I’ve thought about quitting before.
I’ve thought about giving up and never making another attempt because things
were too hard. I am not the only person who has felt this way. We all hit a wall
at some time or another and see no way of getting around it. The wall is too
high. It’s too wide. It’s blocking your path and telling you to turn around and
walk in the other direction.
Walls, also known as obstacles, can
be intimidating. And if you hit one hard enough, the pain you feel from the
impact will hurt so badly that you will never want to even get close to one again. Much later after hitting one, you will
be traveling down your new path, focused on the destination you have a vision of
reaching. And you will see another wall ahead. At its mere sight, you will
become fearful. You will remember the pain of your last encounter. The bruises
that never quite healed. The scratches you wear as a constant reminder of the
fall. You will convince yourself that another, different location will be just
as fulfilling as the one on the other side of the wall. And you will turn and
walk away.
This is what unsuccessful people
do. When an unsuccessful person hits a wall and falls down, she gets up and
turns and walks away. More often than not, she runs away and never looks back. Or, he lies there, or props himself
up against the wall, and simply gets comfortable where he is. This is how
unsuccessful people settle into mediocrity. This is how they become afraid of
failing. “If I stay here and stop trying to move forward, then I will never
meet anymore walls,” they think.
Now, let’s take a look at how
successful people react. There is a well-known quote from Thomas Edison on his
invention of the light bulb in which he stated, “I have not failed 10,000
times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000
ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will
find the way that will work.” Edison, known as the most successful inventor of
all times, didn’t quit when he encountered an obstacle. Each time, he became
more knowledgeable and figured out what worked and what did not. With every
unsuccessful attempt, he got one step closer to success. Did he become
frustrated at one time or another? Probably so. Did he take a break and work on
something else for a while and come back to the light bulb later? Who know? What we do know
is that he kept moving forward.
Unlike an unsuccessful person,
Edison did not focus on pain when he hit a wall. He didn’t stop inventing. He
didn’t give up on the idea of controlling electricity and light, as we so
effortlessly do today. When he hit a wall, he wasn’t being knocked down. Edison
was instead knocking the wall down! With each attempt, each obstacle, he weakened
the wall until he was finally able to knock it over. Once the wall fell, Edison
was able to move forward to the destination he had always envisioned reaching.
This
example might be over a hundred years old, but the concept is still valid today.
Kobe Bryant knocked down his own walls to become arguably one of the greatest
players to play the game of basketball. Before announcing his retirement this
year, Bryant was drafted into the NBA straight from high school, won 5 NBA championships,
and also won one MVP award. Additionally, Bryant ranks as the NBA’s #3 all-time
top scorer and even scored 81 points in a single game!
Kobe’s
career is one that he likely imagined as a young boy dreaming of being an NBA
star basketball player. But, Kobe hit his own walls many times in his 19 years
on the court. On his way to become one of the top scorers of all time, Kobe set
another record: most missed shots by a single player. This means one thing in
particular as it pertains to knocking down walls: when Kobe missed a shot, he
shot again. Some players might decide not to shoot again if they miss consecutive
shots. They might instead decide to pass the ball out of fear that their next
shot might also be off-target. These type of players don’t miss many shots, but
they also don’t become MVPs, championship winners, or top scorers.*
My life coach
said something yesterday that stood out to me. I’m not exactly sure where the
quote came from, but it was something along the lines of this: Successful
people fail more times than unsuccessful people try. This sounds about right,
when we think of the two legends we’ve mentioned here. More missed shots than
some players ever take. More unsuccessful invention attempts than most
inventors ever make. It seems that the best keep going, no matter how many
times they hit a wall.
Yes, I have
thought about quitting before. When things seemed too tough and a wall was
obstructed my view of success. But, here I am. And here you are. With me
writing this and you reading it, it is clear that we both still have intentions
of moving forward towards our own individual greatness. And there is nothing
like the determination to break down walls! So, when you hit a wall, don’t just
lie there or get up and limp away. Hit it again! And again! Eventually, the
wall will tumble and you will have a clear view of the destination you have
always seen in your mind: success.
*Also on the top 10 list of most missed shots in NBA
history: Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Dominique Dawkins,
Allan Iverson, and Dirk Nowitzki