“I can’t do anything right!” exclaimed Ben as he was struggling to shoot a basket during lunch.
“What was that?” asked Ms. Robinson.
“As many times as I shoot the ball, I never make it. I’m never playing basketball again!” said Ben.
“Wait a second!” said Ms. Robinson. “Never playing basketball again? Almost everyone doesn’t succeed the first time. Or sometimes even the second, third, even hundredth time.”
“Have you ever heard of Albert Einstein?
He wasn’t able to speak until he was almost four years old! His teachers said he would never become anything great and that he wasn’t very smart. Einstein went on to win a Nobel Prize and teach the world about gravity.”
“What about Abraham Lincoln...
Lincoln tried to become president eight times and a business he owned failed. But, he didn’t give up and became the 16th president of the United States of America.”
“Have you ever heard of Steve Jobs?
Steve was unanimously removed from Apple, the company he created. After fighting to be hired back, Steve created the iPhone, Mac, and iPod.�
“Do you know Walt Disney?
He was fired from his job at a newspaper for not having any imagination or original ideas. He created Disneyland and Mickey Mouse.�
“And you have probably heard of Oprah Winfrey...
People called her names at first and she was demoted from her job because they told her she wasn’t ‘fit for television.’ Oprah ended up hosting the most successful talk show in history and was named the ‘Most Influential Woman in the World.’”
“Finally, do you know Michael Jordan, the basketball player?�
“Well, he was originally cut from his high school basketball team. At first he was upset, but he picked himself back up and became the MVP five times,� said Ms. Robinson.
“Wow!” said Ben. “I never realized how hard it was for all these people to make it.”
“Exactly! Even the most successful people in the world haven’t succeeded at times,” said Ms. Robinson.
“The most important thing is that you pick yourself up and keep trying. Sometimes it isn’t easy, but if you practice, someday you’ll make the basket every time!”
the end.