Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

You know, I've been thinking about how we're so afraid of failing, but actually, every great success story is built on top of some epic failures. Let me tell you about some examples that really inspire me.

Look at Abraham Lincoln - his life was basically a series of failures until he hit his 50s! Failed at business at 21, lost elections left and right, had a nervous breakdown, lost his sweetheart... the list goes on and on. But at 52? Becomes President of the United States! Like, can you imagine having that kind of resilience?

And Colonel Sanders - this guy was 65 years old with just a car and $100 to his name. SIXTY-FIVE! When most people are settling into retirement, he's out there knocking on doors trying to sell his chicken recipe. And not just a few doors - he got rejected ONE THOUSAND times before someone said yes. Now KFC is everywhere! Would I have that kind of persistence at that age? I honestly don't know.

Then there's Beethoven - his mom was advised to abort him because doctors predicted he'd have disabilities like all her other kids. And guess what? He was born deaf. A deaf kid sent to music school! They literally sent him home saying "this isn't going to work." And yet he created some of the most beautiful music the world has ever known.

And Edison - labeled "too stupid and deaf to learn" as a kid, only had four months of actual schooling. When he was trying to invent the light bulb, he failed 10,000 times! TEN THOUSAND! Most of us give up after like, three attempts. But that's not even the craziest part - at 67, his factory burned down, destroying everything. Instead of giving up, he said, "Great! All our mistakes are burnt up. Thank God we can start anew." Three weeks later, he invented the phonograph. What kind of mindset is that?!

I think what hits me about all these stories is that setbacks are just part of the journey. They can actually drive us forward and teach us some humility along the way. In those tough moments, we find courage we didn't know we had. The real enemy isn't failure - it's fear and doubt that paralyze us.

We all get to choose: do we want to be victims of our circumstances, or victors despite them? I know which one I'm aiming for.