These Great Achievers Were Once Considered Unintelligent
Photo of Thomas Edison (Notable inventor of the light bulb)
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In my relatively short life, I have observed a couple of young men and women who were once my school mates; many struggled through school. Some were downright academically poor whereas others made consistently poor grades because they were simply not serious with their academics; they seemed a hopeless bunch. A couple of years down the line, I am more than impressed by what they have made of their lives. I look at their lives now but see no correlation between what they once were and what they are now. As a matter of fact, it will seem as though such individuals have always been smart, intelligent, serious-minded and purpose driven.
When the names of some of the world`s great achievers are mentioned, many assume these persons were actually geniuses from childhood. Many think such individuals had very bright and promising beginnings. And yes, some obviously had great beginnings. However, there are also scores of famous and well-accomplished personalities who were once considered unintelligent. For some, authority figures in their sphere of contact who should have known better actually thought they were hopeless to such an extent that it will be impossible for them to amount to anything in life. In this piece, I have opted to briefly share the remarkable stories of six of such individuals. It is hoped that kids, parents, teachers, and society at large will find these stories inspiring, thought-provoking and instructive.
Albert Einstein: A world-renowned scientist, theoretical physicist, and the 1921 Nobel Prize winner for Physics. Reliable records reveal that as a boy Einstein`s grades were so poor that a teacher asked him to quit, saying, “Einstein, you will never amount to anything.”
Ludwig Van Beethoven: He was one of the most celebrated classical music composers of all time. His music teacher once said of him, “as a composer, he is hopeless.” He lived to prove his teacher`s opinion of him wrong.
Thomas Edison: He was a prolific inventor and an entrepreneur par excellence. He is especially world famous for his invention of the light bulb. As a boy, his academic performance was so poor that he was told by his teacher that he was too stupid to learn anything.
Stephen Spielberg: He is a multiple award-winning American film director. Dropped out of Junior High School and was subsequently placed in a learning-disabled class. He remained in the school for a month, dropping out of school forever.
Isaac Newton: He is one of the most celebrated scientists and mathematics to have ever walked on this plane of life. While in grade school as a kid, he was so weak academically that his teachers gave up on improving his grades.
Brian Tracy: A bestselling author, top sales speaker, trainer and consultant. He is also the founder and president of Brian Tracy International. He writes of his days in high school: “I didn`t graduate from high school. In fact, I behaved so badly in high school that I was suspended and eventually expelled from three different schools.”
What is the lesson in all this? These notable achievers and several others like them refused to accept the humiliating labels that were placed on them and refused to settle for what seemed to have been their lot. They broke free from the stereotypical mold and charted noble courses for themselves. I wish to submit that a person's current status or quality of life isn`t final; change is the only constant. Consequently, parents should never give up on their children. Teachers should never give up on their pupils and students. Students and pupils should never give up on themselves and should never look down on their peers. Within every human being are seeds of greatness. With the right environment, these seeds will germinate, grow and blossom.
Written by Daniel Dela Dunoo
I am a freelance writer/editor, blogger and a published author. My articles, short stories and poems have been featured on several websites, blogs, newspaper publications and magazines such as HR Focus Magazine, MM Focus Magazine, Optimum Magazine and Step Magazine.
Email: dudelda3@yahoo.com Blog: http://danieldeladunoo.blogspot.com / http://theroyalwordsmithgh.wordpress.com
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