Fail, Fail, Fail!! Have You Ever Felt You “Just Can’t Win?”
HE EXPERIENCED A difficult childhood. When he was only seven years old, his family was forced out of their home on a legal technicality. He went to work to support his family, and at nine, his mother died. He completed less than one year of formal schooling.
At twenty-two, he lost his job as a store clerk. His desire was to go to law school, but his lack of education restricted him from being admitted. He borrowed money to become a partner in a small business. A few years later, his partner died, leaving him swamped in debt that took seventeen years to repay.
In 1832, he was defeated for the legislature; this was followed by another business failure one year later.
In 1835, the young woman he loved refused to marry him, and a woman he had loved earlier died, leaving him rejected, confused and heartbroken. He was defeated for speaker in 1838 and defeated for the elector in 1840. Two years later he married into a burdensome life and an ultimately unhappy relationship.
He was defeated for Congress in 1843, but finally, after his third try was elected in 1846. Two years later, at thirty-nine, he ran again and failed to be reelected.
His personal life was also in shambles. His four-year-old son died (in fact, only one of his four sons lived past eighteen). At this point, he experienced a nervous breakdown. The next year, he failed to get an appointment to the U.S. Land Office.
At forty-five, he ran and was badly defeated for the US Senate. Two years later, in 1856, he became candidate for the vice presidency and again experienced defeat.
Failure stood at his door in 1858 when he was again badly defeated for the US Senate.
Amazingly enough, at the age of fifty-one, this man withstood a lifetime of crisis, criticism, public denial, personal defeat, deep depression, and loneliness to become the President of the United States in 1860.
His name?
Abraham Lincoln.
I can accept failure. What I can’t accept is not trying.
—Kevin Norberg
