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Writing/Editing
OF CIRCUMSTANCES AND OPPORTUNITY
“Many of life’s failure fail for lack of pluck and not lack of luck”– Dr Arty Pereira. Sometimes, life presents us with circumstances we would rather not have - a broken family, a disability, poor parentage, a defect… a negative. It may be easier to sigh and wish at times. These circumstances usually present seemingly insurmountable obstacles on our road to success. It is common place to find people who have since given up on themselves and on life and are simply trudging along. They’ve lost hope and become faithless. Not seeing beyond the “impossibilities” of today, they continually wallow in self-pity, regret, shame and pain. The history of man is replete with the stories of individuals who against all odds, said no to the storms of life. Those who realized that, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams“ (Eleanor Roosevelt). The American author and lecturer, Helen Keller (1880-1968), a philanthropist and a most remarkable woman, was such a one. Deaf and blind from the age of 19 months following an acute illness, she nevertheless gave herself to learning. To say that she served as an inspiration for other people with disabilities is a great understatement. When asked if she regretted her inability to see, she had this to say, “how reconcile this world of fact with the bright world of my imagining? My darkness has been filled with the light of intelligence, and behold, the outer day-light world was stumbling and groping in social blindness”. You too can rise above every circumstance of your life. You can be the “captain of your ship” and the “master of your destiny”. Take the advice of George Bernard Shaw, “people are always blaming the circumstances, for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstance. The people who get on in the world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, make them”. Like the Greek philosopher Plutarch, you too can believe that, “as bees extract honey from the thyme, the strongest and the dearest of herbs, so sensible men often get advantage and profit from the most awkward circumstances”. There’s surely opportunity in every circumstance. Here are some ways to see and seize them. 1. Realize “Circumstances are the rulers of the weak, but they are the instruments of the wise” (Samuel Lover). Putting it succinctly, Shakespeare in Julius Caesar commented, “There’s a tide in the affairs of men which if taken at the flood, leads on to fortune”. That puzzle lingering in your mind is waiting for you to provide the solution; that challenge in your neighbourhood needs a touch of your ingenuity. Just put on your thinking cap. “With doubt and dismay, you are smitten; you think there’s no chance for you son! Why, the best books haven’t been written. The best race hasn’t been run” (Berton Braley: Opportunity). See and seize the moment. 2. Take time to master the fundamentals of your trade, profession or talent Practice its daily disciplines. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric bulb once remarked, “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”. Do you sit down and rue wasted chances, lost causes, and missed opportunities and whine about insurmountable obstacles? Buckle up or you will end up in an even sorrier state. It will take sheer hard work. No wonder, the Harvard Business Journal commented, “To look is one thing. To see what you look is another; to understand what you see is a third. To learn from what you understand is still something else, but to act on what you understand is all that really matters” and that is the bottom-line. Nothing will come out of nothing. Bill Gates is reputed to spend over 18hours each day, developing new software. Is it any surprise then, that for the last 13yrs, he’s been the richest man in the world? It is true that, “the secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” “Tears may get you sympathy, but only sweat will get you results”. Roll up your sleeves and get to work. “Chance, according to Louis Pasteur, favours only the prepared mind”. Will you be ready when chance (opportunity) comes knocking? Your choices today will make or mar you. Take the road to work. 3. Make Each Minute Count It is a truism that, “one of the greatest enemies that we can ever face in life is the illusion that there will be more time tomorrow than there is today.” Time is unforgiving. “I’m sorry, I wasted the time,” you say, but still the clock goes tick, tick.” Today is a gift that can lift you if only you realize that, “the past exists only in our memories, the future only in our dreams and the present is our reality”. In the words of a Persian proverb, “four things don’t just come back, “the sped arrow, the past life and the neglected opportunities”. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”. Problems? Obstacles? Welcome them with relish, for “every problem contains within itself, the seeds of its own solution”. Start now. Begin. Allez… move. “For he who does not begin, does not end”. 4. Be imaginative and creative Each of us has a spark of creativity. Find and ignite it. Ideas rule the world. Dig deep and let some fresh ideas flow. ”Seek to find the best in the worst, to discover the great in the small, to see beauty in the plain and to detect the elegant in the simple” Imagination questions “why”, “how”, “what”, “when” and “where”? It seeks creative solutions to everyday challenges. It sees possibilities long before they become obvious to others. When others ask, “why”? It replies, “why not”? Isaac Newton’s power of imagination was put on display when the apple fell on his head in his garden, thus birthing the law of gravity. Another less imaginative man might simply have munched greedily away. Like Oliver Wendell Holmes, he understood that, “man’s mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions”. 5. Maintain an impossibility complex Never accept limitations. Say no to no. It can be done. It is possible. Edward L. Kranner commented, “Never admit failure until you’ve made the last attempt. Never make the lost attempt until you have succeeded“. Furthermore, Richard Devos submits, “the only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible”. An anonymous writer once declared, “aim high, think big, for the barriers are not yet erect that will say to the aspiring genius thus far and no further“. Consider this, “the world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is usually interrupted by someone doing it“. IBM’S founder, Thomas Watson once said, “Maybe there’s a market for five computers in the world” (emphasis mine). What optimism?! Always act as if it were impossible to fail! 6 Go for Gold A gold fish has no hiding place, There’s always a better way to do something. Find it, no matter how long it takes. Be the gold standard, the hallmark. Set high standards for yourself, because, “we attract what we except; we reflect what we desire; we become what we respect and we mirror what we admire”. That’s what patency rights is all about. Let your works give you the winning edge and the greatest leverage. 7 Be resilient Have you been counted out in life? We all have. Don’t listen to the referee’s whistle. Don’t just stay down in the throes of defeat. Stand up! The same people who mocked and laughed derisively at you in your difficult moments will be applauding you as the greatest in your moment of triumph. “A minute success, they say, “pays for the failures of years”. Hang on. He who laughs last laughs longest and also … lasts. John Mason once said, “the breakfast of champions is obstacles”. “Every achievement is the story of a flaming heart”. Yours is just around the corner. It’s time to take on the attitude of Sydney Harris, expressed in this thought provoking quote, “whenever I hear people complain that life is hard, I’m always tempted to ask, compared to what?” No matter your circumstances, you can achieve greatness and have reproducible success if you identify the opportunities in your circumstances and enjoy your breakfast everyday. |
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