INTRODUCTION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

“The price tag you put on yourself decides your worth. Underestimating yourself will cost you dearly.” Realise your true ability and move ahead. “If you don’t have the courage to walk alone others will not have the courage to walk with you.” This book will push you to achieve your very best in all spheres of your life.

Are you the person who simply accepts what fate brings or the one willing to carve out a destiny based on your deepest desires? It is ultimately up to you. “It is the road you take that decides your destiny and not your destiny that decides the road you take.”

A tiny bird trusts it ability to fly and it flies for thousands of miles at a stretch crossing the biggest oceans and keeps moving with faith in its wings. The bird keeps saying to us, “You mustn’t be afraid to do what you are born to do.” Just like the bird all of us are born to fly in the flight of Ambition. Ambition is the driving force for success.

INTRODUCTION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

You are here to live a fulfilling and a grand life. Your life is your mission. Make it as big and wonderful as you can. Accommodate as many dreams, people and lives as you can. Don’t limit yourself, don’t hold back. There is no greater reward of your existence than to reveal your greater self not just to the world but more importantly to yourself. The self without any limits the self with purity, strength and all the might in the world.

This book in many ways provides a roadmap for you along your great journey called life. The moment you begin to see possibilities, everything changes. This book contains possibilities; it contains wisdom from diverse walks of life. It contains the infallible teachings of the great scriptures like the Bhagvad Gita and the Bible on the other hand it delves into the latest scientific research on mind, nature and the science of achievement. It also explores moments of inspiration from the lives of the greatest people who have walked on this planet.

It does not matter, what you read, It does not matter, what you think, What matters is how you act, But if you read the good things, It will make you think right, And right thinking will lead you to right action.

INTRODUCTION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

It is not the people who are skilled, special or different. Eventually, it is all about the people who try. He who doesn’t try will never succeed. An honest attempt is the first step in your road to victory. You may not always triumph if you try but without trying you will never triumph. Triumph begins with a try.

Chapter 1

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

PURPOSE

‘Starting a company isn’t easy. Sometimes it means that you can’t do things you like. I loved college. I liked having conversations and sharing ideas with so many smart people. But I knew I had to choose. That spring Paul decided to leave his job and I decided to leave college. I was 19 years old’. Bill Gates in The Road Ahead

Life is all about making choices. At each step there is a decision to be made; it is your choice that decides where you will be headed. There are two kinds of people in this world—those who are willing to give up shortlived pleasures in want of something big and others who miss the big things in life in trying to live in and enjoy the moment. Giving up something small in order to achieve something big is the hallmark of extraordinary people and is the roadmap to extraordinary success. Take a pause, look ahead, think about your vision, where do you see yourself five or ten years down the line. After you complete this exercise, think about what you are doing in your day-to-day life and whether that is in conformity with your long-term objectives.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Often we tend to think that sacrifice is about renunciation, about giving up all good things, whereas, in a sense, sacrifice is all about doing away with the activities which are not beneficial for you in the long run. The activities which take up your time will decide your altitude in life. In our life lower desires cause hindrance to our progress and growth. They impose mediocrity and make it difficult for one to realise his true potential.

There was a village in which lived an eight-year-old boy, who, even at that tender age, had great wisdom and wanted to give up materialistic pursuits, but his mother was against the idea of renunciation for her son. One morning the boy and his mother went to a river. When the young boy was taking bath, suddenly he cried out; it was a crocodile which had caught hold of the leg of this eight-year-old boy. The crocodile carried the boy in the middle of the river; the child whose leg was in the jaws of the crocodile shouted and again asked for his mother’s permission to renounce this world. She was in a state of utter shock and grief, looking helplessly and crying for her son; she probably did not even feel she will get her son back. Finally amidst tears she gave her consent for the young boy to renounce the world. And, as if magic happened, immediately after the mother gave her consent, the crocodile disappeared, leaving behind the young boy unharmed.

The reason for sharing this story is the morals that we can get out of it.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Difficulties are inevitable; important is not to lose focus

The hallmark of extraordinary people is that they focus more on their goals and perform better when faced with difficulties. They are the big stage players. In this story even when the young boy was facing a threat to his life, he did not lose focus on his goal and on what he wanted to achieve. What happens normally is we see people lose their sense of direction when things are not going well for them; they lose sight of their objective. Difficulties should make you focus harder on your objective.

Divine help comes, but only to those who are unrelenting even amidst difficulties.

The important thing to remember is that divine intervention will come if you are resolute and really know what you want from life. You attract divine help if you are intent to achieve your objectives and poised to face difficulties.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Giving up lower desires in order to fulfil the higher ones is sacrifice

Another thing which is worth noting is the fact that one has to give up lower desires in order to achieve something substantial in life. Everybody wants to achieve big things in life, but the price you pay for achieving them is to give up ordinary activities, which take up your time. Renunciation and sacrifice, help you achieve amazing things in life. They always pay off in the long run. Ultimately, a life of rich accomplishments is a life made by right choices and sacrifices. Look at the great athletes and the kind of rigorous routines they have to go through in order to compete for winning medals. Day in day out they have to train themselves and sweat out. A lot of sacrifice is involved in doing great things.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

A life of accomplishments

The eight-year-old kid who gave up toys, fun and games, and made a big sacrifice, what did he get out of it? He achieved great feats and became one of the most renowned and learned persons of his time. This boy was no other than the great Adi Shankaracharya. He was a man of tremendous knowledge and conviction. He came into this world to guide the worldly people by his wisdom and insight. He founded many centres of spiritual learning across India and taught people to think logically. He wrote commentaries on several scriptures, which are known the world over for their extraordinarily enthralling composition. These commentaries have stood the test of time for more than a millennium. In short, he had a short life-span of 32 years, but the amount of work he did, ordinary people would take several lifetimes to comprehend it. You can achieve a lot of things in this life if you are driven by a strong objective or purpose.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Statement of purpose

According to the dictionary, purpose means the reason for which something exists or an intended or desired result.

