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:

Motive + Means = Opportunity: A Life of Try Story – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

Are you waiting for easy? Here's a formula to get you moving!In this episode of The Life of Try, Wynne Leon shares a personal story about turning a long-held dream of visiting friends in France into a real-life adventure through courage, creativity, and community support. What began as an expensive and seemingly impossible trip became an opportunity to rent out her home, ask for help, and take the next step before the whole path was clear.This motivational personal growth episode explores what it means to stop waiting for perfect timing, listen to the quiet tug of what matters, and move forward even when life feels uncertain. Through stories about Airbnb, travel logistics, helpful neighbors, pet care, and unexpected solutions, Wynne reflects on the powerful formula: Motive + Means = Opportunity. Listeners will come away with memorable takeaways about taking the first step, paying attention to the sparks around them, saying their dreams out loud, accepting support, and trusting that the path often appears one step at a time. Key take-aways for this episode: → Don’t wait for easy—move because it matters. The right time may never arrive, but meaningful goals often begin with one brave first step. → Pay attention to the sparks. A casual comment, a book passage, a flyer, or someone else’s story can become part of the solution once you start moving. → Say the dream out loud. People can’t support a goal they don’t know about, so communicate what you’re trying to do and be willing to accept help. → Use the formula: Motive + Means = Opportunity. When your why meets the resources, people, and ideas already around you, new possibilities begin to unfold. → Take the next step, not the whole staircase. You don’t need to solve every problem in advance; you only need to meet the next real step in front of you. If you’re looking for encouragement to get unstuck, try something new, pursue a meaningful goal, or find courage in the messy middle, this episode offers inspiration, practical wisdom, and a reminder that you don’t need to see the whole staircase to begin.🔔 Subscribe for more: Subscribe to The Life of Try for more conversations on: personal growth, creativity, reinvention, resilience, writing, and mindset.📌 Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel & Stay UpdatedABOUT MEHi, I’m Wynne Leon — host of The Life of Try, a personal growth and self-improvement podcast exploring resilience, reinvention, uncertainty, and the courage to keep trying.Through thoughtful interviews, reflective conversations, and real-life stories, I share insights to help you navigate change, get unstuck, and move forward with more intention.🌍 Website: https://wynneleon.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎥 Watch Next➡️ How to Reclaim Fun in Adult Life | Burnout Recovery, Joy & Resilience with Mike Rucker➡️ How to Celebrate Small Wins | Tiny Habits, Resilience and Personal Growth➡️ Fun: The Key to Habit Formation🔗 CONNECT WITH ME:• Website:→ https://wynneleon.com/• Instagram:→ https://www.instagram.com/wynneleon/• Facebook:→ https://www.facebook.com/wynne.leon/
  1. Motive + Means = Opportunity: A Life of Try Story
  2. How Writing Helps Us Survive Chronic Illness and Loss
  3. Near Death, Deep Faith, New Life | Liza Anderson’s Extraordinary Story
  4. Encouraging Effort, Not Outcome: The Secret to Helping People Keep Trying
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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. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  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!

      Liked by 1 person

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