And then the magic happened

When I get frustrated with life, I like to remind myself:

• Stephen King received 30 rejections for his first novel, Carrie, before finally being published in 1974, and selling over a million copies in the first 12 months.
• Steven Spielberg was rejected three times to attend film school at the University of Southern California. He’s now one of the greatest film directors of all time and his films have made more than $10 billion worldwide, making him the highest-grossing director in history.
• When Walt Disney sought investors to help bankroll his efforts to make Mickey Mouse come alive on the screen, he was rejected 300 times. In the late 1920s after years of sacrifice, Disney was finally able to bring Mickey Mouse to life on film. Furthermore, when Disneyland opened in 1955, hundreds of people showed up with counterfeit tickets and the park experienced broken fountain drink stations and malfunctioning rides. Today, the park bills itself as the “happiest place on Earth.”

Image by Pexels.

These are often told stories that you can easily find across the Internet. They remind me that we face struggles. We flail when we should soar. We stumble when we should dance across the floor. Life is all about pushing through the challenges.

• When The Beatles were just starting out, Decca Recording Studios told them that their sound didn’t work and guitar groups “were on the way out.” The record executive could not have been more wrong.
• Looking to re-energize its brand and compete with Pepsi, Coca-Cola introduced New Coke in April 1985. New Coke was sweeter than the original formula and had a lighter body. Despite its intent, New Coke was met with a consumer backlash. Consumers were upset and threatened boycotts. Coke quickly reverted to the old formula. New Coke was renamed Coke II in 1990 and discontinued in July 2002. Coca-Cola remains one of the largest and most recognizable brands in the world. Coca-Cola is the world’s top soft drink brand, with a global brand value of over $98 billion and revenue in 2023 or $45.8 billion.

Image by Pexels.

I write all this as a reminder that mistakes happen, failures happen. What matters is when someone says no, how do we respond?

Most experts point to reframing our failures as short-term setbacks and learning from them; taking calculated risks and planning your next move; seeking out the help of others, and keeping a positive perspective.

I’m going to try to keep these ideas in mind the next time something doesn’t go as I planned. I know I need these reminders as much as anybody. I write more about life’s highs and lows in my post, Swimming against the current, on the Heart of the Matter.

Related Stories:

• Swimming against the current on the Heart of the Matter.
• Yikes, I messed up: The power of failure
• Learning from failure
• Fixing a mistake!
• My five biggest parenting mistakes