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 To be forever renowned as one of the true masters of the
one-liner, he was born in meager surroundings in Eltham, England
as Leslie Townes Hope, the fifth of seven sons of an English
stonemason. His life came to epitomize what has become the
obvious truth that, along with one's dreams for success, a
rather large helping of hard work and perseverance are necessary
in order that the dream become reality.
Bob don't-call-me-Leslie-Townes
Hope moved to the United States at the tender age of four,
and by the age of six he was honing his skills as a Charlie
Chaplain impersonator to a grateful gathering of hook-and-ladder
men at a local fire station near his new home in Cleveland,
Ohio.
As a youth he earned spending money selling newspapers and as a constant entrant in amateur shows. He worked as a soda jerk, a shoe salesman, a delivery boy in his brother's meat market and even made a spare dollar or two hustling pool - ever focused on his desire for business success. Only his business dreams were geared towards selling himself, of becoming Bob Hope: entertainer extraordinaire.
Hope grabbed onto his dreams for greatness and they eventually
led him to vaudeville, to radio, to motion pictures, and,
of course, to our TV screens and our hearts, along with millions
of appreciative and adoring fans around the world. The same
man who once played third billing to Siamese twins and on
one occasion was even listed on a vaudeville program in smaller
print than a trained seal later became one of the most beloved
performers of our time. The funnyman who joked that he left
England at the age of four only because "...I found out I
couldn't be King" became one of America's true kings of comedy.
How did he do it? Quite simply, Hope became successful because
he was bold enough, determined enough, talented enough and
hard-working enough to make his dream a reality.
Seeing the potential in an idea or a situation is the essence of human creativity, and it is the stuff of which the entrepreneurial dream is made. Having the seed thought initially, then nurturing that seed until you have a bud, then a sapling, and maybe someday even a giant oak tree - that is the way humans accomplish and build for the future.
Much has been written about the huge number of start-up businesses that the United States can expect to see every year. Enough also has been written about how the vast majority of these businesses don't succeed. But that may not be the point.
Nature always has seemed profligate in the number of seeds it produces compared to the number that grow into mature members of the species. So why should the natural course of business seed in a free enterprise system that approximates some of the qualities of a free ecosystem - also known as startups - be any different?
The major differences, in fact, may be of human fabrication. There are no Chapter 11s in nature, and nothing in the forest seems to care much when a sapling doesn't make it. But we humans have a way of gnashing our teeth when a sapling business bites the dust after a hard winter season. And we like to call ourselves failures and all that dramatic stuff when the potential that we saw doesn't become a reality.
There are, of course, the reckless ones among us who shouldn't be allowed to use society's reserve capital for starting any business. A specific person comes to mind: a fast-talking, smooth, would-be entrepreneur with a few too many good ideas. After her second bankruptcy and the loss of a lot of other people's money, it would be good for us all if she kept her seed ideas to herself and allowed others to work on the potentials that they see.
But, thankfully, these are the exceptions. In general, it's hip-hip-hooray for the potential-seers. They make the world go round and create the opportunities for the rest of us to do our work. What if Joyce Hall of Hallmark fame hadn't seen the potential in sending personal postcards? Or if Edison hadn't seen the potential of glowing filaments that could illuminate the night? Or if Martin Luther King hadn't seen the principle and the potential behind a black woman who didn't want to ride in the back of the bus?
Some psychologists are telling us that we all have this innate ability to see the potential and to act on it, if we only dare. In other words, there is a little bit of Bob Hope - and Joyce Hall, Thomas Edison, and Martin Luther King - in all of us. And now looks like the time when we all need to do a better job of acting on these potentials.
We certainly find ourselves living in a time of crisis, and at this point in our history there is little room for holding back. Incremental solutions are not enough today with the future closing in on us from every angle.
Perhaps it's time to reconsider our beginnings and revisit our dreams. And like Hope and all the rest, we will hopefully find ourselves in possession of the boldness, determination, talent and work ethic to make certain those dreams can still come true. |
