Of course there have been numerous Inventors over the centuries who have helped propel human progress to the next level, I want to talk about one such Inventor that has been sadly overlooked. His name is Wile E. Coyote.

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

If you’ve ever seen a Road Runner cartoon, Wile E. Coyote, there’s a hidden lesson to be learned. We all know that the Coyote never catches the Roadrunner. That would have ended the show if he had. I want to focus on 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 drive 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, snapped in half, set on fire, dropped from every known height, fired from a cannon, grabbed onto a rocket sled at At full speed, he strapped rockets to his back, his shoes, and faced countless other dangers to achieve his goal, to catch the Road Runner

Most inventors stop at the first hurdle or rejection letter they receive and give up. Not Wile E. Coyote. When an attempt doesn’t work out as planned, he pulls himself together, dusts himself off, and goes back to the drawing board thinking about 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 pushed back, stop, assess why you hit the wall, what your options are, formulate a new strategy, and move on. Learn from your mistakes and look for a better way to reach the goal you are longing for.

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

Do you have the determination to try something so many times to get the end result? The common thread that unites the most famous/successful inventors 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 every avenue available. If he failed, he only made him more determined to make the next try work.

That’s why I think Wile E. Coyote is the symbol of determination. No matter what you throw at him, he comes back to try again and again. He never gives up hope of achieving his goal. He knows that he can achieve his goal. It just hasn’t happened yet.

This attitude is what every inventor needs to be successful. It’s so easy to get depressed about getting a “NO” and just letting it all fall apart. Nobody likes rejection. Especially when it comes to an idea that you have and hope that it will bring you income. What defines you as an Inventor is your response to rejection. I’m not saying just rule out rejection. I want you to look honestly at rejection. Consider their comments and see if you agree or disagree with their assessment. Are there things you need to address and correct? Are you conveying the benefits of your inventions to the reviewer? Use these rejects to refine 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 make. You’ll never be perfect, but as our friend Wile E Coyote proves, you can’t give up if you want to reach your goal.