How much does one degree matter? Let’s look at the “212 Principle”.
Simply stated at 211 degrees water is hot… at 212 it boils and with boiling water comes steam and with steam you can power a locomotive.
One degree is the difference between hot water and a power to transform industries, societies, and our world. What if the scientists had stopped at 211 degrees? What would your life be like? How would things be different in your world today?
In looking at history you see a number of people that pressed forward in the wake of failure obviously believing that there was something great, maybe only 1 degree away.
“Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.” As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. I just learned 1,000 ways that the light bulb didn’t work.”
“R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York City caught on.”
“Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he succeeded. “
“Michael Jordon was cut from his High School Basketball team.”
“F. W. Woolworth was not allowed to wait on customers when he worked in a dry goods store because, his boss said, “he didn’t have enough sense.”
“Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” He went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. In fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of Anaheim on the grounds that it would only attract riffraff.”
“Charles Schultz had every cartoon he submitted rejected by his high school yearbook staff. Oh, and Walt Disney wouldn’t hire him.”
“The first time Jerry Seinfeld walked on-stage at a comedy club as a professional comic, he looked out at the audience, froze, and forgot the English language. He stumbled through “a minute-and a half” of material and was jeered offstage. He returned the following night and closed his set to wild applause.”
“After Harrison Ford’s first performance as a hotel bellhop in the film Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, the studio vice-president called him in to his office. “Sit down kid,” the studio head said, “I want to tell you a story. The first time Tony Curtis was ever in a movie he delivered a bag of groceries. We took one look at him and knew he was a movie star.” Ford replied, “I thought you were spossed to think that he was a grocery delivery boy.” The vice president dismissed Ford with “You ain’t got it kid , you ain’t got it … now get out of here.”
If you’re looking failure in the face or facing a situation that makes you want to throw in the towel, think again. There could be something great just beyond your current “boiling” point.
Turn up the heat today and create steam!
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