Of course there have been numerous inventors throughout the ages who have helped push human progress to the next level, I want to talk about one of those inventors who has sadly been overlooked. His name is Wile E. Coyote.

Yes, I know it is a cartoon character. However, he has qualities that we must all emulate in order to be the best inventor possible. If more of us had his drive and willpower, who knows what levels of achievement could be achieved.

If you’ve ever seen a Road Runner cartoon, Wile E. Coyote, there is a hidden lesson to be learned. We all know that the Coyote never catches the Road Runner. That would have ended the show if it had. What I want to focus on is the drive and creativity of Wile E. Coyote.

Wile E. Coyote has that special X factor that most inventors lack. Wile E. Coyote has the urge to get back up and try again and again, no matter the odds, no matter the obstacles.

Here is a character who has been blown up, crushed, electrocuted, run over by a train, a truck, a steamroller, cut in half, set on fire, dropped from all known heights, fired from a cannon, clinging to a rocket sled at At full speed, he tied rockets to his back, to his shoes, and faced countless other dangers, all to achieve his goal, to catch the Road Runner

Most inventors stop at the first hurdle they encounter or the rejection letter they receive and give up. Not Wile E. Coyote. When an attempt doesn’t go as planned, he recovers, dusts himself, and goes back to the drawing board, thinking of his next plan of attack. He always comes up with a new way to achieve the same goal. This is an important lesson for inventors. If you hit a wall or get rejected, stop, assess why you hit the wall, what your options are, change a new strategy, and move on. Learn from your mistakes and find a better way to get to the goal you want.

Look at different inventors in history. They all had some version of Wile E. Coyotes’ X factor. Do you think Edison made the lightbulb on his first try or did Alexander Graham Bell hit the phone the first time? It was all trial and error, with a great deal of error. Edison is said to have tried more than 10,000 times before hitting the light bulb. When asked about it, Edison said it didn’t fail 10,000 times. He just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. That has to be the most optimistic half-glass response in history.

Are you determined to try something so many times to get the end result? The common thread that ties the most famous / successful inventors together is that they didn’t give up. Yes, they were disappointed that things didn’t work out on the first try, but they were able to see their failure and come back to the problem from another angle. If this new angle doesn’t work, they try again and again. They are constantly thinking outside the box.

Wile E. Coyote was never limited to just one option. He used his creativity to explore all the avenues available. If he failed, it only made him more determined to make the next attempt work.

That is why I believe that Wile E. Coyote is the example of determination. No matter what you throw at him, he will try again and again. He never gives up hope of achieving his goal. You know you can achieve your goal. It just hasn’t happened yet.

This attitude is one that every inventor needs to be successful. It is very easy to get depressed for getting a “NO” and let it all fall apart. Nobody likes rejection. Especially when it’s an idea that you have and hope it will bring you income. What defines you as an Inventor is your response to rejection. I am not saying simply dismiss rejection. I want you to honestly look at the rejection. Consider your comments and see if you agree or disagree with their assessment. Are there things I need to address and correct? Are you passing on the benefits of your inventions to the reviewer? Use these rejections to redefine and update your invention to make it the best it can be for your next presentation.

Learning to adapt and improve are key attributes for an inventor. The more you learn from your mistakes, the fewer mistakes you will hopefully make. You will never reach perfection, but as our friend Wile E Coyote demonstrates, you can’t give up if you want to achieve your goal.