Between 77 and 106

Lessons in Perseverance and Success from Colonel Sanders' Story:

In his book "Shortcut for a Better Life", the writer Ziad Rayess mentions: After I read the pleasant and inspiring details of the Colonel Sanders story, I was not surprised by something my friend (who used to work in dental implants) told me. He had implanted 28 teeth in both jaws for one of his clients, who was more than 106 years-old and still active. The story of Colonel Sanders has some of the same lessons that have explained and confirmed to me how difficult it is to achieve success when it depends on so many factors. The most important are determination, patience, and unflagging perseverance through times of loss, difficulties, and challenges that everyone goes through. The person themself may benefit from this success throughout their life, but in many cases, it’s others who will benefit, after the person leaves this earth.

Sanders was born in Henryville, Indiana in 1890. His father, a coal miner, died when Sanders was six years-old, and his mother began working. He had to care for his three year-old brother and infant sister, preparing food for his siblings as instructed by his mother. He could cook several dishes by the time he was seven. He was forced to work several jobs as a child, the first of which was working on a farm for $2 per month. Two years later, his mother remarried, allowing him to work outside of the town, and at 16, he served in the US Army for six months in Cuba. After that, he worked several jobs, including:

1. Train steam engine stoker
2. Riverboat captain
3. Insurance salesman
4. Lawyer, having studied law
5. Tire salesman
6. Gas station manager

At the age of 40, he began to sell seasoned chicken to people passing through the gas station that he worked at. He later transitioned to working as head chef at a restaurant that seated about 140 customers.

Sanders mastered the art of cooking fried chicken with his special 11-spice seasoning. He became very famous, until the street running through the town was rerouted, causing the restaurant to close and auction off its items and equipment to pay its debts. Sanders was 65 and had nothing but his social security payments.

But he wasn’t happy with that and began once again to convince some investors to re-launch the concept of selling fried chicken utilizing his special seasoning mix. It was marketed in several restaurants in the area, then other states, until 600 restaurants were selling this unique chicken within 12 years. When Sanders was 77 years-old, he decided to sell this network to some investors for $2,000,000. He continued to work with them for several years, in a salaried position as the company’s official ambassador. When he was 88, he wrote a book called Life as I Have Known It Has Been Finger Lickin' Good.

But during this period, the investors took the company public, and it sold for $285,000,000 in 1971.

 It was purchased again by the global company Pepsi-Cola for $840,000,000 in 1986, and the name was changed from Kentucky Chicken to KFC, as it is known today. There are now more than 33,000 KFC employees in over 100 countries. Sanders died of leukemia at the age of 90, having traveled more than 250 miles to visit KFC branches.

He left behind this huge and glorious structure as an inspiration and motivation for future generations. This takes us back to the words of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “If the Final Hour comes while you have a shoot of a plant in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it.”

Conclusion:

The success of Colonel Sanders is a great tribute to the value of perseverance, hard work, and determination. Despite facing multiple setbacks and failures, Sanders continued to pursue his dreams, eventually building a renowned fast-food chain that is now well-known. His life serves as an inspiration to future generations, reminding us of the importance of never giving up on our goals and dreams. As Ziad Rayess notes, success is not only beneficial to the individual but can also impact the lives of others positively. Sanders' legacy continues to live on, inspiring people to pursue their passions and make a difference in the world.