The Story of Mr.Honda

Edison – “Every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward”

It all began with one man making a decision. In 1938 when Mr. Honda was still in school he took everything he owned and invested it in a little workshop where he began to develop his concept of a special piston ring that he wanted to sell to the Toyota Corporation. He worked day and night up to his elbows in grease and slept in his machine shop because he believed he would achieve his result. He even pawned his wife’s jewelry to stay in business. When he’d finally produced the piston ring he was told that it didn’t meet the standards of Toyota. He was sent back to college for two years where his fellow students and instructors laughed at him. Rather than focusing on the pain of his experience, he continued to focus on what he wanted rather than what he didn’t want. After two more years Toyota gave Mr. Honda the contract he’d dreamed of. His passion and belief had paid off because he knew what he wanted. He kept changing his approach until he got what he reached his goal. NEW PROBLEM. The Japanese government where getting ready for war and wouldn’t give Mr Honda the concrete he needed to build his factory. He didn’t quit. He didn’t focus on unfairness because it wouldn’t have made it any better. His dream didn’t die. He used the experience to make another strategy. He and his team developed their own process for making concrete and built the factory. During the war the factory was bombed twice. He called his team together to search outside for the gas canisters that the U.S fighters had discarded. He called them ‘Gifts’ from President Truman because they provided him with the raw materials for his factory which were unavailable in Japan. Then, an earthquake leveled the factory. Honda had to sell his piston operation to Toyota! He had clearly made a strong decision to succeed, he had a passion and a belief in what he was doing, and he had a strategy. He took massive action. He kept changing his approach but he had still not produced the result he was committed to. Anyone else would have quit but not Mr.Honda. He persevered. After the war there was a tremendous petrol shortage in Japan and Mr.Honda could not drive his car to get food for his family. In desperation he attached a small motor to his bike. His neighbors asked him if he would make a ‘motorized bike’ for them. One by one they all asked for one of these ‘bikes’ until He completely ran out of motors. He decided to build a plant to manufacture his new invention but he had no money. He was going to find a way no matter what. He appealed to 18,000 bike shop owners in Japan, and wrote each a personal letter saying that they would revitalize Japan through the mobility that his invention would provide. He convinced 5,000 people to advance the money that he needed. His motorbikes only sold to hardcore bike fans because it was too big and bulky. Mr. Honda made one final adjustment and made the bikes lighter. His scaled down version was called the ‘Super cub’ and it became an overnight success. He won the ‘Emperors’ award and started exporting his bikes (and now cars) to Europe and the United States in the 70’s. Honda now employs over 100,000 people in the United States and Japan. They are now one of the biggest car manufactures in Japan outselling all but Toyota in the USA. There were many times when Mr. Honda could have given up. He chose to remain focused on what he wanted in life. He reached his goal.
Anthony Robbins concluded the following formula from this story and called it the ultimate success formula,

1.clearly decide what you want
2.take action
3.notice what’s working and what’s not
4.if things are not working change your approach till it works