Prayer

Prayer

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

What I am Really Thankful For!

It's the Week of Thanksgiving, and while everyone is doing the "Day 1 Im thankful for this, Day 2 Im thankful for that," I tried to do one via video myself. Unfortunately, unforseen circumstances and all it didn't happen past the first few days. But, what I am really thnakful for is my failures, or rather second chances. My life has been filled with both. That being said, I wanted to reassure anyone who is going there a hard time of some people who also went through rough patches but thankfully to second chances they are (mostly) househould names!

Jillian Michaels. Made side money as a trainer, but when fired as a Hollywood Publishing agent, went back to training. Martha Stewart. After failing as a stock broker, started her own catering service in her basement. Suze Orman. As a waitress she lost $50,000 due to a poor investment. Studies to find out where she went wrong, and got a job at Merrill Lynch. Abraham Lincoln. Had 16 major political failures before being elected President. Harrison Ford went to over 1,000 auditions before etting his first job. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and had a failed business before Microsoft. Steve Jobs dropped out of Berkely and was even fired from his own company. They rehired him and he brought Apple to never before seen fame! Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard and faced two lawsuits at the exact same time. Thomas Edison is famous for failing at making a light bulb after 1,000 attempts. His story includes a well known response, "I didn't fail. I learn 999 ways how not to make a light bulb!" Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Albert Einstein could not read until he was seven. He failed out of school and was even thought to be mentally retarded. Steve Speilberg was rejecting from getting into the USC film school. Kevin Smith dropped out of film school and ran up $50,000 in credit card debt to make Clerks. Slyvester Stallone was broke and homeless. HIs famour story includes having to sell his dog to eat. When he sold the script for Rocky the first purchase he made was getting his dog back. Walt Disney was fired because his newspaper editor said he "lacked imagination." Beethoven's teachers called him hopeless and that he would never succeed. Stephen King's first novel (Carrie) recieved over 30 rejections. Thankfully his wife told him to try again. Michaelangelo thrived in sculpture but did miserably in painting. Yet he was commissioned by the Pope and is much better known for the Sistine Chapel than for David. Soichoro Honda was turned down for an engineering job by Toyota. Harlan Sanders only went into business for himself after his now famour chicken recipe was turned down over 1,000 times! The Wright Brothers battled depression. Winston Churchhill failed the 6th grade and was defeated in every public election until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62! Oprah was fired as a TV reporter because she was "unfit for TV." Marilyn Monroe was told she would make a better secretary than an actress. Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting while he was alive. Theodor Geisel "Dr Suess" had 27 different publishers reject him. Elvis Presley was fired from the Grand Ol' Opry. He was told he had "no future in music and should go back to driving a truck." The Beatles couldn't get signed because "guitar music was on its way out." George Herman "Babe" Ruth is known for his home runs (714 career) including one famous one, but he also had a lot of strikeouts (1,330.)


So perhaps it isnt just second chances and failures here, but people who kept up the tenacity to continue going! Its something that not everyone has, so those of us who do have it need to be especially thankful for this gift from God.