Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Fight against all Odds



Everyone in life has got obstacles to overcome be it mental or physical. In order to achieve something in life, you have to fight against all odds, get out of your comfort zone, have a positive frame of mind and be focused. This involves taking risks and doing a lot of experiments in life. People who have succeeded in life have never given up and in no way let failures prevent them from what they wanted to achieve.

Accepting the Various Complexities of Life

In order for this to happen we do have to accept the various complexities of life. We have to learn to live life to the fullest and enjoy it. As you know that life only comes once and one should try to make the most out of it. There is no reason to feel frustrated or down about something, because you do not achieve anything through it. In my opinion the two things which play a crucial role in one’s life are positive thinking and self determination. It is very important in life to be able to struggle for something even though you may not succeed. Just the ability to struggle shows the qualities of a person, whether he gives up easily in life or he is willing to fight it out. There are countless examples of people who have been a failure in their youth, but have never given up and have gone on to become the most famous people in history.

Never give up in Life

I am talking about Thomas Edison the inventor of the light bulb, motion camera being among his many inventions. He did not have much success at school. The teachers used to refer him as being confused or mixed up. He also had hearing problems at an early age, but that did not stop him from becoming one of the most famous inventors. He also founded General Electric one the most publically traded company in the world. Similar is the case with Sir Isaac Newton said to be one of the most influential person in human history. He was thrown out of school at an early age only asked to return to school to complete his education. He later went on to become a English physic, mathematician etc and his law of Gravity being one of the top most discoveries in the world. The point I am trying to make is that one should never give up in life and always have a positive frame of mind. These two examples clearly illustrate and define these qualities.

Will Power

I will talk about people who have some sort of disability or having some type of disease, excelled in life through their immense will power and never say die attitude. The one name which immediately comes to my mind is Stephen Hawking. Hawking has a neuro-muscular dystrophy a condition which has progressed over the years and left him totally paralyzed. Despite of all these limitations what he has achieved is for the world to see. Being a famous British professor at Cambridge and excelling in the fields of cosmology, physics and mathematics. Also being the author of many best sellers including a Brief History of Time. He has travelled all over the world giving lectures and is the recipient of many famous medals including The Presidential Medal of Freedom which he received from President Obama in 2009. In 2007 Professor Hawking took a zero gravity flight in space becoming the first quadriplegic to travel in space. He showed the world what can be achieved in life in spite of his being paralyzed. This clearly defines positive thinking.

Inner Strength

I have always felt that people who have some sort of disability tend to make more use of their inner strength which leads them to do improbable things. As we saw Stephen Hawking accepted the way he was and decided to fight life on his own terms. He was never afraid to run away from his problems and the rest is history as they say. There is one more individual I would like to mention W. Mitchell a motivational speaker and author of many books. 65% of his body was burnt by a fiery motor cycle accident and an airplane crash later took away his ability to walk. He also very easily could have given up and accepted life as it was, but he also fought his way to success. “It is not what happens to you It is what you do about it” is his slogan and what he tells people to do.

Positive Mindset

It is very important to have a positive mindset when you are faced with an obstacle. I can simply go on and on about how people having disabilities have overcome all obstacles through determination and having a positive mindset. When you have two such inspiring stories in front of you, it becomes easier to try to follow in their footsteps. I would like to briefly talk about the problems I have faced. Being diagnosed with Friedrich’s Ataxia at the age of 12 and being transferred into a wheel chair at 20 resulted in all my dreams being shattered. It naturally was a very frustrating time for me. Seeing a wheel chair for the first time was not something I had dreamt about and I was told I will never be able to walk again. This wheel chair felt like a prison for me in the beginning, preventing me from what I wanted to do and confining me where I wanted to go.

Ability to Struggle

Like all my role models whose examples are given above I decided to fight, never give up and have a positive frame of mind. I succeeded in becoming a motivational speaker and my inspiration came from W. Mitchell. Like Mitchell I wanted to share my story with other individuals and my slogan is the same as Mitchell’s “It is not what happens to you it is what you do about it”. I wanted to tell the world who I am and not run away from my problems. It does require a lot of hard work and patience. I would say that I do not have any regrets in life and having Friedrich’s Ataxia instilled in me a stronger will power and the ability to struggle in life at all times.

Face up to Life

My message to all people out there and particularly the youth out there would be to always have a positive mind set and the courage to face up to life and its problems. One should always be what they are and not be afraid to admit their short comings. Pretending someone who you not are will always bring failure to you. The three qualities which have helped me overcome obstacles are 1. never give up in life 2. have faith in God 3. believing in your abilities. If you are able to achieve these qualities, I am sure you will be successful in life.

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