Successful Failures: Tyler Perry

Sometimes failure is good.  Failure often leads to success when the right lessons are learned from the failure.  Many of today’s successful people were considered failures at some point in their lives.  But they learned from their mistakes and continued to strive towards their goals. Where ever you are in your business endevours don’t be afraid to fail because it brings you closer to success…

From Biography.com: Writer, actor, producer, director. Born Emmitt Perry Jr. on September 13, 1969, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tyler Perry has forged his own way in the entertainment industry, building an empire that consists of successful films, plays, and even a best-selling book. One of four children, he had a difficult childhood, suffering years of abuse at the hands of his carpenter father. He once described his father as a man “whose answer to everything was to beat it out of you.” At one point, Perry even attempted suicide in an effort to escape his difficult situation {emphasis mine}. At 16, he changed his first name to Tyler to separate himself from his father. Perry dropped out of high school, but he eventually earned a general equivalency diploma, or GED, later. Trying to find his way professionally, he held a series of unfulfilling jobs before discovering his true passion.

 The Oprah Effect

Watching an episode of Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, Perry was inspired by a comment on the program about how writing about difficult experiences could lead to personal breakthroughs. He started a series of letters to himself, which became the basis for the musical I Know I’ve Been Changed. While the show tackled such tough subjects as child abuse, it also touched on forgiveness, a theme has remained central in many of his works and reflects his deep connection to his Christian faith. After saving up $12,000, Perry debuted the show—which he directed, produced, and starred in—at an Atlanta theater in 1992. The musical’s run lasted only one weekend and drew a measly 30 people to see the show. Disappointed yet determined, Perry continued to work odd jobs while reworking the show. He staged the show in several other cities, but success still eluded him. Broke, Perry was living out of his car for a time {me again}. “Can you imagine a six-foot-five man sleeping in a Geo Metro?” he once told Essence magazine. In 1998, Perry tried one more time to win over theater audiences. He rented out the House of Blues in Atlanta for another production of I Know I’ve Been Changed. Soon Perry was performing to sell out crowds and the musical was moved to a larger theater. After so many years of hard work, he finally earned critical acclaim as well as commercial success.

The Effort Equation

I take inspiration from people like Tyler Perry,  people who find their passion and do whatever it takes to become successful at it. Imagine living in your car if you didn't have to just to save money to bring your passion to life. I know that is extreme to many of us and I'm not suggesting that you stop paying your rent and invest all of your money in your business. I'm simply saying that output equals input; the more effort you put in to your business the more you get out of it. You have to determine what's the appropriate amount of effort to input.   

 I hope it helps.  Leave a comment and let me know if it does. Tyler Perry and Chris Gardner stories are great but I'm sure there thousands of stories out there that should be told.  If you or anyone you know is a success in spite of your failures, please email me and perhaps you can be feature on a future Successful Failure post.  

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