Thin is in, according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences who this week awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics to a pair of Russian-born scientists for their investigative work on a revolutionary ultra-thin, super-strong material called graphene. While I’m impressed with what these two physicists achieved at the University of Manchester in England, the comment I enjoyed most in The New York Times coverage of the win was that their creation “originated in what Dr. Geim and Dr. Novoselov call ‘Friday evening’ experiments, crazy things that might or might not work out.”
Now these two have ideas! And I imagine their approach to accomplishment is the same as anyone’s who is successful. They study, they plan, they experiment, and they create. And it begins with something in their minds. In other words, they thought of a possibility, they knew what they wanted to accomplish, and they focused their energy on creating it.
The day before the Nobel Prize in Physics announcement, the astute people at Napoleon Hill Foundation reminded me how well the field of science illustrates the principles of success. Their example: Thomas A. Edison, who is said to have failed 10,000 times before developing the first commercially practical light bulb. According to Edison, he had first found only 10,000 ways it wouldn’t work. He believed every wrong attempt discarded was another step forward. To Edison, real labor was thinking, and he refused to quit until he succeeded.
Breakthroughs – scientific or otherwise – occur everyday because a determined person is focused powerfully on a purpose, and works consistently and persistently to achieve it.
“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” —Thomas Edison
Tags: creativity, leadership development, leadership qualities, leadership skills, managing yourself, Napoleon Hill, personal effectiveness, physics, success
