Inspiration

Did Thomas Edison Give Up?

Thomas Edison

Day 11 of 100 Days of Encouragement

Edison

“If we did all the things we are capable of doing we would truly astound ourselves.” Not my words, but those of inventor Thomas Edison, 1847-1931 who gave us the light bulb.

Edison was not one to give up on something he knew he could succeed at if he just kept working at it.  He made over 10,00 attempts to achieve success in his endeavour.  After struggling to develop a viable electric light-bulb for months and months, Thomas Edison was interviewed by a young reporter who boldly asked Mr. Edison if he felt like a failure and if he thought he should just give up by now. Perplexed, Edison replied, “Young man, why would I feel like a failure? And why would I ever give up? I now know definitively over 9,000 ways that an electric light bulb will not work. Success is almost in my grasp.” And shortly after that, and over 10,000 attempts, Edison invented the light bulb.”

After successfully completing the first 100 Days of Encouragement, I slipped through the cracks and started falling back into old habits, although I made a point of writing down most of what I eat. Yesterday and today I got back into routine or writing down everything I eat. I can come up with a lot of excuses for falling away from portion control and proper eating habits, but realistically, it comes down to my making a decision and staying with it, regardless of how tough it gets.

Today I allowed myself to get a little bit of rest and enjoy the day. I even took my little dog Mercedes for two walks. I have to make this commitment to myself and to my team that I will take responsibility for my eating, exercise, and balanced approach to life. After all, this is about changing my thinking and habits for the rest of my life. Lifestyle changes certainly are challenging, but never-the-less, I will get there. Can you imagine how different our history and lives would be if Edison had given up after his 9,999^th try at inventing the light bulb?

We are a team, and will keep working at it until we get there. If Edison didn’t give up, neither will we.  So… let’s keep on keeping on.