Believe In Yourself !

If you don't believe in yourself, how do you expect anyone else to believe in you ?

 Believe In Yourself!

It’s typically tough when you are surrounded by people who distrust your potential and who have already decided who and what you are. Whereas the terrible thing is that you start to agree with their assessment of yourself. I believe it’s a crime to do that to yourself, but it’s also an easy trap to fall into.

“Before you lay a foundation on the cricket field, there should be a solid foundation in your heart and you start building on that. After that as you start playing more and more matches, you learn how to score runs and how to take wickets.”

~ Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

As a matter of fact, I am not a very die hard fan for reality shows but I do watch them occasionally whenever I get some free time (which I rarely get). Of late I was watching this dance reality show called ‘India’s Dancing Superstar’ judged by choreographers Geeta Kapoor, Ashley Lobo and actor Riteish Deshmukh. And there was one group of dancers ‘MJ 5’ which really amazed me for its ‘fantabulous’ performances every week. Suffice to say, every time I witnessed their creative acts, I fell in love with them. As a wide-eyed spectator watching their unbelievable dance moves, I felt too stunned to say anything. I still remember how I would get super excited like a little kid to watch them on my television screen. Yes, team MJ 5 went on to become the winner of the show with the cash prize of 50 lakh. The team has already made a mark in the film industry with an offer to choreograph for an animation movie. I really could not resist myself to probe a little more about these incredible guys on earth in order to know their winning formula. Thanks to professor Google, I was glad to make out their journey from ‘nobody to somebody’ and the rock solid faith in their abilities.  

MJ5 - comprises of Kartik, Shresh, Vishnu, Himanshu and Rohit - have named their group after King of Pop Michael Jackson. The group developed a unique identity while performing on the show with their signature dance moves. Now after their astounding win, they have become more popular. Earlier, there were only 260 likes on their Facebook page, but after people saw them on the show, they got more than 2 lakh likes (now 1.4 million and still counting). There was a time when they were competing one another at various DU college fests, and sometimes they would win and sometimes they would lose. Then they decided to come together to form a group and that is how they came collectively. When they told their friends and family that they wanted to participate in the show, “Unhe kaha gaya tha ki tumhara kuch nahi ho sakta hai iss show par.” (They were told that they would amount to nothing in the show). But it was their conviction that helped them perform amazingly well throughout the show and they never landed up in the danger zone. This story of these five performers with an extraordinary confidence compelled me to think of how important it is to ‘Believe in Oneself.’

They were told that they would amount to nothing in the show.

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”

~ Saint Augustine

Often life poses difficult circumstances ahead of us where we have to choose our true path. And in such a situation, it is our belief that helps us sail across the ocean of doubt and dilemma. I am sure, it’s typically tough when you are surrounded by people who distrust your potential and who have already decided who and what you are. Whereas the terrible thing is that you start to agree with their assessment of yourself. I believe it’s a crime to do that to yourself, but it’s also an easy trap to fall into. Once you lose faith and drop your belief, even simple setbacks of life seem tougher than ever before. No wonder, there are people in life riding a good wave and the people who come off a wave. Life is like that only. It is your self belief that enables you to see the world of possibilities where there are no boundaries. There are times in your life when you feel low and out. You start feeling empty inside; there is this tiny voice in your head that looks for answers and makes you believe that you can get over anything on your own. In other words, possessing self belief is equal to half the battle won. 

There is a voice inside of you

That whispers all day long,

“I feel that this is right for me,

I know that this is wrong.”

No teacher, preacher, parent, friend

Or wise man can decide

What’s right for you - just listen to

The voice that speaks inside. 

~ Shel Silverstein

Born with spinal bifida, a rare disability, Ryan Chalmers spent his entire life getting around with the assistance of crutches or a wheelchair. He spent much of his childhood in a hospital but it was there that he was introduced to wheelchair athletics and he immediately fell in love with the sport. Chalmers decided to set off on a nearly 3,500-mile road trip across the country – starting in Los Angeles and finishing in New York’s Central Park – on his wheelchair. He spent as much as 10 hours a day pushing his chair. His feet were getting swollen some of the time, his hands were getting cut up with blisters – his knees were in pain, his back was in pain. His body wasn’t used to being in that racing chair that long. He then finished with 13 miles across the desert, while the temperature topped out at about 95-degrees. Those kinds of conditions were something Chalmers wasn’t very accustomed to. And completing roughly 50 miles a day, the Paralympian crossed 14 states in the hopes of inspiring others with disabilities.

