Tyler Perry Reveals How Failures Shaped Him for Harvest Season
Tyler Perry may be a succesful film mogul, but he is admitting that he had to endure many failures as a gospel playwright before reaping his harvest of success.
Perry, 45, wrote an email obtained by Black Enterprise, where he admitted that his success did not come easily.
"Do you know how many times I tried to be successful at doing plays before it finally worked? From 1992 until 1998, every show I put on flopped," Perry wrote. "No one showed up, and I lost all my money. I wanted to give up."
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Although Perry debuted his play "I Know I've Been Changed" in 1992, he re-made it into a successful show that he took on the road from 1998 to 2000. The playwright spoke about his ability to recognize what he thought to be failures as so much more.
"I thought I had failed, but the truth is, I never failed. Each and every time the show didn't work, I learned something new," Perry wrote. "I learned what not to do and what I could do better. You have to understand that what you may perceive to be a failure may very well be an opportunity to learn, grow, get better, and prepare for the next level."
He explained learning from failures.
"If you find the lessons in what you perceive to be failures, then you won't ever fail at anything. Everything I learned during the 'learning' years (that's what I call them now) has helped me in the 'harvest' years (that's what I'm living in now)," Perry said. "Don't be hard on yourself. You haven't failed. Find the lesson so you can use it when you get to your harvest."
Last year Perry took to Facebook where he revealed that writing a letter to himself two years ago was liberating for him. The entertainer then provided a link to his own letter where he addressed himself, "Dear Child of God."
Perry began the letter by acknowledging that his childhood self was going through a tough time in life. Still, Perry let it be known that his faith in God helped give him hope despite the tough times.
"As I search your young face for any sign of myself, believe it or not I'm able to smile. Because just behind all of that darkness I see hope," Perry wrote. "You've got some kind of faith in God little one. I know you don't know this right now but who you've become is being shaped inside of every one of those experiences."
