Persistence of Vision
Who am I?
I failed in business in 1831.
I went under again in my financial dealings in 1834.
It gets worse...
In 1835 my girlfriend died.
This was followed by a complete nervous breakdown.
Years later I recovered.
Aiming for something better I was defeated in the 1838 election.
I stood for congress in 1843 and in 1846 but went down both times.
I failed in the senate in 1855.
I crashed in my vice presidency bid during 1858.
It was undoubtedly the perseverance of this individual that broke into and destroyed the failure cycle in his life.
Despite the numerous difficulties and obstacles met, he emerged as one of the greatest American presidents of all time.
His success was forged on the anvil of experience and his life stands forever as a testimony to the ideal that it's not how many times you go down that matters, it's how many times you get back up.
I finally became President of the United States in 1860.
Who am I? Abraham Lincoln.
Who am I?
I was born on December 5, 1901.
In 1919 I was fired from Pesmen-Rubin because I lacked creativity as a cartoonist.
In 1920 I went into business with Ub Iwerks.
We filed for bankruptcy later that year.
In 1923 my venture Laugh-O-Grams crashed and burned.
In 1931 I suffered a nervous breakdown.
It gets worse...
In 1940 my studio debt reached US $4.5 million (big money back in those days).
A long 19 years later work commenced on the construction of my dream: The magic kingdom.
Where would we be if he’d interpreted being fired for lacking creativity as final?
... In a world with no Disneyland, Disneyworld, Mickey Mouse or Peter Pan... Probably no Shrek either!
Failure thinking to this guy simply did not compute!
He went on to win more than 950 honours worldwide including 48 Academy Awards and numerous Emmys (Seems like he may have had a touch of creativity after all... What do you think?).
Who am I? Walt Disney.
Who am I?
I was born prematurely on June 23, 1940, in St. Bethlehem weighing a mere 2.38 kgs.
I was child number 20 of 22.
As a toddler I contracted scarlet fever, polio and double pneumonia.
The net result – I spent my early childhood in bed.
At age 5 a steel brace was fitted to my right leg and I was told that I’d never be able to walk without it.
At 12 years of age I took a step of faith and walked for the very first time without crutches, the leg brace or corrective shoes.
Pursuing my passion to run I ran last in every single race I set out in for years.
I claimed a bronze medal in a 4X4 relay in 1956.
I went on to become the fastest woman in the world... The first American woman ever to win three gold medals at an Olympic Games.
- 100 metres – gold
- 200 metres – gold
- 400 meter relay – gold
- Rome 1960
Click here to see her win gold!
She’s a great role model for any human being who’s faced adversity.
Who am I? Wilma Rudolph.