“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”

~ Rabindranath Tagore

Self belief proves you worthy of your due achievements. Some of the endeavors in your life could be easy to attempt but not necessarily easy to beat, whereas some deeds are difficult to even attempt and also difficult to beat. Danish freediver Stig Severinsen achieved a new World Record by swimming 250 feet (76.2 meters) underwater - without fins or even a wetsuit - below one-meter-thick ice on a single breath of air. Most centenarians find it difficult to walk but age did not slow down 102-year-old French cyclist Robert Marchand and he proved his mettle by riding almost 17 miles in an hour. Self believers are those individuals who are always ready to push their limits of what they can perform as per the best of their abilities. If they see the barriers, they immediately find ways to cut through them. We’re always fascinated by such people who are willing to dedicate themselves to achieving something truly remarkable. And again the magic trick is self belief.

Self-Belief is free to anyone who chooses to use it.

Have an unwavering desire to make your mark. Put in your best efforts. It’s no good to get swayed by other’s opinions. People may stick their finger in your face and tell you, “It’s not possible.” “It’s not easy anymore.” “It’s not in your reach.” “That’s way too impractical.” “That’s not a child’s play.” “You can’t make it.” Mind you, your inner voice rules everything and success comes to those who trust themselves. You must have huge amount of faith in yourself. Remember, the task ahead of you is not as great as the power within you. You achieve only when you believe. Don’t ever give up. Destroy your doubts. It doesn’t matter if you have the right tools with you or not. What matters most is to genuinely believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect others to believe in you? It’s true that everything is not in your hands. Things don’t always move the way we want. Life is full of rejections. But do not let any rejection put you down. Self-Belief is free to anyone who chooses to use it. It comes from within. You cannot buy it, borrow it, steal it or sell it. It is always available to you and never wears out. The only choice you have to make is whether or not you use it.

So believe in yourself! Easily said, can be easily done too, Question is, do we want to?

If you liked this blog post and wish to share your experiences/ remarks/ views with me, you are most welcome. Write to me at pdpbygauravmisra@gmail.com. Like on facebook.com/PDP by Gaurav Misra. Follow on Twitter@pdpbygm.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF !

What do you do when you confront a challenging situation in your life?

CHALLENGE YOURSELF !

Do not feel wronged, abandoned and deserted by God in times of difficulties. For, you will always be blessed with a series of brilliant opportunities giftedly disguised as problems and challenges.

“I feel that we are often taken out of our comfort zones, pushed and shoved out of our nests, because if not, we would never know what we could do with our wings, we would never see the horizon and the sun setting on it, we would never know that there's something far better beyond where we are at the moment. It can hurt, but then later you say "thank you." I have been pushed and shoved and have fallen out and away, so very, very, many, many times! And others around me have not! But then, the others haven't seen what I have seen or felt what I have felt or been who I have been, they can't become what I have become. I am me.”

~ C. JoyBell C.

He was returning from school when some students were in a van that caught fire. Hearing shouts for help, he went near and saw crowds witnessing the drama helplessly. Everybody nearby was staring at the burning van with kids inside and there was not a soul who moved. Without missing a beat, he moved forward and tried opening the door but the handle broke off. He then broke the window, unlocked the door from inside and pulled the students from the blaze before calling the fire brigade. One extraordinary thing about this incident was that this was a 17-year-old boy who went ahead and helped simultaneously without thinking about the consequences. He is Shubham Santosh Chaudhari recipient of bravery award this year on 65^th Republic Day. He wants to become a naval officer and fulfil his father’s dreams. In his own words, “I firmly believe everyone has a good soul – and it’s during times of distress that these souls must act.” This small real-life act about remarkable courage at a young age surely depicts that challenging moments bring out one’s best if encountered with a sense of responsibility and determination.

