29 April 2016, Aside 15 @ the Red Room

This Halloween, get your “trick or treat” fix at Red Room’s Aside 15.

The theme for this upcoming Aside….Nightmare failures. Have you ever noticed that the best success stories often begin with failure? Why are those embarrassing flops, setbacks or radical changes of direction seem like the “required” first steps on the road to fame and fortune?

Here are some examples of famous “Nightmare Failures”:

Stephen King‘s first horror novel Carrie was rejected 30 times and thrown in the trash before becoming the prelude to hundreds of successful published books.

Ang Lee failed Taiwan’s college entrance exams – twice. He tried to go to acting school, but they said his English wasn’t good enough. Unemployed for 6 years living off of his wife’s salary, he had a bank balance of US $26 at the birth of their second child.

Thomas Edison was told he was “too stupid to learn anything” and it was only after 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing a light bulb that he finally succeeded.

Jack Ma failed his exit exams several times in elementary & middle school; failed college entrance exams 3 times; applied to Harvard 10 times and was rejected every time. Out of 24 people who applied for KFC when they entered China, he was the only one rejected. Out of 5 people who applied for a job on the police force, he was the only one rejected. His first 2 business ventures failed and then came Alibaba …zero revenue for the first 3 years.

“Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.”

~ Jack Ma

Come join Red Room on Saturday, October 29, 2016 as three of Taiwan’s own share their horror stories of personal and/or business failures. Listen to how they handled and overcame multiple obstacles to be where they are today. Be inspired if you happen to be facing insurmountable challenges in your life. RSVP here.

“I’ve had dreams and I’ve had nightmares. I conquered the nightmares because of my dreams”.

~ Jonas Salk

By Sharon Landon

Photos from Aside 14 can be viewed here: