Sunday, February 25, 2001		Article

THERE comes a time in the life of every man when he feels helpless before circumstances. Such a time is actually a test of his ability. The remedy, in fact, lies in his own hands. No animal, except man, worries about what is ahead of him. But once he removes the veil of worry, he finds the ladder of success waiting his upward climb.

On the other hand, the problem worsens when he goes on worrying. Worry becomes his second nature. It is far better if he looks at the situation calmly and in time. He should split his problem into parts. Half the problem is solved in an analysis of this kind.

Milton lost one eye, and then the second one too. But he didn’t lose heart. He analysed his problem and situation in time. The result was his top class poetic output which won him eminence.

Helen Keller was deaf, dumb and blind since childhood. But she never thought she was handicapped. The ladder of success awaited her upward climb because she had a positive attitude. Today we remember her with a deep sense of reverence as she was a lady of courage and stamina.

Socrates was ugly and uneducated. But his thoughts were always lofty, his attitude always positive. His wife would always find faults with him but he never let a sense of defeat overpower him. Once finding his wife extremely angry, he came out of the house and sat on a stone slab near his gate and started basking in the sun. Soon the angry woman rushed out and emptyed the pitcher of cold water over his head. Instead of retaliating, he praised his wife: "I was wondering dear, why after thundering it didn’t rain so far !" Such a peaceful bent of mind had actually made him number one philosopher of the world.

Abraham Lincoln was the son of a poor farmer who could never afford to buy books and clothes for him. But Lincoln had a positive attitude about life. He would wash his only suit at night so that it would dry by the morning. Covering himself with a rough towel he would study the books borrowed from his friends under the street lamp as there was no light in his own house. One day an envious neighbour woman whose own son was a duffer, made a taunting remark to Lincoln:

"Why study in the mosquito-ridden street at night! After all you are not going to become the President of America?" Lincoln took it as a positive challenge and one day occupied the White House.

Problems are better solved when taken as a challenge. But the first step is to build faith in oneself. A great writer, when in jail, was challenged to write a page on "broom-stick". He laboured so hard that he produced big volumes on the topic which even a binder found difficult to bind.

The tackling of each problem makes you more experienced. It builds a positive attitude. But that attitude should be maintained. If, like the hare, you sit for rest after a short run, others may surpass you like the steady tortoise. Your skill in your particular field will improve with every step you take. Even failures can’t make true achievers lose heart. They strive for still greater perfection.

The goddess of success is not easy to please. She is a hard task mistress. You can’t fool her. She sees the truth but waits. She tests your patience. An impatient worker often commits mistakes. So always be calm and composed when you work. Better results follow in due course. Our duty is only to do the right job and then hope for the best.

Imagination plays an important role in success. Even Rome was an imaginary project at first. Then it was realised. Work without hope of success is useless. But that hope should not be baseless. Work alone is its base. Milk will taste as sweet as the amount of sugar we put in it. So the taste of our success depends on the amount of work we put in. To hope for success without doing work is to deceive the self. That type of attitude pollutes our psyche.

R.L. Stevenson would imagine his stories as if they were already published works. Then he would work as per his imagination. Even in his dreams he would think of plots. That was his secret of success. What a thrilling experience and what an achievement for the little boy! Memory has its own role to play in success. A single successful step works as a spark to our psyche. It gives us further motivation. Even a big achievement is not a sudden outcome. It too is made of small pieces of success.

Make a habit of succeeding. Then keep smiling. Heaven is not going to fall if you fail once or twice. King Bruce succeeded in his twelfth attempt alone. But he never lost hope. Even tears wash away your weaknesses. And one day you are sure to smile. Every onward step makes you a better individual. Every piece of success will make you more hopeful and more confident of winning. The game of success belongs to those who work and always dare. And you can be one of them!