“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the the courage to continue that counts,” said Winston Churchill.
Some people you could say are born with comfort and others are born with a road map to reach success and others are meant to find their way on their own to make life meaningful.
When can we call someone successful? Most of us would declare a person successful analysing their materialistic wealth or the individuals who have titles. But then what do we know about their internal struggles or their outlook in life and professional path where other people suffer due to their authoritative manner or insecurities? It could lead people to move away from them. The out come could be loneliness.
They do say that it is lonely up there when you are successful. One might face the competition, that could be threatening not just for their ideas but even mental health.
Renowned American professional boxer, Muhammad Ali, has a quote, “I hated every minute of training but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live rest of your life as a champion.” The beauty is he did it and everyone till today remembers him as a champion.
How often do we talk to ourselves? At times we do not even dare to confide in ourselves let alone have an open conversation with others. There are of course valid reasons such as the question on whom to trust, privacy and the fear of being judged and the worry if someone would take advantage of their circumstances. On the other hand bottling it will be so stifling that it is unfair for anyone to suffer silently.
All of those concerns can be used against an individual. One’s problems can be weaknesses that can be used against an individual if the information falls into the wrong hands. In other words could your pain be someone else’s advantage? And in reality is there ever a secret?
A wise person once shared a bit of wisdom with me - when you share your problems one has to remember that majority of them would use it as information. The reality is most of the people would talk about it to others if not use it for gossiping, and others might laugh at the situation, but there would be hardly few who would actually have empathy towards the suffering one.
Human being is inquisitive by nature, and although social we can be selfish too. This is because somewhere along we have become competitive probably has to do with the concept of survival of the fittest. A society has to bring out the best in its people.
Problems appear to go and we need patience to survive until it changes. But if they are problems as a result of our actions then there are so many aspects to learn from. Instead of going down the depression lane we need to work on mental fitness to bounce back. It so happens that there is nothing much we can do about the past and we know not much about the future. That is why we must invest on today with best of thoughts and energy. The very nature of future is unpredictability and that uncertainty can lead to stress. That, however, cannot stop us from being ambitious and hope for the future because this is what generates the inspiration we need. Life can only move forward when there is hope and inspiration.
The world, thankfully, is still with people who find satisfaction in supporting others in a sustainable way. As the saying goes give a fish to a man and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time. Each individual is talented in one way or the other. What is required the most in today’s world is the ability to learn and develop skills. And the fact is no time can be wasted in this regard so invest in your talent develop skills and prioritise your objectives and life could be one exciting journey! Be there for others and life becomes satisfying! So we must have the courage to learn, change and advance forward.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