We often wonder why the gap between non achievers and super achievers is so absurdly wide. Let me do my bit to get this straight. What do you do when you confront a challenging situation in your life? Many times some of us feel like world is coming to an end. We deal with crisis with a blank and baffled look not knowing exactly what to do next similarly to what the crowd did on seeing the van burning. At the max, we could either start cribbing, turn bitter or we could resort to various escapes. On the other hand, there are also those who rise manifold without getting rattled by difficulties in life. And if life pushes them hard against the wall, they strongly strike back. Even though unfavorable circumstances pull them down, they hold their head high, stand up and move forward. And the world often feels blown away by their exceptional success stories. If you look into the lives of all those high fliers who stumped the world with their outstanding attainments and accolades, you’ll find one thing in common. And that one common thing is presence of challenges in their life. No great accomplisher has had shock-proof-fail-safe life ever. In fact, difficulties in our life push us to raise the bar of our game at each step of the way.

No great accomplisher has had 'shock-proof-fail-safe' life ever.

Charles was a cook and Lee-lee was a housekeeper. They were very poor and lived in Hong Kong. They became parents of a baby boy on April 7th, 1954. The baby weighed just 12 pounds when he was born and his mother required surgery to deliver him. Charles borrowed money from friends to pay for the operation, turning down the doctor’s offer to take the child in payment. Later on, this boy attended the Nah-Hwa Primary School on Hong Kong Island, where he failed his first year, after which his parents withdrew him from the school. He used to spend his travel money on food and went to home by walk. He was not academically bright, and his parents decided to enroll him, now 7, at China Drama Academy. Students at the school were severely disciplined and were beaten if they disobeyed or made mistakes. It was a very harsh and difficult life but he had nowhere else to go, so he stayed. He rarely saw his parents for many years and trained rigorously for the next decade, excelling in martial arts and acrobatics. Unfortunately the Chinese opera was no longer very popular, so he and his classmates had to find other work. The only work available to them was unskilled labour or stunt work. He started working as a stuntman and an extra in the Hong Kong film industry. Soon he was in demand and was on his way to Hong Kong Movie Industry. He brought humour to martial arts movies; his first success was “Snake in Eagle’s Shadow.” This was followed by “Drunken Master” (another blockbuster) and his first ever directing job, “Fearless Hyena.” All were big hits. And finally, after nearly 40 years in the business, he has reached worldwide stardom and today people know him as ‘Jackie Chan.’

 “Embrace each challenge in your life as an opportunity for self-transformation.”

~ Bernie S. Siegel

Our real life begins outside our comfort zone and these are only the challenges which propel us to move out of our shell. Challenges help us realize our hidden potential. Challenges suffice to our ‘spirit of adventure’. I make you a bet, and I’m pretty sure that I’ll win the bet. I bet you life would just be an uninteresting straight-line; nothing more than that, without any challenge. Life turns into an exciting rollercoaster ride due to the presence of challenging moments. Challenges make your life interesting and overcoming them makes your life meaningful. We feel a level up and a step further every time we overcome a challenge,. Determination, ability to take risks, will power, presence of mind, self belief and many more positive attributes surface whenever we find ourselves in challenging circumstances. Perhaps that’s the reason why almost all heroes in our movies face challenges more often than not in different forms and features and demonstrate their heroic qualities. If we take away all those action packed fights and clashes from these movies, we would have no adrenaline rush in watching them. Study says that the presence of challenges in one’s life trigger huge behavioural changes in one’s overall personality. And if taken positively, it can light a spark in you and you can even outshine others in your field.

“Every challenge is a chance to become a champion.”

~ Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha

"I was just getting by, and trying."

