In his talk, Sendauri Mani shares his personal journey of overcoming failure and adversity. Coming from a rural background in Southern India and facing criticism for pursuing higher education without knowing English, he highlights how early struggles shaped his resilience. Misjudged by teachers and told he wouldn't succeed, he realized that failure often stems not from lack of intelligence but from lack of access and expression. Determined, he studied tirelessly—waking at 2 AM daily—and bought books in both English and his native language to bridge the gap. He emphasizes that failure is not the opposite of success but a path to it. By being persistent, believing in oneself, and watching for opportunities and helpers along the way, anyone can grow their own luck and transform setbacks into progress. Sendurai A. Mani is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Brown University. He is also the Associate Director of Translational Oncology at Brown University Legorreta Cancer Center. Dr. Mani earned a Ph.D. from The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India and then did postdoctoral work with Dr. Robert A. Weinberg at the Whitehead Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He then joined the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas as an Assistant Professor in December of 2007 and has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2013. In late 2022, Dr. Mani joined Brown University Legorreta Cancer Center as a professor and Associate Director of Translational Oncology. Dr. Mani has received numerous prizes and awards for his research, including a Jimmy V foundation’s V-Scholar Award and The American Cancer Society Research Scholar award. Dr. Mani’s original finding demonstrating the cancer cells acquire stem cell properties by activating latent embryonic epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program provided the foundation and explanation for the presence of plasticity within the tumor as well as the development of resistance to various treatments. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx