Lilian Kariuki

Every meaningful journey starts long before success becomes visible.

What no one tells you about starting from zero is that it rarely feels inspiring. It feels uncertain, quiet, and often unrewarded. There is no applause at the beginning, no proof that your effort will matter—only the uncomfortable decision to begin without guarantees.

We celebrate results, not beginnings. But history shows us that progress always starts long before it looks like success.

When Progress Looks Like Failure

In the early 19th century, the idea of electric light was little more than a scientific curiosity. One of the first people to seriously explore it was Humphry Davy, a British chemist working at the Royal Institution in London.

In 1802, and later in 1809, Davy demonstrated what became known as the electric arc lamp, producing light by passing an electric current between two carbon rods. The result was astonishing—brilliant, intense light unlike anything people had seen before.

Here are historical illustrations capturing Davy’s electric arc lamp in demonstration—dazzling yet deeply impractical:

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gettyimages.com

But it was also deeply flawed. The light was too bright for indoor use, consumed enormous amounts of power, burned through rods quickly, and required constant adjustment. It did not illuminate homes or transform cities.

By any practical measure, it failed.

Persistence Matters at the Hardest Part

Despite these limitations, Davy continued experimenting. There was no electrical infrastructure, no commercial demand, and no clear path toward a usable product. His work existed without validation or certainty.

This is where most people stop.

Starting from zero often means working without evidence that you are progressing at all. The silence can feel discouraging. The lack of results can feel like a signal to quit. But persistence is not about seeing results—it is about continuing when results are absent.

Davy persisted not because success was visible, but because discovery required patience. That same persistence is what carries any beginner through the most difficult stage: the part where effort exists without proof.

Failure That Quietly Builds the Future

Humphry Davy never created the practical electric light bulb. That breakthrough came decades later through the work of others, including Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison, who refined and expanded on earlier discoveries.

Here is one of Edison’s early incandescent bulbs—the practical evolution that finally brought light into everyday life:

americanhistory.si.edu

Edison’s light bulb turns 135 | National Museum of American History

Yet Davy’s experiments were essential. They helped establish:

• The relationship between electricity and light
• The use of carbon materials in lighting
• A foundation for future innovation

What looked like unfinished work became the starting point for progress he would never fully witness.

This is a lesson we often overlook: early failure can still be meaningful contribution.

Why Being Early Feels Like Being Wrong

Davy’s work arrived before the world was ready for it. Without the technology or infrastructure to support electric lighting, his ideas seemed impractical rather than visionary.

Being early often feels exactly like being wrong.

When you start from zero, your efforts may not make sense yet—to others or even to yourself. That does not mean they lack value. It often means they are ahead of their outcome.

Why This Still Matters Today

Modern life pressures us to show results quickly. We are taught to measure progress through visibility, validation, and speed. But history reminds us that real progress is slow, uncertain, and frequently invisible at first.

Starting before you feel ready is not reckless—it is necessary.

Every meaningful path begins the same way: with doubt, imperfect attempts, and persistence in the absence of applause.

Final Thought

Starting from zero is uncomfortable, slow, and often invisible—but it is not meaningless.

Every meaningful achievement begins in uncertainty, long before results appear. Before the world saw light, someone had to keep working in the dark without knowing if it would ever matter.

If your beginning feels lonely or unsure, that is not a sign to stop. It is a sign that you are exactly where growth begins. Progress is not proven by applause, but by persistence.

Keep going—not because success is guaranteed, but because starting is how every breakthrough has ever been made.