Tabula Rasa — This is actually a Latin term meaning “clean slate.” People who end up being successful usually view change differently than the average person.
It was a cold December night in West Orange, New Jersey. Thomas Edison’s factory was humming with activity. Work was proceeding on a variety of fronts as the great inventor was trying to turn more of his dreams into practical realities. Edison’s plant, made of concrete and steel, was deemed “fireproof”. As you may have already guessed, it wasn’t! On that frigid night in 1914, the sky was lit up by a sensational blaze that had burst through the plant roof.
Edison’s 24-year-old son, Charles, made a frenzied search for his famous inventor-father. When he finally found him, he was watching the fire. His white hair was blowing in the wind. His face was illuminated by the leaping flames. “My heart ached for him,” said Charles. “Here he was, 67 years old, and everything he had worked for was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, ‘Charles! Where’s your mother?’ When I told him I didn’t know, he said, ‘Find her! Bring her here! She’ll never see anything like this as long as she lives.'”
Next morning, Mr. Edison looked at the ruins of his factory and said this of his loss: “There’s value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew.”
What a wonderful perspective on things that seem at first to be so disastrous. A job loss, business failure, personal dream gone sour… whether these things destroy an individual depends largely on the attitude he or she takes toward them. Sort out why it happened, and learn something from the blunders. Think of different approaches that can be taken. Start over. With any failure, there is a lesson to be learned and forgiveness to be found. With the slate wiped clean, look forward. Be wiser and humbler in view of what has happened, but don’t stop living because of it. A key truth of the Christian faith is that our hope lies in a still-unseen future rather than in a miserable past.
Don’t ignore the value of your “tabula rasa.”
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That is a great perspective. Loved this Dan, “A key truth of the Christian faith is that our hope lies in a still-unseen future rather than in a miserable past.” Thank you for this. Blessings today.
Dan, what an inspiring story. Where others see despair, some see opportunity. Great reminder about our faith.
It’s that great perspective that made him successful beyond belief. It’s a lesson we all can learn from!
I’ve heard of another quote from that same night. The optimism and hope exemplifies how he could “fail” thousands of times. Thanks for sharing this encouraging perspective.
Great story. Thanks for sharing this encouraging message. Problems present possibilities—obstacles present opportunities. There is almost always a sunny side to our dark situation. We need to find it quickly.
Hope lies in what we cannot see and the joy lies in what has yet to be discovered. Only a wise many could see that.
Greetings Dan,
Thank you for the reminder that perspective is both at the heart of our success in life and fully a choice we make.
This is just what I needed to hear as I have been looking for a new job. I am facing a layoff from a job I loved, and currently only allowed to work half-time for the next six weeks before the job is gone for good. I have been going in all kinds of directions trying to decide what to do but this article gave me a refreshing look at my situation. YES I want some things to be different and here’s my chance to start anew!
Cheryl
Congratulations on seeing your current circumstances in a new perspective. Good things are coming!
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