When I first started my MBA program I was terrified of the mathematics portion.  In fact on my very first quantitative methods exam I made a 30%.  That’s a 30% out of a 100%.  I felt so crappy and so much like a failure I actually discussed dropping out of the program with my wife in lieu of simply settling for an MSM degree which didn’t include any sort of mathematics at all.  As it turns out that would have been a huge mistake as I am almost complete with my program and as of this writing still maintaining a 4.0 GPA.  I simply knuckled down, studied hard and did my best which as it turns out, was good enough in this case.  But just in case you are like I was and fear failure I’ve compiled a list of some people who have experienced some decisive failures in life but who eventually pulled through to do something worth while.

So as promised in the forums I present Cajun’s list of notable failures in history:
 

1.)    Thomas Edison.  One of the world’s greatest inventors has seen plenty of failure as he pretty much experimented by having an idea, failing at that idea until he succeeded once.  We don’t know anything about the 1000’s of times he was wrong, except for what is reported perhaps on wikipedia about him being fired for spilling acid on the desk of his boss but he eventually succeeded in many of his goals.

2.)    Abraham Lincoln.  One of the greatest Presidents and leaders the United States has ever known, was not too talented on picking quality generals during the Civil War.  Not only that but when he was elected multiple states seceded from the United States of America.  Talk about a rough crowd.  Though Lincoln was probably one of the least popular Presidents in history during the time of his tenure in office, history remembers him fondly.

3.)    Albert Einstein.  That’s right, one of the smartest men who ever lived failed when he tested to enter the Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, Switzerland.  He couldn’t make it past the entrance exam due to poor language skills, etc.  I sincerely doubt this was his only failure however this was the only academic failure that I know of.  Eventually however he was lauded as one of the greatest minds of all time.

4.)    Saint Peter.  One of my favorite Apostles in the Bible had a bit of a problem in running off at the mouth, losing his temper and a surge of faith followed quickly by a lack of faith.  I can relate.  However Saint Peter was eventually called the rock upon which the church would be built by Jesus himself, despite his notable and repeated failures.  Not bad, eh?

5.)    Mickey Mantle.  For those of you who are sports fans, you may already know that Mickey Mantle struck out more than any batter in baseball until another notable failure, Reggie Jackson.  However as we all know, things turned out well for him (and Reggie) eventually. 

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