American Idol and Microwaves

American Idol

American Idol and microwaves have something in common – instant gratification.

There has been a lot written lately about the rudeness and rejection that contestants face on the show. I wonder what would happen if Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, or Janis Joplin would have auditioned. Most likely they would have never received that coveted yellow slip that gets you to Hollywood.

But who is to say who is and isn’t talented? It is more about persistence and passion. The problem is that we are raising our kids in a microwave world where success has to be instant – it isn’t. Do what you love to do and if you are fortunate enough to make a living at it as well, then you’ve grabbed the gold ring and are truly successful.

The world is full of overnight success stories, but what we don’t realize is those overnight successes worked at their craft for many years while they waited tables or did temp work. The difference is they had a very secret tool – persistence.

“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins…not through strength but by perseverance.”
H. Jackson Brown

Here are some famous ‘rejects’

• Balding, skinny, can dance a little,’ they said of Fred Astaire at his first audition.
Marilyn Monroe was told she should become a secretary
• In 1962 Decca Records rejected The Beatles, saying that “guitar bands are on their way out.”
Beethoven’s music teacher declared him ‘hopeless’ at composing.
Albert Einstein’s parents feared he was sub-normal.
• H. B. Warner of Warner Brothers fame scoffed at the notion of ‘talkies.’ No one would want to hear movie actors talk.
• Television, too, was once written off. It would never appeal to the average American family, pronounced the New York Times.
• George Orwell’s Animal Farm ‘It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA’
• “Chicken Soup for the Soul” was rejected by at least 220 publishers before it was accepted by Health Communications. Most people don’t know that this book, which is now a kind of icon in publishing, was rejected by every major publisher in New York. The obvious lesson is perseverance. Don’t give up if you really feel your dream and have a passion for it. That book was a calling. I was driven. It was truly a divine obsession. – Jack Canfield

What other famous rejections can you share? Please enter a comment below and let me know.

One Response to “American Idol and Microwaves”

  1. […] an earlier post, American Idol and Microwaves, I wrote about the rudeness, rejection and harsh criticism contestants face especially from Simon […]

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