Douglas Engelbart was born in 1925, in Oregon, where he grew up on a small farm. When he was 9, his father died. In 1942, he graduated high school and went to Oregon State University to study electrical engineering. His studies were interrupted by WWII. He joined the Navy and spent two years in Philippines as a radar technician. While stationed in Philippines he read Vannevar Bush's "As We may Think", which greatly influenced him. He returned to College and completed his engineering in 1948. In December 1950, when he was engaged to be married, he realized he had no career goals. Over several months he challenged himself if he could make this world a better place and if his career could maximize his contribution to the mankind. This was, of course, well before the Internet or World Wide Web came into existence. As he avers himself, “Growing up without a father, through the teenage years and such, I was always sort of different...Other people knew what they were doing, and had good guidance, and had enough money to do it. I was just getting by, and trying.” And you know what? He is the same man who is best known for inventing the computer mouse.

“No one is without troubles, without personal hardships and genuine challenges. That fact may not be obvious because most people don't advertise their woes and heartaches.  But nobody, not even the purest heart, escapes life without suffering battle scars.”

~ Richelle E. Goodrich

It’s true that everybody faces challenges in his or her life. It’s a marriage of your determination and your confrontation with life that brings about the birth of a winner in you. Personally speaking, if anybody asks me how has the ride been so far? I would say that it was never smooth and straight. Without the challenges that I have faced, I may not be where I am at all (and in all humbleness, I do acknowledge that there are miles to go before I sleep). I firmly believe that life is either a daring voyage or nothing at all. Challenges are to test our character and help us grow. Difficulties reinforce our resolve, as labor does the body. Embarking upon challenges won't shrink your muscles, it'll strengthen them. After having won each challenge that confronted us, we are wiser and stronger. Life's challenges are the stepping stones to ever greater things. Sometimes the most intricate challenges are the most important lessons; and they hold the greatest gems of insight and improvement. Mind you, a challenge only becomes a barrier when you bow to it. So do not feel wronged, abandoned and deserted by God in times of difficulties. For, you will always be blessed with a series of brilliant opportunities giftedly disguised as problems and challenges.

Yes, you too can achieve greater heights and I challenge you! Are you up for the challenge?

If you really liked this blog post and wish to share your experiences/ remarks/ views with me, you are most welcome. Write to me at pdpbygauravmisra@gmail.com.

MY JOURNEY TO MY PASSION

There is no limit to what you might achieve; but to achieve, you need to know what you are looking for.

MY JOURNEY TO MY PASSION

 

Recently I received an email from ISTD (Indian Society for Training & Development), New Delhi inviting me for ISTD Diploma Annual Convocation. As stated, this certification provides one the orientation to grow quicker on the path of ‘Training & Development’ related careers. In retrospect, when I look back, I wonder how come ‘once an aimless youth’ (Yes, That’s True!) started his journey from ‘Farhan’ to become ‘Raju’ and continued on to be a ‘Rancho-in-making.’  

To be honest, I must admit that ‘Finding One’s Passion or Discovering One’s True Calling’ is one of my much loved subjects. I still remember there were points in time when I used to question myself for my ‘aim of life’. In fact, this was the biggest dilemma I ever faced in my life. I changed my mind over and over again just to decide which work or which profession suits me best. Somehow I was aware that I should discover my passion and follow my calling. Sometimes it’s so easy for some fortunate ones to know their path and most of the time this could be the biggest battle between your head and your heart. Sometimes it’s really easy and most of the time it’s damn difficult. Why do some people reach the maximum heights in their career and stand tall? Why do some of us in any case manage to get some footing on life stage and still look so small? Why is every one of us not able to ‘put a dent in the universe’?  Why only seemingly ‘privileged few ones’ make a mark while others in spite of their best efforts, never get ‘true satisfaction’ in their jobs, careers and ultimately in their lives? Let me attempt to answer. Before I begin I would like to clear the air that this piece of writing is not my claim (in any case) to showcase a super successful story. One has promises to keep, and miles to go before one sleeps. Here, success represents true satisfaction & fulfillment from one’s work, finding meaning in one’s contribution, and being ‘happily’ able to make a difference in people’s lives. And if anyone shares the same passion for his/her profession, he/ she is definitely ‘on a highway to success’.

