A misquote of the poem “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns suggests: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray,” and serves as caution that life may very well supply us with experiences beyond our wildest imagination.

For most, as we journey down the road of life, our dreams often turn out quite differently than we hoped and planned for. Instead of the smooth paths of our charted course, we find ourselves stumbling and falling, and more often than not we are left in the embarrassing position of having to admit failure or defeat.

Anyone who has experienced failure remembers vividly their moments of defeat that are filled with an illusion in which there seems to be no future, no hope and no possibility of ever achieving their dreams. Remembering with scorn the inspiration that led them on to failure, wondering why they were ever led to the humiliation and their feelings of isolation, as if they were the only person who has ever failed.

Many seeming failures who fall short of their objectives did so not because they are stupid or have failed to plan, but because the skills they have acquired are not in harmony with the endeavor they are trying to accomplish. For example, the talents and skills necessary to be an engineer are not the same as those needed to be a ballerina and no matter how hard one works with the skills of an engineer they will surely experience frustration and a lack of success as a ballerina. Thus one’s lack may simply be life’s way of telling them that they need to be on another road where their talents can be put to better use. So as one confronts their failures, they must first analyze whether or not success lies down a different road.

The reality of life is that everyone will meet failure face-to-face and while we do everything in our power to avoid the very appearance of failure, we should recognize that failure is often part of a learning process. Many know that Thomas Edison, who was expelled from elementary school, tried over 10,000 formulations before perfecting the electric light bulb. In science and chemistry, failure is an essential step in deciding what elements can be combined to achieve positive results-and which ones will end up blowing up the laboratory! Every failure has the potential to add to our knowledge.

Above all, failure is a test of our strength and spirit. When we fail, we are given a choice. We can let our fear of failing prevent us from trying to accomplish our objectives, or we can resolve, with the strength of spirit, to overcome the obstacles that stand in our way. With perseverance, we can analyze what went wrong and figure out how to try a different approach and as we do we will continually discover that failure is not the end of the road, but the beginning of many new horizons.

The worst failure we ever experience is the first one because it catches us by surprise. Vince Lombardi wisely reminded us that, “The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”

At age 63 an offer of $200,000 cash was turned down for the purchase of a motel-restaurant that the owner had spend years trying to building up. Then two years later a super-highway was built that bypassed the business and within 12 months the owner lost everything that he had. Then flat broke at age 65, he put his recipe and his pressure cooker in his car and traveled the country trying to get restaurants to license his method of cooking. Finally after 300 rejections he convinced a restaurant to pay him 5 cents for every chicken that they sold and soon Colonel (Harlan T.) Sanders and Kentucky Fried Chicken became an American icon.

“Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham Lincoln. If you want to learn about somebody who didn’t quit, look no further. Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown. He could have quit many times - but he didn’t and because he didn’t quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of our country. Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln’s road to the White House:

1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.

1818 His mother died. 1831 Failed in business.

1832 Ran for state legislature - lost.

1832 Also lost his job - wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in.

1833 Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.

1834 Ran for state legislature again - won.

1835 Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.

1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.

1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - defeated.

1840 Sought to become elector - defeated.

1843 Ran for Congress - lost.

1846 Ran for Congress again - this time he won went to Washington and did a good job.

 1848 Ran for re-election to Congress - lost.

1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state - rejected.

1854 Ran for Senate of the United States - lost.

1856 Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party’s national convention - got less than 100 votes.

1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again - again he lost.

1860 Elected president of the United States.

Me path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself ‘It’s a slip and not a fall.” Abraham Lincoln After losing a senate race

Although at times we may stumble and fall, we must get back on our feet and continue working hard to achieve our goals.”

Chicken Soup For the Soul - Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, HCI, pp. 236-237.

Authors, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, of the New York Times best selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series which have sales in excess of 80 million copies were rejected 145 times before finally getting their first book published, while Mystery writer John Creasey received 753 rejection slips before publishing the first of 562 books.

Our ability to “look down the road” gives us the capacity to triumph over our adversities and defeats; then with a different viewpoint, provides renewed hope and insights to opportunities never before discovered. Thomas Edison best expressed this understanding in 1914 after his laboratory was destroyed by fire, at a cost exceeding $2,000,000. The inadequate insurance coverage, based upon the belief that the buildings were fireproof because they were made of concrete, only covered $238,000 of the loss. Much of Edison’s life work went up in the flames. At the height of the blaze, 67 year old Edison was found calmly watching the fire. His son, who had searched frantically for him, described how his heart ached for his father and his apparent misfortune. Upon seeing his son, however, Edison yelled out, “Charles, where is your mother. Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.” The next morning, as Thomas Edison looked at the ruins, he said “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Let’s thank God we can start anew.”

Akeba Horowitz, lost almost everything he had on his original invention known as the electric flowerpot before inventing the flashlight. This simple invention has made millions upon millions of dollars and has had some impact on the world. Today, Eveready Battery and that bunny that just keeps going and going delights us and is as much entertainment as it is a reminder that we should never give up. Thank you Mr. Horowitz!

Eveready Bunny