Inventive persistence

Imagine inventing things week after week, year after year, and not having any success to show for it. Finally, in your mid-80s, you find a buyer for one of your creations and have it honored as the best of the year.

So goes the story of an 84-year-old Brooklyn man. After decades and at least 80 rejected inventions, he came up with a board game that not only is being sold in stores but also was given a Game of the Year award.

I admire how he has plugged away doing something that brings him pleasure but has surely borne its share of frustration from rejection. He says, "I guess some people think I'm crazy for spending so much time down here, but this is what I enjoy doing." Sure, it's taken him a long time to receive some form of external validation, but if you're that dedicated to doing something, I have to believe that outside acknowledgment isn't the primary factor.

What I'm saying is this: cool story.