The Genius of Patience: Five Lessons from Thomas Edison

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“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” – Audrey Hepburn

Last night, my six-year-old son, Mr. D, and I were out in our back yard at dusk. When night fell, the solar-powered string of LED lights that my friend Katie helped me string up about 4 years ago switched on. Mr. D wanted to know why some of the bulbs had water in them – a situation that has developed over time.

I’m amazed they still work. Especially after spending a couple of weeks delving into Thomas Edison and his efforts to invent the light bulb. In the time of Edison, bulbs had carbonized bamboo filaments in vacuum sealed glass. We’ve come along way in almost 150 years since his initial design but the light bulb still shines bright.

This episode of The Life of Try podcast is based on Thomas Edison and his methods to reframe progress: not as one perfect breakthrough, but as a steady practice of continuing to try. Behind the famous light bulb moment is a mindset of learning from what doesn’t work, building momentum through small improvements, and staying in motion long enough for the next step to appear.

I gleaned five practical lessons from Edison—be systematic, don’t do it alone, keep improving, apply what you learn across disciplines, and rest (yes, naps count)—plus a bonus insight on the tension between creativity and control.

  • Get unstuck by focusing on the next controllable step
  • Make progress through iteration—small wins that compound over time
  • Keep going with support, structure, and rest
  • Create more, control less

Here’s a snippet of Edison’s commitment to capture ideas:

If you’re working on a project, a habit change, or a long-shot goal, this conversation is an invitation to get unstuck by taking the next try. Here are some ways you can listen and watch this motivating episode:

Melissa Arnot Reid on Enough: Why No Summit Can Prove Your Worth – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

What if the biggest summit is learning that you were alreadyenough?In this episode of The Life of Try, Wynne Leon sits down with renowned mountaineer, guide, and author Melissa Arnot Reid to discuss her memoir, Enough, and the inner journey behind an extraordinary climbing career. Melissa—who became the first American woman to summit Mount Everest and descend without supplemental oxygen—opens up about achievement,shame, belonging, vulnerability, and self-acceptance.Melissa shares how writing her memoir helped bring hiddenparts of her life into the light, why public success can mask private struggle, and why we cannot achieve our way into feeling worthy. She and Wynne explore “mountain goddess” leadership, mentoring with curiosity instead of judgment,balancing tenderness with firmness, and the courage to show up when life is painful or uncertain.This warm, honest conversation offers a powerful shift fromvalidation-seeking to values-driven living. It is for climbers, memoir readers, ambitious women, leaders, parents, and anyone working to replace perfectionism with self-compassion.Listen for an inspiring conversation about Mount Everest,personal growth, women in leadership, resilience, healing through writing, and the freedom of knowing that no summit can make you more worthy than you already are.Follow The Life of Try on Spotify, share this episodewith someone who needs it, and keep showing up, staying curious, and trying.
  1. Melissa Arnot Reid on Enough: Why No Summit Can Prove Your Worth
  2. Unleash Your Humanity: Courage, Resilience & Purpose with Yasmine Sherif
  3. Stop Hustling For Your Worth: A Better Way to Grow
  4. Way Will Open: How To Trust Life's Timing
  5. How to Stop Procrastinating and Start: The 10-Minute Rule for Taking Action

Please listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe.

Links for this episode:

From Stuck to Momentum: Thomas Edison’s Method for Progress transcript

Edison by Edmund Morris

Thomas Edison on Wikipedia

After the Super Bowl, Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald Kept Repeating 2 Words. It’s a Lesson in How to Win on Inc.com

37 thoughts on “The Genius of Patience: Five Lessons from Thomas Edison”

  4. Love the iteration reminder, Wynne. It’s such a good companion to your sage advice (in your chat with Roger, I think – such a good episode!) about documenting WHAT we try so we can remember and keep track of our efforts. When I don’t do that…oy! My stress level really ratchets up! 💝😊💝

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Such an insightful comment, dear Vicki. Right – it helps manage the stress. You are so good at innovation and trying so it’s so helpful to know what works for you! ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  8. wonderful, l and just the boost I need to get started on something I’ve been putting off trying and not quite sure how to do it. I do know that baby steps work as I always say, but I should apply that to also accepting that sometimes those baby steps might go backwards a bit before I move forward again, and that’s okay.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Just think, without Thomas Edison, there would be no “How many [INSERT NAME OF PEOPLE] does it take to screw in a light bulb?” jokes. We owe him such a debt of gratitude for enlightening us, both figuratively and literally.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. When I hear Edison’s name, I always think of the historical fiction novel “Last Days of Night” by Erik Larsen. It’s about the battle of AC and DC currents among three geniuses Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse. Sometimes it is not enough to develop an idea to fruition, but then you have to fight for it. I think the building on small successes is the key to getting there. No one hits a homerun the first time they hit a baseball! We literally strike out and try again until that day comes. And with patience, it will! Thanks, Wynne. 😊

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  16. Wynne, it’s pouring over here and I love that your bite size episode of inspiration was just the same length as my wet walk to the bus stop this morning.

    So much goodness and wisdom to learn from Edison. I love “1% inspiration, 99 perspiration.” It’s what separates the idea from the innovation, the blue sky from the ground level impact. 💕 Who knew he had so many unrealized ideas that would then be realized in some other fashion.

    The process and the iteration is often important that the final product – and learning from when things don’t go right.

    I sure could use a few consecutive 20-minute naps right about now! 🤣 Enjoy your day!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love that this episode was the same as your walk to the bus stop. Seems like a good length. And “It’s what separates the idea from the innovation, the blue sky from the ground level impact.” — what a great observation. Thanks for tuning in, Ab!

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