Why Thomas Edison could be bad for your Wealth...

"I have not failed; I have simply found 10,000 ways that don't work..."

Thomas Edison - on inventing the light bulb...

When it comes to significant inventions, Thomas Edison is up there with the greats holding a total of 1093 Patents in the USA, along with others in the UK and Europe...

His famous quote is held out as a beacon of hope for all those who are struggling with achievement and success - in essence, encouraging them to keep going...

Never giving in and getting things wrong has been the mantra of the Personal Development business for years;

"there is no failure, only feedback..." for example...

You'll be going back on another weekend "firewalking" course that will help you deal with the "feedback", and rather than enabling you to actually achieve anything of note, allow you to keep wallowing in the comfortable swamp of under-achievement - and remember to bring your cheque book with you...

Well I have some bad news..

If you own a business, or run someone elses for them, and you make a mess of it 10,000 times, you won't be in that business for very long. The reality is that you have to get it right - not every time but at least 51% of the time...

If you want real achievement, take a look at Nikola Tesla - LINK

He was the guy that "invented" AC electric current, and could transmit it for free through the air without the need for wires and distribution networks. He was also the guy that was undermined by Edison - who told everyone that DC was best and that AC would kill them.

And - his work was further undermined by JP Morgan who withdrew funding because his work threatened to undermine the profits of General Electric. 

Tesla was a rock star - he didn't need 10,000 attempts to make a light bulb, he was an engineer who learned his craft and applied scientific principles to the quest for invention.

On Thomas Edison, Tesla famously wrote in 1931;

"If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search... I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labour."

And here lies the challenge for those of us who not only want, but need to be successful, we cannot afford the Edison approach, we need to become a Tesla...

So how do we become more like Tesla - simple, we have to Learn before we Earn. Only in the dictionary does Earn come before Learn..

We have to invest in our knowledge and skills before we "have a go at business" and get the "feedback" - knowledge is the key...

Gifted amateur status is not good enough, our lives and businesses are not scripted by Hollywood where the lazy, drunk and useless miraculously transform into Superheroes. We live in a world where excellence still counts, where intellect and the application of principles and hard work actually make a difference.

How to build knowledge... 

1. Get to College - night school or distance learning...

2. Read Books - not 50 Shades or Harry Potter...

3. Watch Videos - check out TED; Youtube for grown ups...

4. Go to Workshops - you will always learn something...

5. Reach Out - take advice from those who can help you...

6. Research - write a book and become an expert...

7. Stop - tolerating "feedback"...

8. Start - achieving Results - because Results Rules OK...

Results = Knowledge x Application

Feedback = Hope x  Repetition

Interesting to note that while Edison had a town in New Jersey named after him, Tesla had the very foundation of electricity named after him - Magnetism is measured in SI units known as Teslas' (T) 

And there is a very cool car company named after him... LINK

And OMD released a single in 1984 called Tesla Girls... LINK

Have a great week...