5/1/2014

One who tries and fails is more likely to succeed

   Persistence pays off, if you’re on the right track to start with. And who’s to say you’re not if you believe in yourself.
   That is a lesson I hope is taught in every classroom, school gym and Sunday school in America. There are so many examples all around us of the good that comes from people who don’t give up. Kids need to know early in life that dreams can come true for those who are willing to work for them and stay the course when inevitable setbacks occur.
    Miss Mississippi Chelsea Rick, the subject of our cover story, won her crown after not one or two but five tries. That’s not so unusual for a pageant contestant who is driven to win despite disappointments, is willing to pay some dues in the form of hard work and focus, and has the benefit of a supportive family, as Chelsea does.
    Another example of persistence: Henry Ford is said to have been inspired as a child by his mother, who encouraged his tinkering—no doubt instilling confidence in the young man. But he was fired from his first job and failed with his first two companies before succeeding with Ford Motor Co. Despite failure, he went on to create the assembly-line method of production, an innovation that transformed American manufacturing.
    In the early 1800s, Charles Goodyear endured debtor’s prison, homelessness and countless failures in his experiments to make raw rubber weatherproof. The problem was that rubber tended to melt into a smelly mess in the summer. Yet he persevered and eventually succeeded. His work helped Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. become the world’s largest rubber business. The irony is that neither Charles Goodyear nor his family had any connection whatsoever to the company named in his honor.
    Closer to home, here’s another example: Nearly all the 26 electric power associations in Mississippi have reached the 75-year milestone in their history, thanks to forward-thinking founders and their perseverance. In most cases, these founders were farmers, none of whom had ever before managed an electric utility. They knew, however, that affordable electric service was the key to shaking off the effects of the Great Depression, and that no one would bring electricity to their farms but them. The existing investor-owned utilities saw it as a money-losing venture and refused to build lines deep into rural Mississippi.
     Impassioned rural leaders didn’t give up. They decided to organize their own local electric cooperatives, called electric power associations, and sign up members to receive electricity after their homes were wired.
    Some people who had never before seen an electric light weren’t so eager for this mysterious new energy source. They were afraid it might harm their cows’ milk production. (They were correct to fear its power but for the wrong reasons. Electric service, when used safely, is safe.)
    There were countless other obstacles for electric co-ops to come through the decades, from the trials of emergency power restoration to the adoption of new technology. Today, electric power associations excel at delivering affordable, reliable electric service and, through perseverance, meeting challenges head on to ensure the continuation of this tradition.

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