blog. The Quotes: • Leaders are problem solvers. They see beyond the problem and create opportunities out of it. • The hallmark of Leadership is in Sowing . Yes! Sowing in lives of others. • The Crux of Leadership is Service . Every act of Service is a show of Leadership. • When you give value, You won't lack valuables. Seems giving is synonymous to receiving! • Every new day is an opportunity to add value to the society. There is no one deficient of value. Release it bountifully. Ekwe Chijioke
Read more

From Jude's Wall (Part 15)

By -
Image
• We all have that one girl/guy that we can’t get and he/she has no idea you like him/her. • When you are with the person you love most, every pain you have and every sadness you feel, fades away instantly. • Most people are so lazy to LOVE, all the commitments and devotions involved is too much of a work. • The only thing man lacks when it comes to women is: Patience. The only thing woman lacks when it comes to men is: Endurance. • Dating an awkward person is less stressful. You laugh more and have more fun which improves quality of life and overall health. • Keep smiling. You never know who is falling in love with it. • Sometimes the best way to appreciate something is to be without it for a while. • Eating your food slowly will help you lose weight, enjoy your food, reduce stress, and lead to better digestion. • Some people aren't actually anti social, they're just very selective when it comes to the people they associate with. • While you're busy looking for t
Read more

Understanding the Factors that make Children Brilliant

By -
Image
I am sharing this article I came across on Facebook. The Credit goes to The Raise Genius Children Group, a group on Facebook. Here goes the article: This is a long article but you can't raise smart kids if you won't read so lets go lovely parents. Every parent I have met wants a brilliant child and I have also met some that would get enraged if a child comes back with a subpar report card and even go as far as beating a child that isn’t doing fantastic in class. I always wonder why they do that because the truth is there are a lot of factors that make a child brilliant and very few of them depends on the child. In fact I can say the only factor that depends on the child is concentration and seriousness. Every other thing including the ability to think, assimilate, read, memorize, prepare and a host of others fall under the purview of the parents whether consciously or unconsciously. WITH THAT SAID WE WILL LOOK AT THE LONG HELD NATURE VERSUS NURTURE DEBATE: The "Nat
Read more