If you are a big movie buff and also quite selective (as I am) about what you watch, you must be remembering this unique movie ‘3 Idiots’. I found this movie highly inspirational as well as informational relating to my own life. This film revolves around three typical student characters: Farhan Qureshi (R. Madhavan), Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi), and Rancchoddas "Rancho" Shyamaldas Chanchad (Aamir Khan) at one of the best colleges in India. Farhan wants to become a wildlife photographer, but is pursuing an engineering degree to fulfill his father's wish, whereas Raju needs to improve his family's financial situation, and Rancho studies for the pleasure of building machines. Let me remind you that these characters, to me, are symbolic, in nature. For me, Farhan represents a confused soul who is not following his inner voice. Raju is a fighting spirit who is not ready to back down in any circumstances and wants to fight till his last breath. And Rancho is a ‘lucky’ person who knows his ‘aim of life’. Don’t you think the storyline of the movie depicts our reality so vividly? Some of us see ourselves playing Farhan when we set our eyes on something and choose an altogether different path and crib all along the way. Some of us play Raju where we see ourselves as the victim of circumstances and end up doing something which could be or could not be of our choice. And then there are only handful of us who follow something we are truly passionate about.

When I peep into my past, I wonder how come ‘once an aimless youth’ started his
journey from ‘Farhan’ to become ‘Raju’ and continued on to be a ‘Rancho-in-making.’ 

Interestingly, I faced the same phases of life on my career path too. After completing my schooling, and not knowing exactly what to do, I saw myself as an aimless youth. And then I ended up pursuing CA (Charted Accountant) as my career option and the simple reason was my father (which I later on came to know that his childhood dream was to be a C.A. but could never pursue it due to 'family problems'). While I hated numbers. Preparing for CA, to me, was like witnessing a horror show everyday. And my father genuinely believed in my potential of being a science side student and having the power of ‘can-do-anything-in-the-world’. But as fate would have it :-( It just escaped from his eyes that my areas of interest were slightly different from what he imagined in the first place. During my school days, sometimes I discovered myself as a creative artist, sometimes as a thoughtful writer, at times as a confident debater and occasionally pictured myself as a would-be engineer. I could not convince him strongly enough of becoming any one of the above (and today I’m also pleased for not being able to do so whenever I connect the dots of my past). I still believe it was more of a failure on my part where like Farhan, I didn't know how to convey my feelings to my father. Perhaps I didn't intend to hurt him. As they say, ‘Stand up for yourself.’ But that’s hard to do if you don’t know who you really are and especially when your dreams are shy. In no time, I realized that this was not my cup of tea. One fine day I faced my father and announced becoming 'Somebody Someday' but a CA. And once, after this CA episode was over, he never stopped me experimenting with my life. No doubt, this journey of experiments took a little long but proved extremely crucial in my path to self discovery. And for that freedom, I owe to my father big time and he will always hold an extra special place in my heart.

Later on, I saw Raju in me and I was at the crossroads again but a little differently than before. And this time I was victim of my own self made circumstances. As it happens in our Indian families when being eldest, you are perceived as a trend setter to your younger siblings and people have sky high expectations from you. It seems as if you are supposed to role-play ‘Maryada Purushottam Ram’ in every walk of your life. And yes, there is always a question mark hanging on your head “Ab Aage Kya Socha Hai Karne Ka?”, which becomes a daily routine. Leave aside being short of options, I didn’t have any clue to have any option. I ‘somehow’ completed my graduation in commerce and my post graduation in English. And then the same question was staring right into my eyes, “Ab Aage Kya Socha Hai Karne Ka?” With dreams in my eyes of a ‘suitable job with a decent life’ and becoming a helping hand to my family, I thought to myself, “What now? Where do I turn?” Lo and behold! I found myself in the crowd of many like minded folks. Yes, I started my MBA. Perhaps you prepare your best for an exam when you have too little time on your hands. And same was the case with me. I became a little more passionate to work it out in order to become ‘Somebody Someday' as promised to my father. No doubt, completing my hard earned MBA degree threw a host of possibilities before me. I would not exaggerate, if, with all your permission, I mention here that I started dreaming to become next business tycoon. (And that was the influence of all those great business stories we used to share in our daily presentations). But my real-time experience in a job changed me as a person and that made me understand the real difference between ‘influence’ and ‘inner voice’ and that was a rich lesson indeed.

