When I reminisce about my life from childhood to my present state—a teenager on the threshold of youth—a lot of events flash across my mind. Quite a few of them have been significant in shaping my personality.
One of the earliest events that come to mind is the sad demise of my grandfather nearly seven years ago. I was extremely close to him and just could not reconcile to the fact that he would be there for me no more. At the same time, I learnt to accept death as an inevitable part of life and move on. Grandfather’s idealism, teachings, principles and values still inspire me.
From him I learnt the value of discipline, be it in sports or academics. From him I learnt the value of integrity, honesty and hard work. He taught me to accept both victory and defeat gracefully. Besides the demise of my grandfather, there have been other events too that have had a crucial role in shaping my personality.
image source: thelastyearofyourlife.com
ADVERTISEMENTS:
It was almost by chance that I bumped into my yoga instructor about three years ago. I had been to my friend Romit’s place and there I saw his brother being trained by this young gentleman.
Though I met him for a brief span of time, I was deeply inspired by him. This chance meeting changed my life in a big way again. I learnt to do various complex yoga postures and that improved my concentration powers which had a direct effect on my studies and sports. Today when I proudly collect prizes for topping in multiple subjects, I attribute the success to the chance meeting with my yoga instructor, who taught me to calm my restless mind and be focused.
Adolescence and the teenage years are extremely vulnerable and impressionable. In the past ten years of my life, many characters have come and gone, be it in the form of teachers, friends, parents, relatives or even strangers! Various events too have had a big role in shaping my personality. Whenever I did badly in a subject and sunk into depression, it was the reassuring voice of my grandfather, ‘What is the point in brooding? Will it solve anything? Find out the reasons why you fared badly and work hard to improve on them.’ I used to sometimes get bitter about the success of some of my other friends. It was grandfather who taught me the big lesson in life that you only compete with your own self and not with others. It took a long while for me to assimilate it into my personality, but I could gradually instil it in my psyche.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Finally, I also owe a great deal to various events and circumstances. For instance when I was alone with my little sister and my ailing mother at home, I learnt to handle emergency situations. Mother had fallen terribly sick and she had to be admitted to a hospital. Initially, I was a little nervous but in retrospect I feel I had handled the situation quite effectively and with a great deal of courage. This event prepared me for future crises. My dad who was away on official work in Shillong came back and praised me liberally. Even today I haven’t forgotten the major lesson: one needs to stay calm in a crisis to sort it out.
I owe a great deal to all these events in the last decade, as all of them has had a profound impact in the shaping of my personality.