Each of us has read compelling stories of great innovators who overcame unbelievable odds to create great achievements and realize success.  These stories are often told to be inspirational by showing the persistence and resolve that has been demonstrated by great people.  Unfortunately, these stories can sometimes serve as a basis of comparison that makes my personal achievements seem weak and feeble.

When thinking about this subject further, it is easy to think that I will never be able to be a great innovator, since I haven’t successfully invented anything.  It is easy to assume that you cannot do something because you haven’t done it in the past.  However, there is one additional factor to consider . . . and that is that none of the great innovators had created anything either, until their discovery was made.

The impact of this revelation is quite profound, because it means the seeds of invention and innovation can literally be inside of anybody.  It is simply a matter of finding them and cultivating their growth.  In many cases, it is not the lack of ideas or lack of opportunity that stops innovation . . . the thing that crushes most ideas before they can be fully developed is a lack of persistence.

As human beings, we are naturally impatient, and do not like to expend continued effort without seeing tangible results.  It requires great faith to continually work toward a goal or purpose without a guarantee of the result.  In my experience, it is this faith and persistence that separates the successful from those who want to achieve success.  The reason for this is because faith and persistence creates a vision of success that does not allow for the possibility of failure.  This steadfast refusal to accept failure is often what pushes the innovator to keep going until success is achieved.  Thus, the next great innovator could be anybody, and come from anywhere.  In fact, it is quite possible that the next great innovator could be you.