How do failures affect you? It is not always easy to accept them gracefully, but they could be the stepping stones to growth and self-discovery, especially when grit and determination are your guiding stars.
Failure-to-success stories are endless. They could fill a comprehensive encyclopedia, with each instance serving as a source of inspiration for anyone who stumbles or falls. Here’s a glimpse at just a few heartwarming tales of how setbacks paved the way for extraordinary achievements.
When the cat failed to impress
It was the year 1974. A young woman Yuko Shimizu used to work at the Japanese entertainment company Sanrio. One day, she sketched out a simple white cat wearing a red bow, calling it “Hello Kitty”. She submitted her work, but it was rejected by the executives of the firm who thought her sketch was too simple, childish, and soft to sell. Her pitch was turned down 47 times.
Yuko never gave up and continued drawing until Sanrio took a chance by putting Hello Kitty on a tiny coin purse for girls. It was an instant hit and turned out to be one of the most profitable characters they had ever had.
From initial rejection, Hello Kitty surged to become a global phenomenon, and the brand today has a multibillion-dollar empire that encompasses toys, fashion, and theme parks. And on top of that, EVA Air has planes adorned with iconic Hello Kitty features.
The voice they rejected, the legend who still continues to rule hearts!
Almost all of India knows that the Shahenshah of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, faced rejection when he auditioned to be an announcer at All India Radio. His voice was considered too heavy. Isn’t it ironic that that same deep baritone is now regarded as one of his most powerful assets in films and on television?
From a string of No’s to a historic triumph!
J.K. Rowling faced profound challenges with the grief of her mother’s passing, a divorce, and financial hardships, all while her manuscript for Harry Potter was repeatedly rejected by publishers in the UK. It was her thirteenth attempt that proved to be the turning point, with the first book launching a series that established her as one of the wealthiest and most celebrated writers of her time.
At the commencement of Harvard University, where she was awarded an honorary degree in 2008, she said: “You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all- in which case, you fail by default.”
She emphasized that these failures gave her an inner security that no amount of passing exams could ever provide.
From Visa Denial to Undeniable Success
One’s dreams can come crashing down if a visa is denied in a foreign land. At the same time, such a rejection can be life-changing.
The story of Kunal Bahl is one of resilience and determination. His H-1B visa application was rejected by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services while he was working at Microsoft. Disappointed, he returned to India. This setback paved the way for his entrepreneurial journey. He co-founded Snapdeal in 2010, establishing it as one of India’s leading e-commerce platforms.
The tables turned in a dramatic way!
WhatsApp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton both applied separately to Facebook and were rejected. Embracing their failures, they redirected their creativity and developed the now insanely popular app, WhatsApp.
As fate would have it, it was Facebook that ultimately acquired their app for $19 billion!
He missed the train, but destiny had greater plans!
Former Indian cricket captain M.S. Dhoni had a dream of representing the Railways in the Ranji Trophy. He was turned down by the selectors on the grounds that he was technically not sound. He went on to represent Jharkhand, and in his maiden match, he led his team to victory against the Railways in the 2002–03 season. This same man also had his name carved in the Hall of Fame when India won the World Cup under his captaincy in 2011.
There could still be a window that is open when a door closes!
Failures open one’s eyes to get a clearer perspective of success. They are not necessarily the end, but instead they could herald the beginning of a new path. Every setback carries with it a lesson, a spark, and an opportunity waiting to be seized. For what feels like a defeat could rather be sowing the seeds of a future victory!
rashmi writes 