The word ‘impossible‘ did not exist in Napoleon’s dictionary. Life is replete with challenges. To surrender to these challenges without putting up a fight would be a terrible insult to the divine gift of intelligence bestowed upon us by the Almighty.
There are two different ways of looking at challenges in life. One is to look upon them as obstacles in our path which cannot be overcome. The other is to look upon them as opportunities to learn and prove our mettle. This is essentially the difference between a loser and a winner.
Sourav Ganguly is respected as one of the most successful cricket captains in India today. Perhaps not many people in the present generation know that he was thrown out of the team after his series against Australia in 1991. Ganguly did not lose hope and bounced back with a century at Lord’s when he was recalled to the team. He became an icon in international cricket. Rahul Dravid declared him as the ‘God of the offside’ and by Geoffery Boycott termed him ‘The Prince of Calcutta’.
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The famous Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan was rejected for a job in All India Radio because they thought his voice was not good enough. He did not give up and today his baritone echoes throughout the Indian subcontinent and is universally admired.
The examples given above are those of people very well-known to the twenty-first century crowd. If we go back in time; we shall come across examples of people who dared to be different and succeeded. When Akbar sat on the throne of Hindustan, he was thirteen years old and surrounded by enemies who coveted his crown. But he managed to hold on to his crown while defeating all his foes. In addition to nerves of steel, one must admit that he also had the able guidance of Bairam Khan.
What do the above examples communicate to us? The message is simple. Those who dare, have fortune at their feet. You need to have the patience and the courage of Gandhi to get kicked out of a train in a lonely station, on a dark night, at a distant land and then fight back to lead men towards the light.