Hangin’ Around the Barber Shop

Thomas Edison invented the light bulb on his 1,001st try. He said, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” C. S. Lewis was rejected 800 times before getting published, but The Chronicles of Narnia sold more than one million copies. A newspaper editor said Walt Disney “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Try telling that to the 58 million people worldwide who flock to Disney World every year.

What if Edison had given up? I’m glad he didn’t. Right now I’m typing at 8:30 p.m. by lamp light in my office. What about the Narnia literature? I’ve read every one of them. Lewis created a masterpiece series. And Disney? Anyone who can dream of a mutt named Tramp romantically slurping spaghetti with a knock-out Spaniel named Lady in the back alley of a posh Italian restaurant gets my vote for brilliant.

I love these stories, and I love people who have the guts to defy naysayers, succeed, and leave a mark in this world. But it’s tempting to give up sometimes, isn’t it? I believe everybody is creative in some way, because we’re all made in the image of a Creator Who designed the universe. But how do we know when to keep on keeping on?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself: Do you love whatever it is you’re doing? Why? Why is it important to you? Rick Warren wrote an all-time best seller called The Purpose-Driven Life. What drives your life? What spark in your soul refuses to diminish? Find that. Believe you were made for something special. Our very DNA affirms our uniqueness, not just among the billions of humans alive right now, but even among any and all humans before and hereafter.

Denzel Washington says about his early days of auditioning and failing, “If you hang around the barber shop long enough, sooner or later, you’re going to get a hair cut.”

That’s good wisdom, a lesson well learned and well earned.