Every project is started with a statement of purpose, which provides the basic guidelines for the development and also indicates the objective of the project. Similarly, you can have a statement of purpose for your life, which will propel you to act and make progress in life. Try and write for yourself the statement of purpose which will be a mission statement. It will act as the beacon light in your life and propel you to explore new avenues and reach greater heights. It will make you focus on your life and give you the power which can literally astound you. It will make you achieve what you are truly capable of. So make a statement of purpose without further delay if you do not have one.

The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose.’ —Leider Richard

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

What is the core value of your life, what is the purpose of your existence and what is the meaning of your life? These are some of the basic questions that come to all the great minds. Everything has a purpose; whatever you see, be it a pen, a pencil or a wall, you will find that everything which exists is there for a purpose. Without purpose nothing exists, without purpose nobody exists. How can it be that you exist without a purpose? Life without a purpose would be meaningless. It is indeed in finding out your purpose and then pursuing it that, you get fulfilment and understand the meaning of life. Identify your purpose and go about achieving it with full vigour, this is a great lesson to be learned from the lives of phenomenal achievers.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

A great creation

Having been endowed with an amazing body which has about 5 billion capillaries whose total length, if stretched out, is approximately 950 kms, the DNA of a single cell in the body contains the design of 206 bones, 600 muscles, a network of 10,000 auditory muscles, a network of 2 million optic nerves, 100 billion nerve cells and 100 trillion cells. The nucleus of each of the trillion cells making up the human body includes a data bank big enough to fill 900 volumes of an encyclopedia. A person shall require several lifetimes to read this much data. The great mystery—the human body—has been designed so very intelligently that it is hard to believe that life is a coincidence, that we exist by chance. Even the smallest thing, which is created by the mortals, is created for a reason. How can possibly the greatest design in the universe, that is the human, exist without a purpose!

Utilise your life for doing something that will do justice to what you possess, an inexhaustible and amazing power of being a human. You are special, you are significant, you have a purpose, and you have a reason for your existence; find it, and live it. In a completely dark room, just light one small candle and see the difference it makes. Similarly, you can also make a difference to your life by living a purposeful life.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The unknown

My friends and I went on a picnic trip on the outskirts of the city. Near the picnic spot was a jungle. I, overwhelmed by nature’s beauty, inadvertently entered the jungle, watching a beautiful peacock which was dancing but as soon as it saw me it disappeared quickly and here I was all alone in the middle of the jungle, all my friends were left behind. I became a bit apprehensive and wanted to go back to my friends, but found that I had lost my way; all my efforts to get out of the jungle were in vain; it seemed that there was no way out. It was dark now and several animals were screaming in the vicinity. Feeling scared, I began to curse myself for going along unknown paths. Suddenly, I heard a voice coming from behind. Come, said the man. When I turned back I saw a man in saffron clothes, having a long white beard. Hesitatingly I went near him; he made me sit on the floor and asked, ‘What are you doing here’. His voice was thunderous. I told him that I was lost in the jungle. He started laughing on hearing this and said, ‘Everybody is lost’. I could not understand what he said. Then he asked, ‘What is the purpose of your life?’ I was startled for a while and said, ‘I don’t really have one’. The saint smiled at me and told me the way to get out. He then said, ‘Every passing moment brings you closer to the end, the end, which is called death. It is easy to find out that you are lost in a jungle, but what most people don’t know is that they are lost in life, some lost in eternity. ‘What do you mean?’ I asked him.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

He said, ‘Men come and go; they live only for a short while after which they are lost. You don’t even know that they existed some time back. Hence they are lost in eternity. If you go along paths, which are unknown, you will invariably discover something new. When you are lost, that is the best time and opportunity to gain and learn something from what is life.’ I thought he was absolutely right. I smiled at him and the saint reciprocated. Finally he said, ‘Have a purpose in your life and build your life around it. Do it with your whole heart and you will never be lost. Accomplish something noble in life.’ His words had a profound impact on me. When I came out of the jungle, my friends were waiting for me. They asked me, ‘Were you lost in the jungle?’ I replied that I was lost in life.

Why are you doing what you are doing? See if your answer is one of the following.Just because everyone else is doing.I have never thought about it.I like it, so I am doing it.I have nothing better to do.Someone asked me to do it.To earn a living.Just to please others and win their approval. Or Out of sheer purpose and for a grand mission in life. To make your existence, a gift to the world.

The answer to this question tells you what the driving force for your actions is. The most successful and special people are invariably driven by a grand mission and something big.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The benefits of having a purpose in your life

Stimulates action,
Helps you set goals,
Motivates you and brings out the best in you,
Gives you a fulfilling life,
Self-discipline,
Gives meaning to your life,
Involvement rather than compulsion,
Clarity of action and decisiveness,
Value of time,
Committed life,
Changes to accomplish the vision,
Dynamism, Work plan to prioritise.

