“If we did all the things that we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” Thomas Edison.

Last Monday (January 19th) was the anniversary of the first electric lighting system employing overhead wires going into service. This was in 1883 in Roselle, New Jersey, USA. The system was built by Thomas Edison as part of an experiment to prove that an entire community could be lit by electricity from a shared, central generating station.

A steam-driven generator sent the energy through the wires strung overhead to a store, the town’s railway depot, 40 or so houses and 150 streetlights. The First Presbyterian Church of Roselle made electrical and ecclesiastical history three months later when it installed a 30-bulb “electrolier” and became the world’s first church to be lit by electricity.

Thomas Edison is regarded as one of the most successful inventors of all time. He was voted man of the millennium by life magazine in 1997. He holds patents for an astonishing 1093 things including the phonograph (early version of a record player), motion picture camera and the incandescent light bulb. Whether Edison was the actual inventor of everything he patented remains debatable, in fact doubtful, but there’s no denying that the man knew what he was doing.

It’s reported that it took him 10,000 attempts to create the lightbulb. Thomas Edison didn’t see his numerous attempts to invent the light bulb as failures, he saw them as discoveries of ways that didn’t work and moved him closer to a solution.

Edison is featured in a book, “People who changed the world.” His achievements are even more remarkable given that he had little formal education; he was expelled from school because his teachers thought he had learning difficulties. In fact, he suffered from hearing problems throughout his life. Edison’s enormous achievements were entirely due to years of hard work and his natural intelligence. It’s interesting how he didn’t allow his teacher’s judgements to hold him back.

Whilst his work with electricity was amazing, historians suggest that his best invention was the phonograph (also known as the gramophone). Without Edison we would not have been able to listen to The Beatles, U2, Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran. What makes the particular device so extraordinary was not the technological breakthrough or what it would come to mean to the world but that it had been invented by a man who had impaired hearing.

Edison developed the phonograph by biting on the sounding horn and listening through the resulting vibrations in his jaw bone. In fact, he claimed that his hearing problems were actually an advantage because by using his biting technique, he could pick up sound qualities that were virtually undetectable to the human ear.

We all face adversity, challenges, obstacles, frustrations and set-backs at times in our lives. When in the middle of periods of misfortune or challenge it’s easy to lose perspective, become downhearted and wonder if things will ever improve. It can have a detrimental effect on our levels of confidence and belief. Sometimes we have to experience difficulty and tough times so that we can develop a greater appreciation of the good times and be grateful for the periods of pleasure.

When you set out to achieve a goal or a dream, whether it is starting a business, pursuing a new career, beginning a new hobby, looking to lose weight or commencing a fitness regime, it’s easy at the first sign of a setback to give up and settle for what’s known and stay in your comfort zone.  It’s important in such circumstances that you persevere and not give up. You will need to be resilient and remind yourself why it’s important for you to pursue the goal.

Experiencing adversity can be a lesson. It can re-awaken us to the things that are far more important than money and material possessions; our health, our family and our friends. For instance, an illness teaches us to be humble, to see every day as a gift, to live more in the moment and motivate us to lead a healthy life. A sudden loss in the family brings into sharp focus the cycle of birth, life and death.

Adversity can come to our lives to suggest that it’s time for us to change direction and do something new. For instance, job loss can be a scary place and create uncertainty but it can be the springboard for something new and exciting and the start of a whole new adventure.

This week why not take a moment to reflect and consider what lessons your challenges and adversity have taught you.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk