Everyone in the world has heard of the company Honda, yet few know that the international automobile and motorcycle giant is named for its highly successful founder. Engineer and industrialist Soichiro Honda, born in Japan in 1906, started Honda Motor Co., Ltd. in 1948 and grew the enterprise into a massive multinational conglomerate famous today for far more than just cars and bikes.
Honda was famously disinterested in formal education, saying “A diploma is by no means a sure ticket to life.” However, he pursued his passions with unparalleled commitment and focus. Anyone preparing for high stakes tests can learn a lot from this legendary businessman:
Many people dream of success. To me success can be achieved only through repeated failure and introspection. In fact, success represents 1 percent of your work which results only from the 99 percent that is called failure.
Real happiness lies in the completion of work using your own brains and skills.
Instead of being afraid of the challenge and failure, be afraid of avoiding the challenge and doing nothing.
Enjoying your work is essential. If your work becomes an expression of your own ideas, you will surely enjoy it.
Hope makes you forget all the difficult hours.
What we learn through failure becomes a precious part of us, strengthening us in everything we do. So let the tough things make you tougher.
…So it wasn’t necessary to be born a nobleman or rich to succeed in life. There are other qualities which also lead to success. Courage, perseverance, the ability to dream and to persevere.
When you fail, you also learn how not to fail.
We all have the right to our crazy dreams.
Mike Bergin