Lends direction, keeps you away from unnecessary pursuits which waste time.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

There was a priest who used to worship all the time engaged himself in devotional service, expecting to meet the Lord during his lifetime. But it wasn’t to be. He died. After his death, he went to God and asked him, ‘Well, I prayed all my life, engaged myself in devotional services, offered you food and flowers and performed several austerities and yet you didn’t come. Why are you so hard? Why?’ The good Lord replied, ‘It was you who didn’t meet me; when I came to the temple and wanted to meet you in the form of a beggar, your guards chased me away. I requested time and again but to no avail.’ They told me that you were busy worshipping God and would not meet a beggar like me.

We are so busy that we forget to ask the reason for doing the things that we do

Sometimes we get so mechanical in our routine that we lose the objective of the exercise. We forget to ask ourselves the most important question, why am I doing this? We just perform the actions day in and day out without really thinking about the purpose or the objective of the whole action. Never lose sight of the purpose; think about it and then devote yourself to work. Try to find out the purpose behind doing things.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

We are running as fast as we can without knowing where we are headed

The focus is on doing things as fast as we can, on doing as much as we can. Don’t be in a hurry. Everybody is running but nobody bothers to ask, where are we going? We see each other and run faster and faster without really bothering to ask ourselves what we are running for. To make your journey fruitful know the direction in which you are moving.

Direction

When you know the direction in which you want to move, the journey certainly becomes a lot easier. Directional flow is strength, just as water flowing from different sources, when it is collected and stored, can be harnessed for producing electricity in the hydel power plants; setting up and installation of the plant is possible only because of the momentum of flow. This flow of water is directional, which moves turbines by which electricity is produced. But the same water, if it is scattered in different directions, will produce no such effect. It will be a mere waste. So it is with the purpose. When all your efforts are regulated and you apply your energies in a directional manner, a life of great accomplishments results.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be’ —Maharishi Patanjali

Look at all the great achievers in different fields. All of them had one thing in common, a purpose-driven life. Be it great Mahatma Gandhi or Mother Teresa or Abraham Lincoln or Henry Ford, the lives of great persons are inspired by such great purposes which make them achieve so much in their lifetime. These are the people who have achieved miraculous feats. These people had extraordinary purposes which made them reach unbelievable heights. Once you do that, you have access to powers which the ordinary people do not have. Go for an extraordinary purpose, include the good of people around you and you will begin to see the difference. An extraordinary purpose in life is that which has the ability to transform you from ordinary to an extraordinary person. It influences the subconscious mind, which is a great reservoir and an abundant source of energy, thereby helping you grow in life.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘Your work is to discover your work, and then with all your heart to give yourself to it’ —Buddha

Dig deep and really think about your purpose in life. It is not very easy but try and listen to your heart as the guiding light. What is that thing you can willingly give your life for? What is that which really excites you? What makes you feel good and charged up? Discover your real passion and what really drives you. What gives you pleasure and drives you to work. Keep thinking till you really find one. Once you find your purpose just pursue it with full vigour and energy, give all it takes, make use of all you have and pursue it all your life. Set goals to get to your purpose.

There are generally four categories of people—those who

1. Contemplate and act;

2. Contemplate but don’t act;

3. Don’t contemplate but act; and

4. Don’t act and don’t contemplate.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

1. The people who belong to the first category are the people who are contemplative and action-oriented; they are the leaders, for they know what they are doing. They represent the kind of people who belong to the class of pioneers, who are driven by a strong sense of purpose. They think about what they are doing and analyse it. After contemplation, they fully devote themselves to right action.

2. The second kind of people are those who are contemplative but are not action-oriented; they think about what they have to do, but they never do it. They analyse carefully; they are very good thinkers, but lack the will power to act. Contemplation without action brings failure.

3. The third kind of people are those who are so busy and action-oriented that they do not have the time to look at and think about where they are going. They are at times programmed like machines to do their daily chores of routine activities. They miss the big things in life due to the lack of vision.

4. The fourth kind of people belong to the class who are neither actionoriented nor contemplative; they suffer from inertia and lack enthusiasm. They are by nature indolent and waste their time in fruitless activities which are not beneficial to anyone.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘Purpose is the lamp which shows you the path on your journey called life.’

A large number of people are driven by deadlines and pressure; they do not bother to do anything unless pressed hard by something external, be it a threat or just pressure. But when you have a purpose, you become self-motivated, a self-starter; you don’t really need external things to push you. That is the real difference between the ordinary people and the extraordinary people. The ordinary people push hard when they are pushed hard, whereas the extraordinary people push hard without being pushed. Look at the people who are great achievers and you will see it is not the deadlines but something else that moves them.

When you are driven by a purpose you are no longer driven by deadlines; the choice is yours; a life of rich accomplishment is a life usually driven by a purpose and not by deadlines.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Inspiration

If you want to add meaning to your life, have a purpose.

If you want to add happiness to your life, love others.

If you want to add success to your life, don’t quit

If you want to add learning to your life, be open

If you want to add friends to your life, be a friend.

If you want to add strength to your life, be courageous.

If you want to add vision to your life, look beyond.

If you want to add competence to your life, be passionate.

If you want to add inspiration to your life, follow great men.

