We all know that winners never
quit and quitters never win. This golden principle applies in all sectors, be
it sports, education, administration, business, scientific research and so on.
It is also true that everybody wants to improve his or her past performance.
Jimmy Johnson, the renowned American football coach and broadcaster once asked
the question and provided the reply too: "What is the difference between
"Ordinary" and "Extraordinary"? Yes, it is that little
"EXTRA". The example of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt who won
100m, 200m and 4x100m relay races in the London 2012 Olympics is a case in
point. Very proudly, Usain repeated his Beijing 2008 Olympic feat with
improvements in running time in 100m and 4x100m relay events. He recorded his
extraordinary performance by putting that little extra which was the basic
differentiating factor between him and other runners there.
Yes, in every field of life we
find such achievers. Maybe you are one such performer in your own field in your
own way. Not to emphasize much, these historical feats are the outcome of the
inner urge to convert your potential to performance for which you take matching
efforts tirelessly. And wise people say that if you try hard to achieve
something in life with all positive forces, the unseen divine forces do support
you to succeed.
Before moving ahead on this
topic, let us take the case of these three exceptional leaders of our country
who by virtue of their extraordinary deeds made us all proud: 1) Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose was elected as the President of the All-India National
Congress two times - in 1938 and again in 1939. He was an indomitable
fighter and the supreme commander of Indian National Army (INA) – a strong
force of about forty-five thousand soldiers committed to fight the colonial
force of Britain with the noble aim to make our country independent at the
earliest. 2) Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India. He was very
simple and brilliant, for whom the examiner wrote in his college answer paper,
‘the examinee is better than examiner'. His knowledge of ground realities was
astounding which was reflected in his decisions even as the Congress President,
the Central Minister or the longest serving President of India. Throughout his
political and public life, he practised the principle of simple living and high
thinking. 3) Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of India was a
man of strong will, dedication, commitment and integrity. His simplicity,
clarity and action-oriented approach to solve the critical problems including
grave food shortage which the country was facing at that point of time was
simply extraordinary. Acknowledging and complementing the vital role of farmers
and soldiers of the country, he coined the famous slogan 'Jai Jawan, Jai
Kisan'. India won the war against Pakistan in 1965 under his able leadership.
They all and many others never
allowed the constraints to come their way and utilized every moment instead, as
an opportunity to do the very best by covering that extra mile which proved to
be their X-factor for excellence. The burning example in the recent past
was Steve Jobs, the co-founder of APPLE who despite passing through a very
painful phase as an advanced stage cancer patient, continued his ‘Imovative'
works very passionately (he coined this word 'Imovation' which is: Imitation +
Innovation).
It is highly inspiring to note that even physical disabilities couldn't stop Stephen William Hawking - the well-known British Theoretical Physicist; Ludwig Van Beethoven - one of the greatest composers of the world or Helen Adams Keller - the famous American author and political activist, from becoming the legends in their own fields. To say, every one of us has the potential to do something extraordinary at least in one's own area of interest by following the right path in life and appreciating the fact that excellence is a journey, not the destination. Hope you are enjoying your journey of excellence. (hellomilansinha@gmail.com)
# Click here to enjoy my Blog in Hindi, "Chalte, Chalte" (चलते, चलते)
No comments:
Post a Comment