The Edison Principle
Try Everything
Recently I was having a conversation with a friend when the mantra “try everything” was inserted into our dialogue. The collision of two words could not be more captivating. In a way we are all scientists testing an hypothesis on our own strengths and weaknesses. We’re all inventors who have the opportunity to make better versions of ourselves everyday.
To “try everything” is the Edison Principle.
“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
How easy it is for all of us to fall into a spiral of inspiration and in turn get discouraged or distinguish momentum when real work enters the picture. Let us all remember perspiration is when things are getting done. In a society driven on constant communication there is real jeopardy to the work we may be trying to accomplish. Every scientist/inventor has to create boundaries in order to innovate.
This quote is one of my favorites from Edison and is the basis for 99u, an organization dedicated to giving insights on making ideas happen and productivity.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
You never know if a legitimate product that would have changed the world was stopped an hour before it came into fruition. The Edison Principle embraces perseverance. Edison once said, “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” Never lose sight on the objective and never give up. There’s a reason you had the idea in the first place. Take your ideas seriously and get back to work.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
There is no doubt that the digital age has greatly influenced what “real work” is. Work always looks like something and productivity always has a trail behind it.
Thomas Edison should be admired by all startups and businessman. He had an abundance of ideas and only a few of those ideas actually changed the world. However, the world did change because of Thomas Edison and that is worth admiring. It is never to late to remember the Edison Principle, “try everything”.