I started a job of a recruitment manager with an IT firm. I fought with myself every single day. Because I preferred ‘fight it out’ to ‘flight from it’. My office walls were a battle ground. My ‘9 to 5 desk job days’ were irritatingly the same. The idea to break the boredom of my dry job, made me stumble upon another HR function of training the employees. And from there on, I started realizing my true calling. I discovered my strengths and chose ‘Training & Development’ as my core area of profession. Preparing for my PowerPoint presentations gave me a chance to be a creative artist again. Deciding over content and writing my blogs made me a thoughtful writer again. Conducting my training sessions and removing doubts of my trainees converted me into a confident debater again. The things I loved came back to me 'magically'. I had a sense of fulfillment with my job as a behavioral trainer and felt like my childhood days are back again. I realized soon enough what to do with my life in years to come. I don’t dare say that I became well established but through all the process, I gained my lost confidence. In the bargain, I received my missing hope for my future. I saw myself in a better position as compared to my previous life-stages. And during this process of ‘self discovery’, a curious would-be engineer felt content as ‘Rancho’ for the pleasure of building ‘men’ (and NOT ‘machines’ luckily; as fate would have it :-)). and “I’m loving it.”

In order to let the magic happen in your life,
you got to respect the ‘process’ and believe in every ‘dot’

Today when I look back, I understand that life is a series of dots, and without any one of them, it is not possible to reach your destination. Each and every dot is important in one’s life. Who knows which dot becomes ‘the turning point’ of your tale. I believe it is also important to start doing something which you don’t like much as it gives you a sharp contrast and a crystal clear view of what you like most. Without having failed to become Farhan early in my career, I would not have this opportunity to find what I was made for. Thanks to my father, who gave me a chance to see the contrast and look into the future to witness the consequences of my choices. In other words, sometimes dating a wrong person in your life clears the image of your perfect partner. And that's what I learnt firsthand by playing the role of Frahan. And from there on, I became more vocal about my preferences as well as more confident about my likings. While playing Raju made me responsible, hard-working and hopeful for my future. Still, in the heart of my heart, I always knew that it’s not the end of my story. There is something more to it. I realized that everything has a price and you have to work for it. The silver lining in this story is that I felt stronger than before with each passing day. And when it comes down to choosing my passion or following my calling, it all happened just like magic. Believe me, it happens like that only. Long story short, in order to let the same magic happen in your life, you got to respect the ‘process’ and believe in every ‘dot’.

My last words, if you have found your passion, Congratulations! If not, do not bother. Because great plots always take a little longer and a few more dots. There is no limit to what you might achieve; but to achieve, you need to know what you are looking for. There is no such thing as dreaming big or dreaming small – what matters is what you are passionate about and what makes you truly happy. And when you know what it is that you want, put in your best efforts. Go bold, take action and choose your path to be another Rancho. Good Luck, ‘Rancho-in-making’!

“What is the recipe for successful achievement? To my mind there are just four essential ingredients: choose a career you love, give it the best there is in you, seize your opportunities, and be a member of a team.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you really liked this blog post and wish to share your experiences/ remarks/ views with me, you are most welcome. Write to me at pdpbygauravmisra@gmail.com.

YOU FAILED. SO WHAT ? (Part II)

We get so caught up with our ‘story of stoppage’ that the fog of our depression never goes away.

YOU FAILED. SO WHAT ? (Part II)

“What is there to be afraid of? The worst thing is you fail. So what? I failed at a lot of things. My first record was horrible.”

~ John Mellencamp

You may be on top at a point in time, but could reach rock bottom if you don’t watch your steps. Sometimes you may fail albeit you put your best foot forward. Things may go wrong even if you do your calculations well in advance. But it should never be a reason for feeling low, broke or gross about yourself. Unfortunately, some of us make a whole fuss about it. We create more of an issue when our dreams don’t take off initially. We do produce a tsunami of self criticism and flood our mind with the giant waves of self doubt. It’s true that dealing with negative emotions is an extremely daunting task. Some of us even get washed away in the storm. We get so caught up with our ‘story of stoppage’ that the fog of our depression never goes away. Then, to add insult to injury, is the fear of being looked down upon. This is the fear that dances in our imaginations day in and day out. Such folks carry an image of an utter failure about themselves in their heads. They start considering themselves as nobody and that’s such a pity. 

