"Cuando era joven, observé que nueve de cada diez cosas que hacía eran fracasos. Así que trabajé diez veces más."

This quote is all about persistence and the willingness to keep pushing forward despite repeated failures. The core idea here is that failure is not a stop sign but a guidepost. When faced with failure, rather than getting discouraged or giving up, you should actually increase your efforts. The speaker realized that if most of their attempts were failing, the solution was to try more often, thereby increasing the chances of hitting on a success.

Historically, this mindset can be linked to the entrepreneurial spirit, particularly in cultures that value innovation and perseverance. Consider someone like Thomas Edison, who famously had thousands of unsuccessful attempts before finally inventing the light bulb. His story echoes this quote perfectly: He didn't give up after multiple failures; he simply kept trying more and more until he succeeded.

Imagine a budding writer. Let's call her Sarah. Sarah dreams of seeing her book on the shelves of a local bookstore. She writes her first manuscript and sends it out to publishers. Rejection after rejection comes in. If Sarah views each rejection as a failure, she might be tempted to give up. But remember the quote—what if she decided to write ten more manuscripts, knowing full well that the first nine might still get rejected? By sheer volume and persistence, she's bound to improve her craft, and eventually, one of her stories will resonate with an editor.

This approach can be distilled into specific advice: Treat every failure as a stepping stone. Don’t get disheartened when things don’t work out. Instead, redouble your efforts. If nine out of ten attempts fail, make a hundred attempts instead of ten. This way, even with the same success rate, you’ll achieve more.

Let’s bring it home with a relatable story. Think about a young man named Jake. Jake loves playing basketball, but he’s not very good. During his school days, he tries out for the team every year and gets cut every time. His friends start to tease him, and he feels like giving up. But Jake remembers a piece of advice from his grandfather—a twist on our quote: "If you fail nine times out of ten, play ten times more." So, Jake practices every single day. He shows up for every tryout. He plays in every pickup game he can find. Eventually, through sheer persistence and practice, Jake makes the team in his senior year. His persistence pays off, and he captures a starting spot, proving to everyone—and most importantly, to himself—that failure is just a part of the journey to success.

In our unpredictable world, this wisdom can act as a guiding light. When setbacks happen (and they will), don't retreat. Instead, push forward even harder. Whether it's finding a job, mastering a skill, or achieving personal goals, this mindset can make all the difference. So, next time you face a failure, remember to ramp up your efforts—because sometimes, success is just a numbers game.