I shared a photo the other day on Facebook and it kind of went viral (on my wall, at least). It’s something I stumbled across the internet and felt it deserved to be passed on. It says that “if Howard Schultz gave up after being turned down by banks 242 times, there would be no Starbucks;” that “if J.K. Rowling gave up after being turned down by multiple publishers for years, there would be no Harry Potter;” that “if Walt Disney quit too soon after his theme park concept was trashed 302 times, there would be no Disneyland.”
Inspiring, isn’t it? Throughout history, there have been quite a number of notably exceptional people who’ve carved an indelible niche in spite and despite, or even because of, their disabilities or failures. We all know that Alexander the Great was a hunchback and that Hellen Keller was deafblind, and their physical limitations never stopped them from conquering their own place in the sun.
Very recently, a good friend of mine, Segundo “Bré” Abrea Jr. spoke after me at the Carolinian Summit organized by the University of San Carlos Supreme Student Council (Bré, a party mate and mentor of mine from USC’s TINGOG Carolinian Party, is an expert in experiential learning and runs an outdoor or adventure-based training firm called 2XPLORE). I wanted to leave after my talk so I could fine-tune my column and send it to my very patient editor, Quennie Bronce, right on time (and yes, I thank her for the patience, since deadlines, apart from rats, are my worst nemesis!), but I’m so glad I stayed.
Bré started his talk so creatively that I had no choice but to stay a bit longer (besides, it would’ve been rude to leave without ending the program). His intro had something to do with sperm—yes sperm, and winners, and champions—and so immediately, Bré owned me for the next half hour or so. Why sperm? Well, it’s a beginning of life kind of thing *naughty grin* but trust me, it was oh so relevant. Lol
Earlier, in my speech, I told the student leaders that sometimes, when we go out of our way to talk to young people to try to inspire them, we find ourselves more inspired in the process. “Be inspired or inspire others, either way, you change the world.” True enough, and not just because I spoke to them but because I chose to stay and listen, I was left riveted, revived, and revitalized!
He mentioned a litany of monumental failures—people whom most of us couldn’t even relate to, comparing to their rather high level of failure and/or misery. Listening to their backgrounds, one could never tell who Bré was talking about—just like a blind item that’s so difficult to guess!
Here are some of them, as blind items (answers below):
1) Deca Records dumped them, said the company didn’t like their sound and that guitar music was on its way out; 2) Was cut from his high school basketball team, went home, locked himself in his room, and cried; 3) Teacher said he’s so stupid to learn anything; 4) Fired from a newspaper company because he supposedly lacked imagination and had no original ideas; 5) Fiancé died, business was bankrupt twice, had a nervous breakdown, and lost in 8 elections; 6) Was turned down 59 times before he was published; 7) Bench-warmer for the NY Knicks; 8) Runt in the family.
Answers:
1) Beatles; 2) Michael Jordan; 3) Thomas Edison; 4) Walt Disney; 5) US President Abraham Lincoln; 6) Dr. Seuss; 7) Jeremy Lin; 8) King David
So dream big and dare to fail, because many times, even in the midst of just trying, we’ve already won. In my experience, looking back and moving forward, no prize will ever be as sweet as the actual experience of slugging it out. Ahhh, such is the beauty of life.
And not fearing sacrifice or pain or hurt or failure is the key to it all. After all, even the King of Kings had to die on the cross so we could be saved.
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Bre Abrea’s 2XPLORE outdoor classroom programs “use the experiential learning model to engage participants to be actively involved in the learning process by a balanced combination of physical, emotional, and mental challenges at ground level and rising up to 50 feet in the air.” For meaningful, more-than-the-usual, and adventure-based trainings in leadership and team-building, contact them through mobile number +63 922 802 7302 or via email 2XPLORE@FacilitatorsCircle.com.
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