Do you know? Recently, I’ve been thinking about a question—what ultimately happened to Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC? This story is truly worth reflecting on.

I just noticed a detail: Sanders was born in Indiana in 1890, and life was tough from the start. His father died when he was 6, and he had to take care of his younger siblings, so he never had a normal childhood. As he grew up, he held a bunch of jobs—farm worker, streetcar driver, train conductor, soldier, insurance salesman—and each time, he was fired. Such a life trajectory would have caused most people to give up.

The real turning point came when he was in his 40s. He opened a small restaurant near a gas station and started making fried chicken. That was when he found his groove. People really loved his chicken, and for the first time, he felt he had something worth being needed for.

But fate dealt him another heavy blow. At age 65, a new highway was built by the government, cutting off his business completely. His restaurant closed, and he was left with only a $105 Social Security check. Most people at that age would have accepted their fate. But Sanders was different.

He made a crazy decision—he took his secret fried chicken recipe and drove around to find other restaurants. He proposed a deal: teach them how to make chicken for free, in exchange for a small percentage of sales. Then came nights sleeping in his car, knocking on doors, and being rejected. Rejected. Rejected again. A total of 1,009 times.

I can’t imagine how many people would keep going after being told "no" more than 1,000 times. But on the 1,010th try, a restaurant said "yes." That single "yes" ignited everything. Kentucky Fried Chicken was born.

By the time he was in his 70s, KFC was everywhere across the United States. In 1964, he sold the company for $2 million, but his face and name forever became the brand’s symbol. Today, KFC has over 25,000 stores in 145 countries, becoming a true global empire.

So, regarding the founder of KFC—although Colonel Sanders has left his mark on history—what does his story tell us? The numbers—65, $105, 1,009 rejections—are the answer in themselves. Failure is not the end; it’s just feedback. True success often comes right after you’re about to give up. Every time I feel like quitting something, I think of this old guy. His story reminds us that this story really is worth reflecting on. He changed the world with a secret fried chicken recipe. If he can do it, what reason do we have not to try?