TAKE 2,900 and...ACTION !

Here are some facts I found worth sharing. You know what, Charlie Chaplin is known to take over 300 shots of a single scene in ‘City Lights’ just to make sure his co-star Virginia Cherrill was holding a rose at the proper angle. Michael Cimino took numerous shots of a pivotal scene in ‘Heaven’s Gate’ just so that the clouds would properly line up in the frame. Now imagine, if a motion picture scene took nearly 3,000 shots just to get it right. Because all the previous ones were mere failed efforts to reach the level of near perfection. This was a scene from a 1982 Hong Kong motion picture called ‘Dragon Lord’. This was one of Jackie Chan’s earliest movies. He shot over 2,900 retakes for a scene in the movie Dragon Lord. The ‘scene’ in question is the shuttlecock match. The entire scene is 7 minutes of complicated shuttlecock play. If you expect an entire shuttlecock game to go according to the script, you're going to need a lot of takes. Shuttlecocks are not easy to control, and each take involves as many as 10 actors on screen. 2,900 takes just to get that one 10-minute action scene perfect on screen. And that’s what depicts the reality of life as well. You get my point here?

"I was always willing to fail."

Talking about failure, Arnold Schwarzenegger has so aptly remarked, "Anything I've ever attempted, I was always willing to fail. In the movie business, I remember, that you pick scripts. Many times you think this is a wining script, but then, of course, you find out later on, when you do the movie, that it didn't work and the movie goes in the toilet. Now, we have seen my movies; I mean, Red Sonja, Hercules in New York, Last Action Hero. Those movies went in the toilet. But that's OK, because at the same time I made movies like Terminator and Conan and True Lies and Predator and Twins that went through the roof. So you can't always win, but don't afraid of making decisions. You can't be paralyzed by fear of failure or you will never push yourself. You keep pushing because you believe in yourself and in your vision and you know that it is the right thing to do, and success will come. So 'Don't Be Afraid to Fail."

Ironically, Steven Spielberg was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television three times. After a performance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, Elvis Presley was told by the concert hall manager that he was better off returning to Memphis and driving trucks (his former career). The Beatles were rejected by Decca Recording Studios who said, “We don’t like their sound - They have no future in show business.” In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency told modeling hopeful Norma Jean Baker, "You'd better learn secretarial work or else get married." Well, she went on to become Marilyn Monroe. Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her job as a news anchor because she “wasn’t fit for television.” Madonna dropped out of college, moved to New York, and took a job at Dunkin’ Donuts in Times Square, where she apparently didn’t last a day. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He missed over 9,000 shots in his career. He lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions he was entrusted to take the game winning shot, and he missed. In other words, “Failure is success in progress.” 

A failure is not the end of the world, life always takes a turn.

To paraphrase Joel Osteen, “You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It doesn’t happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.” We usually forget to look over the hills at the rising sun just waiting to break through the dark clouds. The fault lies not with you, but the way you perceive your life. Once a never failing spirit said to life, “No matter what happens, you can’t break me, you can skim the surface, but you can’t touch me.” Success doesn’t come ready-made; you have to go for it. And then also it doesn’t guarantee that you will never fail. But your ‘fight-it-back’ spirit and ‘never-give-up’ attitude, of course, guide you to see the light of the day. A failure is not the end of the world, life always takes a turn. Do not fret, the bumps in your ride ahead are not the full stops, they are just the commas. Slow down a little bit, do cross them and again hit the ground running. Don’t let any bump discourage you on the way to your purpose. The Take-home message is very simple,

“It’s absolutely OK if you slipped once, twice or even thrice. It does not matter. What matters most is that you keep moving ahead.”

~ Shri Shri Ravi Shanker

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