The armed Taliban soldier boarded the bus in October of 2012 and angrily shouted, “Tell me who is Malala!”.
When 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai bravely raised her hand, he
promptly shot her in the head, nearly killing her.
Who would have known that day would be the foundation of success rather than failure?
Afterward, Malala knew she had a choice; live a quiet life or use this horrible experience to help other girls. She boldly chose to use that tragic event to ensure that the Taliban, and others who seek to deny girls an education, did not succeed. She established the Malala Fund, a charity dedicated to giving every girl an opportunity to achieve a future she chooses.
In recognition of her work, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2014 and became the youngest-ever Nobel laureate.
Through her efforts and the Malala Fund, tens of millions of dollars have been raised to fund education initiatives for girls around the world.
One of America’s most respected citizens grew up poor in a family that lived in Kentucky and Indiana. He attended school for only one year but continued to read on his own in a quest to improve his mind.
He subsequently met many failures:
- 1832 Lost
job and was defeated for the state legislature - 1833 He failed in a business pursuit
- 1835 His sweetheart died
- 1836 He had a nervous breakdown
- 1838 Was defeated for Speaker of Illinois House
- 1843 Defeated for nomination for Congress
- 1846 He was finally elected to Congress
- 1848 Then lost renomination 2 years later
- 1854 He was defeated for U.S. Senate
- 1856 He was defeated for nomination for Vice President
- 1858 Again he was defeated for U.S. Senate
- 1860 Elected President of the United States of America
I expect he sat down and cried each time
Which failure mattered? He would have no way of knowing at the time.
They all did!
Each failure was only stepping stone to his next success.
The important thing is, he didn’t quit.
He pushed on like Malala. History would go on to record
Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest presidents of all time.
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the
”It is impossible to live without failing at
…in which case, you fail by default. J.K. Rowling
Which failures matter?
Who the Hell knows
You’ve failed. I’ve failed. We’ve succeeded too. In the moment, it’s often hard to tell failure from success.
Why do we know all this?
At the core of all learning, all growth, is knowledge.
And where do we get this knowledge?
From other people’s stories.
We learn what went wrong for them and we try to avoid that.
We learn what worked well for them and we try that.
But we would all know nothing if those who came before us had not WRITTEN IT DOWN! Told their story.
History sheds a new light on everything.
Once upon a time, slicing people’s arms to let out the “bad blood” was thought to be a good idea. History proved that wrong.
The excepted fact at one time was that the world was flat. You would sail off the edge. And the sun revolved around the Earth.
Time proved this these “facts” wrong.
What’s good? What’s bad? What’s right? What’s wrong?
Only hindsight offers clarity.
One of the most inspiring compliments I received on my first book, “Photoshop Tip Cards” was: “Bob, Your way of explaining things helps more than all the videos.”
There are hundreds of Photoshop books out there. “My way of explaining things” was what made the book good for him.
Your story doesn’t have to be unique. Your way of explaining things might make all the difference for someone.
You have a story to share. Successes and failures. Experience. Everyone does.
Shame on you for hoarding it in an era where self-publishing is available to all so cheaply!
Shame on you for depriving others, maybe your kids or your grandkids.
We could all learn from you. Why are you hiding?
Has your life meant nothing?
Will your legacy be just your name on a cold lonely tombstone?
That’s sad. I hope not.
You have a wonderful story to tell. I know this.
We should tell it so future generations can know you and benefit from your time here on Earth. People, family forgets. Books are forever.
Imagine 50 years from now, your great grand-babies could Google your name and end up buying your book on Amazon.com! Or find it in the library!
Today, books can be created in traditional form, words strung together, a collection of stories, facts, formulas, recipes. They can also be non-traditional with hand-drawings, photographs, snippets of memorabilia.
Whatever you wish to share can be created in many ways.
Contact me to explore the possibilities or visit “Book Writing Magic.com” to get started now.
Like Malala, Abe, Michael
“Bene Vivere!”
ElderBob Schwarztrauber
