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Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, shared an important lesson about success and failure.
Photo: The New Yorker
"Facebook wasn't the first thing I built," he said. "I also built chat systems and games, study tools and music players."
His point? Success often comes after many attempts and failures.
Zuckerberg isn't alone in this experience. Consider JK Rowling, who was rejected 12 times before she finally published Harry Potter. Or Beyoncé, who created hundreds of songs before producing hits like "Halo". These stories highlight a key aspect of entrepreneurial culture: the freedom to try new ideas and fail.
In today's society, we often shy away from big challenges because we're afraid of making mistakes. Zuckerberg argues that this fear can be paralyzing.
"We ignore all the things wrong today if we do nothing," he said.
The greatest successes come when we have the freedom to fail, learn, and try again.
This idea isn't new. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, famously said,
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Edison's persistence and willingness to embrace failure were crucial to his success. He saw each failure as a step closer to his ultimate goal.
Another example is Steve Jobs. Before his success with Apple, Jobs faced significant failures, including being ousted from the company he co-founded. However, he didn't let these setbacks define him. Instead, he founded NeXT and Pixar, both of which achieved success. When Jobs returned to Apple, he brought with him the lessons he had learned from his failures, which helped him transform Apple into one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Similarly, Dyson's founder, James Dyson, went through 5,126 failed prototypes before creating his first successful vacuum cleaner. Dyson's story is a testament to the power of perseverance and learning from failure. He once said,
"Enjoy failure and learn from it. You can never learn from success."
In the world of startups, the freedom to fail is often what leads to innovation. Take Airbnb, for example. The founders struggled initially, facing numerous rejections from investors. They even resorted to selling cereal to keep their company afloat. But they learned from each setback, refined their business model, and eventually built a multi-billion-dollar company.
The lesson from these stories is clear: don't be afraid to fail. Embrace your mistakes, learn from them, and keep pushing forward. As Mark Zuckerberg, JK Rowling, Beyoncé, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and James Dyson have shown, the road to success is often paved with failures. It's the willingness to keep trying, despite the setbacks, that ultimately leads to great achievements.
Listen to Mark: