Most
of us, in a lifetime, cherish a dream that we know can take
us really far in life. We have all been blessed with some sort
of talent; all we need to do is discover it and turn it into
our profession.
The
most important step we can take towards achieving that goal
is taking action! But unfortunately, even when the first move
is made, we do not go through with it the whole way simply because
we lack the quality of perseverance.
We may have heard about perseverance being the key
to success a hundred times before, but never really
stepped back to think what it actually means and how it is relevant
to our lives. Most of us tend to get bogged down by little failures
and just give up on dreams that may have been long cherished.
The
Stepping Stones.
It
is easy to get discouraged during times of difficulties. We
may feel hollow and empty, and may even think that there is
no purpose in life when a challenging situation comes along.
The
shame of a single failure becomes so huge in our minds that
we are not even ready to take a “re-look” at things. We just
quit saying that it was not meant to be! But we tend to forget
that failure indeed is the only stepping stone to success.
When
pursuing our dreams, we have to do it the old fashioned way!
We have to carry on despite the many obstacles that are likely
to present itself. When these obstacles come up in form of little
failures, we can't afford to give up!
We
are not talking about sticking to a path that we know will lead
to sure shot failure (that's stupidity!), but a path that we
think will lead us to the fulfilment of our dreams. It’s all
about having the right attitude.
If
we make a decision to stay focused on our dreams no matter what,
we will see that even the most devastating failures will seem
insignificant. It's about having our goal in sight at all times.
Giving
into despair will do us no good, as all we will do is feel sorry
for ourselves and wallow in self pity. On the other hand, if
we accept our failures as the stepping stones and learn from
them, we will be
successful in our endeavours sooner than later!
Mostly all the successful people that the whole world knows
about today have met with failure, not once but numerous times
till success has come knocking on their door.
Failures
Behind Many Greats.
Did
you know that the man who gave us the immortal cartoon characters
like Mickey Mouse, was fired by a newspaper editor because he
felt that Walt Disney lacked imagination? When he decided to
start his own animation company, he was turned down 302 times;
but it did not stop him from pursuing his dreams. And Disney
was not alone.
In more recent times, JK Rowling (bestselling author and the
creator of Harry Potter), was penniless and the manuscript that
she had written was rejected as many as twelve times. But she
chose not to give up. She kept pursuing publishers till Bloomsbury
decided to publish her first book, and the rest as they say
is history!
A
kind publisher once told Rowling that she should consider getting
a day job because there was no future in children’s books. Little
did he know then that Rowling would become even richer than
the Queen of England someday!
So
as you see, failures will come our way. Many small and big failures.
But if we give up, we will not only end up feeling deprived,
but will also deprive the world of something truly beautiful!
