THOMAS ALVA EDISON: Journey through the mind and defining thoughts of an enigma(1)

Few things fascinate me more than success stories, stories of people who broke the barriers of adversity, social and economic limitations to reach their potential and made a difference in the world. My map on the journey to the top has been the mind and thoughts of great men recorded for posterity. In looking through these minds I have made discoveries far above the level of gold and diamond mines, much greater than the discovery of a fresh spring in a desert land. Thomas Edison was summarily written of by both his school teacher as “addled” and his own father, yet it was written of him “he led no armies to battle, he conquered no countries and he enslaved no peoples………none the less he exerted a degree of power the magnitude of which no warrior ever dreamed.” The life of Edison, his trials and triumphs, beautifully captures the essence of my life – opportunity. Edison took advantage of the opportunities that the challenges of his life presented & turned adversity to his advantage, while making a difference to the world. The next time you turn on a light bulb do remember that it was Edison who invented the technology amongst countless others; he was also the first man to record the human voice. Edison overcame prejudice and stereotypes to become one of the greatest inventors of all time (with over one thousand patents to his name). he was an enigma indeed, far ahead of his time in thoughts and deeds’ yet grossly misunderstood and sometimes unappreciated. Fasten your seatbelt as we undertake a fascinating and jolly ride into one of the greatest minds of the industrial age. THOMAS EDISON ON: His Mother “The memory of my mother will always be a blessing to me……………… [she] was the making of me ………… [because] she was always so true and so sure of me………and always made me feel I had someone to live for and not disappoint.” His Purpose “My main purpose in life is to make more money to create ever more inventions…………. The dove is my emblem ………….. I want to save human life & not destroy it……….. I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.” Service “I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others ……… I find what the world needs, then I proceed to invent it.” Adding Value “My principal business consists of giving commercial value to the brilliant but misdirected ideas of others. Accordingly I never pick up an item without thinking of how I might improve it.” Originality “Because ideas have to be original only regards to their adaptation to the problem at hand, I am always extremely interested in how others have used them……….I readily absorb ideas from every source, frequently starting off where the last person left off. I am quite correctly described as more of a sponge than an inventor.” Power of Ideas “A good idea is never lost. Even though its originator may die without publicizing it, it will someday be reborn in the mind of another.” Genius “Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. Accordingly a ‘genius’ is often a talented person who has done all of his homework.” Opportunity “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Focus “The first requisite for success is to develop the ability to focus and apply your mental and physical energies to the problem at hand, without growing weary. Because such thinking is often difficult, there seems to be no limit to which some people go to avoid the effort and labour that is associated with it.” Potential “If we did all the things we are capable of we would literally astound ourselves.”