Gen. George S. Patton said: "I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom."

 

In the early 1960s, a musical group called The Beatles had an audition at Decca Records. The Beatles had gained a sizable following by playing small nightclubs. The band members knew that getting a recording contract with a company like Decca would be a giant step forward in their career. Also in the studio to audition that day was another band—Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.

 

Guess which group Decca signed? That's right; Brian Poole and the boys were snatched up. As for The Beatles, Decca executive Dick Rowe didn't think they were all that good.

The Beatles were disappointed, but they picked up their instruments and tried again, experiencing rejection at every stop along the way. Finally, they were offered a recording contract by George Martin of Parlophone Records.

 

Martin went on to produce and arrange many of The Beatles' multimillion-selling albums. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr literally changed popular music. But if they had listened to the folks at Decca, the world most likely would have never heard of them.

 

Thomas Edison said he tried more than 1,000 times and failed before inventing the electric light bulb. When someone asked him if all those failures made him discouraged, he replied that just the opposite was true. He believed that every failed attempt showed him another way not to go, which led him closer to success.

 

In 1928, Walt Disney was wiped out financially when he naively signed away the rights to his successful animated character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald generated hundreds of thousands of dollars, but Walt didn't get a penny.

 

In fact, he went bankrupt 12 times and had two nervous breakdowns. But Walt never gave up! He even invented a word for his attitude: stick-to-it-ivity. In the end, he became one of the most successful and influential people of the 20th century.

 

Please do not be content with your failures. Do not accept your failures, but bounce back high and know that success and better times are around the corner.

 

By Pat Williams is senior vice president of the NBA's Orlando Magic. He is the author of 40 books and a devoted father to 19 children. E-mail him at pwilliams@orlandomagic.com, or visit patwilliamsmotivate.com.