If you want to add satisfaction to your life, serve others.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

If you want to add big things to your life, think big.

If you want to add excellence to your life, strive hard.

If you want to add great things, set targets.

If you want to add wisdom to your life, have values.

If you want to add clarity to your life, have faith.

If you want to add peace to your life, be silent.

If you want to add fearlessness to your life, follow your heart.

If you want to add freedom to your life, be disciplined.

If you want to add progress to your life, keep improving.

If you want to add adventure to your life, explore like a child.

If you want to add bliss to your life, be spiritual.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘Find purpose and the means will follow’. —Mahatma Gandhi

When you have a clear underlying purpose in your life, the ways to accomplish the purpose will automatically come. The main thing is to know where you want to go; how you will go there will follow, if you are intent on going. The sad part is people worry unduly about the means, and, in waiting for it, never really start. When you do not know the purpose of something you will find it very hard to use it; if you are given an electronic gadget without being told its purpose, you will find it difficult to use it. Once you know the why, you will learn the how. Know your purpose. This world certainly has a lot to offer to the person who knows where he wants to go.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

A lesson for life

It was a cold winter morning and the teacher was late in coming to the class; when he came to the class, students were making a lot of noise, shouting on top of their voices and doing all sorts of mischief. The class became silent when the teacher entered; the teacher was calm and composed. He asked one of my friends, ‘What is the name of your father?’ My friend replied. Then he asked him to tell the name of his grandfather. My friend again gave him the answer; the next question was predictable by now. The teacher asked the name of his great grandfather. My friend got visibly annoyed and answered, but this time in an irritable tone. But the teacher was bent upon recording the family history, at least we thought so. He again asked him the name of his great great grandfather. My friend said, ‘Sir, I do not know, and I do not think it is worth knowing the answer to this question.’ The teacher replied, ‘Do something worth in your life, my dear, so that your great great grandchildren may not say the same thing about you.’ He said, ‘Make your life a treasure so that your future generations may be proud of you; don’t waste life.’ Silence prevailed in the class but the message was loud and clear; it still rings in my ears.

PURPOSE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Don’t waste your life in doing something which is not worthy; use all your resources in living a life which is a treasure and a gift not just for yourself but for generations. The great men of this world are cherished and they live among us even beyond after their mortal existence. Leave a lasting impression in this world; live so that people can remember you for your legacy with pride.

An indelible imprint

Time, it is said in the Bhagvad Gita, is the ultimate destroyer. Everything, from a cell to a living being, is destroyed by time. But time is also the ultimate creator; using it in the best possible way, we can build something that cannot be easily destroyed by time. Thus, using one’s share of time in a constructive manner is the essence of time for an individual. Most men come into this world and go, but only a very few are able to create something that stands the test of time, that which we can call eternal. Live to create something that can be cherished by all; live a life, which people can marvel at; live a life, which can make a difference; a life of honour and achievement, and then you would live a life worth or something meaningful.

Chapter 2

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

INTENSITY

One ancient story from the Mahabharata is oft-repeated wherein the teacher of archery asked his students to aim at the eye of a bird hanging on a tree. When the students gathered, one by one he asked each one of them what they saw, while aiming at the bird’s eye. Some of the students said they saw the mountains just behind the tree, where the bird was hanging; some said they saw leaves of the tree, its branches, greenery, etc. Then came Arjuna, who was the best archer amongst them. When the teacher asked him the same question, he replied that he saw the bird’s eye and nothing else. He shot the arrow and it hit the bird’s eye. The teacher applauded his effort and his answer very much. Unless you see the target, you cannot achieve it.

The extension to the story which is not so well known is, when Ashvathama, the teacher’s son, put the same question to his friend, Karna, he said, ‘I myself would become an arrow and the whole objective of my being would be to impinge the bird’s eye.’ The answer that Karna gave reflects a tremendous intensity and a great focus, absorbed in the target. This shows the intensity of purpose. When you are driven by a target in your life, you have the intensity.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Karna not only managed to impinge the target, he shot two arrows simultaneously; when the first one hit the bird’s eye, the bird tilted upon being hit by the arrow and the second arrow impinged the other eye of the bird.

When you are absorbed in the target, you have an intensity that allows you to reach it

The most important thing is to be absorbed in what you really want from life, be filled with the thought and go all out to achieve your target. Never let things distract you. That is focus. If you have a clear target, a goal in your life, then go out with full intensity. Push yourself and strive hard to achieve it. Don’t waste time by looking at the obstacles, instead focus on the target.

Look, discover and create things that others miss; look beyond the obvious

Seeing the obvious is what our eyes do; looking beyond is what we have to train our mind to do like Karna. What the story tells us is his ability to look beyond, the way in which he released two arrows simultaneously to target both the eyes instead of just one; and seeing what others cannot, and doing something really special, that is vision.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

VISION

Vision is about believing in your dreams and making them come true; it is the ability to see the invisible and then to make it visible to one and all. It is the spirit which says, let us do it; it says anything is possible; it is execution rather than fantasising; it is about doing it. It is the ability to face the difficulties and doubts with courage, it is to create something which is useful for people and helps them, it is overcoming disappointments; it is making what can be made and what is possible.

‘Where there is no vision people perish.’ —Bible

The Air India, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Indian Institute of Sciences, the Taj Group, and the Tata Memorial Hospital, etc., are some of the pioneer institutes in India. Behind these are the efforts of dynamic persons, persons who could think well ahead of their time. One of them was J.R.D. Tata. He fulfilled his dream of building a strong infrastructure for the country in his lifetime. He had a vision to set up research and technical institutes in India at a time when people had very little knowledge of technology and most of the people were sceptic about it. But now people can look back and marvel at what he accomplished. This is vision.

Apoorve Dubey

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

The Flight Of Ambition

Vision is perhaps the most important thing for achieving something in life; in all the great achievers you find that they have the quality to look beyond and see what others do not comprehend, thus creating a vision for people to move ahead. Great visionaries are people who make you believe in something that does not exist, but create it by aligning people with their vision and finally create something that is remarkable.It is the ability to see beyond the problems, it is about seeing opportunities that other people miss.

The impact of vision

Vision changes the lives of many, including yours. Look at J.R.D. Tata’s vision; he built centres of learning and excellence which are doing a great job even several years after his death; John F. Kennedy had a vision to send man to the moon; he did not live when the first man reached the moon. But it was his vision that made it possible. The legacy of great men is their vision. Their vision guides people beyond their existence; they live in the world through their vision.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

There are three kinds of people:

Those who think

1. ‘Nothing is going to change.’

2. ‘We are insignificant beings; it does not matter what we do; it is not going to make difference.’

Those who are

3. ‘Busy in changing things around for progress and development; they are who make the difference.’

It is the third category of people who are visionaries; they make a difference not just in their life but also in the lives of several others. They are the people who have the ability to see beyond the current problems.

‘The microscope with which you can see the opportunities in problems is called vision. Most people do not use it’

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘It was Walt Disney’s vision, which created a Disney Land.’

‘It was vision which inspired Milton, who was blind, to write the most beautiful poems on nature.’

‘It was vision of the Leader, called M.K. Gandhi, a thin, lean man, which shook the foundation of the British Empire and played a significant role in India’s freedom struggle.’

‘Henry Ford was a great visionary; he was the person who was instrumental behind the mass production and mass distribution of cars.’

Once Michelangelo, the famous sculptor, was asked how he made such beautiful statues from the stones. The craftsman replied that, out of the stone, just the excess material had to be removed and that was it. A really cryptic reply, but it really shows the way in which he worked. When others saw the stone, this great sculptor saw the statue and not the stone. He just needed to remove the excess material, which shows the visualising power of the maestro that made it easy for him to carve out masterpieces.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

You will get what you see; if you see opportunities, you will have them; if you see problems, you will have them

The difference lies in the vision; he had the power, the vision, to see beyond the stone. He pretty much knew and visualised what he wanted, and that is what ordinary people miss. You will find what you are looking for. Same stone, different views and thus different results. That is what made Michelangelo a great sculptor: the ability to visualise and move ahead.

Great visionaries are the people who

Take the roads less travelled.

Explore something completely new.

Cultivate positive approach.

Undaunted by what others say, they believe in themselves.

Clarity of understanding.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Have a sense of purpose.

Vision to help others.

Amazing curiosity with which they do things.

Trust their intuition.

Think big and ahead.

Possibility thinkers expand and explore all possibilities.

Look ahead into the future.

Exhibit extraordinary persistence.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Executing your vision:

There is a huge difference between having a vision and accomplishing one; a lot of us have a vision but fall short of achieving it. What holds us back? What stops us? More often than not, it is the inability to work out finer details of the task in hand. Looking into the future and having a vision does not mean that the minute details be missed, rather it should make us focus harder on working out all the details and be adept at it. Never overlook the immediate task before you in order to achieve the vision you have. Having a vision means you have an eye on the future but your hands are on the work.

‘Every dream can be turned into reality, provided you believe in it.’

Dream is something that you see but others don’t, that is why it is a dream. People may label it as impracticable, unrealistic or impossible. But if you have a dream, pursue it; don’t let anyone stop you from achieving your dream. Dream big and believe in your dreams. Follow your dreams, no matter what the situation is. Be prepared to give all it demands from you to realise them; in the process of realising your dreams there will arise occasions when you will feel downcast, discouraged and tired; but if you stop, you will never be happy. So keep moving forward even when you feel like stopping. Unless fire melts iron, steel cannot be forged; stick to the dream when it is difficult, because that is the real test of your commitment towards your dream.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Live your dream

The most exciting journey is when you are headed in the direction of your dream. Only you can live your dream, no one else but you. Believe me the thrill of making a dream come true is great, but very few people experience it, because most of the people don’t dream; if they do, they do not pursue their dreams and stop in the middle in the face of difficulties. Rare are those who become more intent on achieving their dreams in the face of difficulties; they become more dedicated to their dreams when the going gets tough. They are the people who are powered by the dreams and they try to achieve extraordinary feats. Rise above the current problems and pursue your dreams.

You may not get a second opportunity to do it; you never get a second chance to live your life. Make the most of what you have and live your dreams. Most people regret not doing what they wanted to do in life; they regret not pursuing their dreams. Don’t let life pass just like that, awake and realise your dreams. Work hard and do something that you cherish the most.

Don’t let logic come in the way of your dreams; have a dream and then use logic to achieve it. The limitations of logic can be overcome by dreams.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Believe in yourself

‘Believe in yourself and your dream.
Though impossible things may seem,
someday, somehow, you’ll get through
to the goal you have in view.
Mountains fall and seas divide
before the one who in his stride
takes a hard road day by day,
sweeping obstacles away.
Believe in yourself and in your plan,
Say not ‘I cannot’, but ‘I can’.
The prizes of life we fail to win
because we doubt the power within.’
—Author Unknown

‘Dream is the fuel which ignites the mind. The ignited mind transcends into a state where all shackles of limitation are broken and thus anything can be achieved.’

So what holds us back from achieving our dreams?

Here are some of the things which one can often identify as the created obstacles in the path of dreams.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Tend to get carried away by what others say.

Difficult to break free from a set pattern.

Not willing to go the extra mile for achieving the dream.

Dreams come from the heart, not always from the head. People don’t trust the heart nearly as much as the head.

Risk, I am not ready for it.

Self-imposed limitations that limit us in going for our dreams

‘Build a dream and the dream builds you.’—Robert Schuller

Dream about your dreams; see yourself accomplishing them. Take some time regularly to think about your dreams, visualise them as coming true. It relaxes the brain and also triggers action in the direction of your dreams.

Always remember

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Nobody can rob your dream, unless you allow him to do so.

Never underestimate the power of a dream.

The effort required to follow a dream is a major hurdle. A lot of people are not willing to put in the effort; you have to give something extra to achieve something extra.

If you believe in yourself, you will believe in your dreams.

Resist the resisting forces along the way of your dreams.

Self-imposed limitations that limit us in going for our dreams.

‘When conviction conquers doubt that is when dreams come true.’

Once upon a time there lived a young boy. His family was very poor, so he could not get even primary education. He had to work even in his childhood to meet the daily expenses on food, etc. He had to earn his living at a young age by delivering newspapers in the streets of London. He saw several days of intense struggle and penury. When he was thirteen years old, a book binder employed him.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Here in the bookbinding business, this young boy had access to a variety of books and research papers. He read as much as he could. He always managed to find some time from his work and learned whenever he could be it day or night. Slowly he developed interest in science and started attending lectures on scientific subjects. Soon he left the bookbinder’s shop and started concentrating on learning science and ultimately became a renowned scientist; he was none other than the great physicist, Michael Faraday.

Michael Faraday was a man who was passionate and believed in his dreams; he made them come true by working with sheer determination and resilience. He was a man of firm resolve and fought all situations and overcame them, fulfilling his dreams. That is what made the man a great scientist.

‘If you lose yourself in quest of something, you invariably get it.’

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

If you want something desperately, which is noble, which you truly believe in, for which you can lose everything if you want it really badly, you will surely find a way to get it. Just give your best. When you work hard and are constantly driven in pursuit of something, if it engages your faculties and industry, then you channelise your energies to achieve it. Pursue your dreams and strive to do your very best and you will find that this sort of single-minded determination is what will get you your dreams. Never let your dreams die; fill you life with dreams and act with all your might to have a life of fulfilment. Immerse yourself in what you want from life and you will get it in your life.

To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow,
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong,
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star.
Lyrics from The Impossible Dream (The Quest)

‘A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline’—Harvey Mackay

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Dreams are powered by goals. Goals provide the necessary plan of action and also the direction for the dreams to be manifested. Goals are the platform for realising your dreams. What differentiates a dream from a fantasy is a clearly laid out action plan. A dream is an aspiration, whereas a fantasy is merely an illusion.

Why are goals important?

The goal setting theory, developed by Edwin A. Locke and Gary Latham, remains one of the most widely acclaimed and practised theories in the field of management. Here is what some of the researchers have found about goals.

People achieve more when they set difficult (challenging, even impossible) and specific (clear) goals in their lives.

Increase your motivation to achieve the most out of life.

Goals provide feedback and also make people committed.

Goals regulate action by affecting what for, how hard and how long people work for them.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Increase your desire to excel.

Improve your self-confidence.

Plan to eliminate attitudes that hold you back and cause unhappiness.

Propel you into action.

How to write the goals

Goals should be written statements made in the positive. The discipline of writing things down shows that you are making an effort and are serious about your goals. The simplest things are often most difficult to accomplish.

The Yale University conducted a survey on the outgoing students of the 1953 batch; it was found that only 3 per cent of the students had written their goals and again in a survey in 1973 when the same batch was surveyed, it was found that the 3 per cent of the students who had written their goals had done much better in their lives than the rest of the students.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Written goals have magic; they really energise you and provide you a great motivation to move ahead. Very few persons set goals, even fewer set written goals, Research has shown that written goals are useful for achieving them. Written goals do make a difference. They help you focus on the targets and achieve the goals. Set your goals in such a manner that you can address the following.

What you need to do in order to accomplish your goal?

How do you need to get to your goals?

When you need to do it?

The mind of an individual is best concentrated by goals. The best way to focus your mind on your goals is to have goals. Psychologists have often laid emphasis on the ability of the mind to seek goals, which is known as the “Goal seeking mechanism”. Charge your mind with goals. Whenever you do anything, break your task into small goals and make your mind focus on them.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Set SMARTEST goals

S – Be specific about your goals; be clear about what you want. Write it specifically; don’t write vague goals.

M – Goals should be measurable. You should set goals which can be quantified, so that you can ask yourself questions like how much, how many, etc.

A – Set yourself goals which are attainable. Have goals which are difficult to achieve but are attainable; don’t set unrealistic goals. Take all things into account

R – Write them down; have written goals. They have the capability to influence your mind and channelise it in the direction of your goals. Set goals which are relevant to your purpose in life. Have goals which take you closer to your purpose.

T – Set time bound goals; this is very crucial; write down goals which can be achieved within a fixed time frame, so that you can clearly monitor your progress.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

E – Have goals to enthuse you that get you going; don’t set too easy goals. Goals that really make you keen and interest you and pursuing which you feel excited and enjoy the process of seeking the goals.

S – Step out of your comfort zone.Comfort zone is most uncomfortable for those who dream. Set such goals as may push you and make you get out of your comfort zone. Push yourself hard, push the limits.

T – Set goals which transform you over a period of time and take you to the next level. Set goals which improve you professionally as well as personally. Seek professional growth as well as self-growth. Try to be and become a better human being.

Be flexible with your goals; have other options; have alternative ways of getting to the same goals. Try out other options also if something does not work.

‘If you start missing your target it means that you are on the right path, because most people have no target to aim at’.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

It is not such a bad thing if you miss the target, but it is bad when you have none. Most people do not have a target or an aim. But when you have a target it means you are on the right track. More often than not, people do not set goals, but once you miss your goals you get the feedback and you can make amends. Goals should provide you the plan of action for your life.

‘Goals are the means to achieve your purpose in life.’

In archery, before the archer releases the arrow, he takes the aim to hit the target and then the arrow is released. Without having the target, the whole exercise would be futile. Similarly, without targets life would be aimless. Thus in order to guide yourself along the purpose of your life have goals or targets, the targets, which act as the catalyst in making you fulfil the purpose of your life and also provide you the right motivation. Actions rather than wishes or words will take you closer to your goals.

‘The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day, convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams.’ —Og Mandino

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

1. Spare a few minutes and list some long-term goals for yourself that you want to achieve on a piece of paper. List goals that will take 5 years and more to be achieved. They are your long-term goals.

2. Next, list your medium-term goals. List the goals that you want to accomplish in the next 3 years. List your goals for the next 2 to 3 years.

3. List your goals which are for a short term, say, what you would achieve by the end of this week, month, etc. Plan carefully the schedule, Keep a daily list of short-term goals that you would want to accomplish in a day. List your goals that you want to achieve within a year.

‘If your short-term goals do not take you towards your longterm goals, then you might never reach your long-term goals.’

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Plan your activities well so that you can reach your ultimate target or achieve the long-term goals that you have set for yourself. Look at the great people like Rabindranath Tagore and Bill Gates; they followed their passion and dream. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard without even completing graduation and became the richest person in the world. Rabindranath Tagore, the first person from Asia to get a Nobel Prize, set up a school called Viswabharati at Santiniketan, as he did not much like the way in which education was imparted. People who act with passion in the direction of their dreams are the ones who realise them. Always act and chase your dreams; every step counts; it takes you closer to your goal. It is important to do such things, as will take you closer to your goals rather than away from them

Listed below are the areas to help you in planning your goals.

Self-development: Goals that cater to your overall character development and personal growth.

Physical: Goals relating to physical exercise, appearance, diet and overall well-being.

Recreation: Goals relating to relaxation, hobbies, vacations, and fun activities.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Family: Goals relating to your parents, siblings, and relatives.

Friends: Goals, such as expanding your circle of friends and enriching your relationships.

Social: Goals involving a commitment to serving others through your time, talents, heart, and possessions.

Career: Goals relating to school grades, skill development, and future ambitions relating to professional growth.

Financial: Goals relating to earnings, savings, and understanding the value and purpose of money.

Household: Goals relating to household chores and your contribution to a happy life.

Spiritual: Goals relating to spirit, pursuit and getting one with the innate spirit.

‘The biggest risk in life is not to live your dreams; without dreams you are more dead than alive.’

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

An engineer named John Roebling was inspired to build a bridge connecting New York with the long island. However, the experts felt that it was impossible to do it. John Roebling was told that his idea was not practicable. But Roebling remained undaunted; he was not the one to surrender. He had visualised the dream of making the bridge and he believed he would be able to make it. He managed to motivate his son, Washington, to join him in making this project a success. Washington was an upcoming young engineer. The task before Roebling and his son was full of perilous difficulties. They were working on a project which had been labelled as impossible by many experts. But with great excitement and expectations they started their project with their private crew. The construction of their dream had begun.

Just a few months after the construction began, an accident occurred. John’s feet were badly injured by a ferry when it crashed into a wharf; his toes were amputated, and within weeks he died of tetanus. His son, Washington, was hit by the Caisson disease, due to working in compressed air in Caisson in 1872. Washington’s illness halted the project. He was not able to walk or talk; all his movements were restricted.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The world never cares for a failure. There is no price for a defeat. People said, ‘It was not possible.’ Everyone thought that the dream would die with the death of Roebling and the disability of Washington. But Washington had other ideas; he developed a communication code with his wife and started giving instructions to the workers. He did not visit the site again but gave instructions with the help of Emily, his wife, who played a significant role and the process continued for several years and, after immense struggle and sacrifice, it was Roebling’s dream which had won; yes, the bridge was constructed almost miraculously—the famous bridge, known as the Brooklyn Bridge. Emily was the first person to cross the bridge after it was opened. It is among the most cherished structures not just because of its beauty but also because of the spirit with which it came into existence.

The dream of Roebling still stands tall as the Brooklyn Bridge; it lives and inspires men to dream. It silently fills people with awe and makes them realise that behind every great creation is a great dreamer. Every masterpiece tells you a story about a dreamer; it tells you the story of painstaking effort and also tells you a story of glorious accomplishment. World would have been a monotonous and stagnating place without the people who dream. The conviction in your dream gives you the power to make it happen.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘More than extraordinary results, it is the extraordinary effort that makes the difference.’

To realise your dreams, it is the extraordinary effort that really makes the difference; toil hard and work as hard as you can. It is only with an extraordinary effort that you can create a difference; sooner rather than later it will make a difference. You cannot expect results with halfhearted efforts; either you have to make full effort or you should back out. Every great accomplishment, everything that is grand and noble, has a story of an extraordinary effort behind it.

Help others realise their dreams
It is a well-known fact that a candle loses none of its light by lighting another candle. Great joy will accompany you, when you begin to help others. You will feel positive vibes, and energy within you. Just try and do it, help others in what they want, help them to get to their dreams. It works like magic; you will also get benefited in the process. Make them fulfil their dreams and some power in the universe will fulfil yours. You can contribute by helping people with effort, energy, money, time and even by patient listening. Rise above yourself, rise above the self-imposed I-me-myself approach, because this is your best opportunity to embrace people. In the Bible (Ephesians 6.8, it is said ‘that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.’ Thus, when you assist people around you it helps you on many fronts.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

You automatically rise above yourself.

You develop a positive self-image.

You are energised.

You feel happy.

You become a better and a more responsible human being.

You are trusted more.

You get confidence to pursue your own dreams.

‘Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is achieved … Arise, awake! Awake from the hypnotism of weakness. None is really weak.’ —Swami Vivekananda

Awake to see the limitless opportunities that lie in your grasp,

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Awake from the ignorance of ego and see that you are the part of the whole.

Awake from the shackles of mediocrity and go for what you truly love; don’t hold yourself back.

Awake from the sleep of cowardice and be brave; do not give in to sluggishness.

Awake from the bondages of pleasures and rejoice every moment of life.

Awake with self belief in yourself and don’t give in to limitations.

Awake to make a significant contribution and say that you count, and be a gift to the world.

Awake to realise your dreams and change your world.

Awake with inspiration and conquer your doubts.

DREAMS, GOALS AND VISION

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Awake, it is never too late, today will never come again, don’t let it go without making it count.

Go for your goals, don’t underestimate yourself. Do not underestimate the power that lies within you. Everybody has the potential to achieve the impossible, everybody is created for a mission, never forget that. Always remember that it is not money, not education, not your background, but courage and belief in your dreams that make your dreams come true.

Chapter 3

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

LEADERSHIP

‘Whatsoever a great man does, the other men also do; whatever he sets up as the standard, that the world follows’ —3.21. Bhagvad Gita

Leaders make the impossible possible. They set the benchmark for rest of the people to look up to and follow.They are the people who are committed to excellence in all spheres of life. They redefine the limits of achievements; they cherish the challenges and like to be tested than to be rested. Leaders see things differently. They see things at a distance which are difficult and seem impossible, they make them possible. They are busy, pushing the people up the ladder of achievement, with themselves behind. They are the people who work for a bigger cause rather than only for themselves. They have the ability to thrive under pressure and uncertainty. They have the ability to transform the lives of people. They have the ability to make an impact by their sheer presence. They work with conviction and self-confidence when the going is tough. They inspire others. Leaders are beyond name, fame and glory, absorbed in their cause and mission. They are the people who make a difference. They are the leaders.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Spirit of work

Among the Navratnas (nine jewels) of Akbar’s court was one of the most talented musicians, called Tansen. He had great prowess as a singer; when he used to sing people became spellbound, his singing touched the soul of one and all; it is often said about him that he could even light lamps by the power of his singing.

Akbar was very fond of his singing. Once when Tansen finished his mesmerising and soulful, singing, Akbar called him and told him that he was simply the best and there was nobody who could be better than he. To this Tansen replied, ‘You should listen to my guru, Haridas.’ Akbar agreed and asked Tansen to bring him to his court, but Tansen told him that his guru did not go anywhere. Hence Akbar decided to meet him personally at the place where Haridas resided. When the king went near the temple, where Haridas used to reside, he heard him singing. Akbar was stunned and awed to hear Haridas singing. When he met Haridas he said to him, ‘I thought that nobody could sing better than Tansen, but when I heard you singing, I thought it was something out of the world. Tell me, what is the difference between you and Tansen? Haridas gazed at Akbar for a few seconds in silence and then replied, ‘Tansen sings for you, I sing for the Lord.’

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Leaders work for a higher cause

Leadership is not about going through the motions or for making a living; it is something beyond these; it is about working for a higher cause, for a larger good. It is catering to your highest needs and working as if work is worship.

'The spirit with which you work is more important than the tools with which you work.'

The way you do your duty is very important; some may do it just as a burden, others as their duty, but the blessed is the one who does it as service. Service to Lord makes it even more special, for whatever He does has an element of magic in it. Do your duty for a purpose, for a cause. Let it be your motivation and you will move the world. Never settle for anything less than the best that you can offer, and that is the secret of great success.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

According to Abraham Maslow, a great psychologist, the human needs are divided into five categories. The lowest needs in such a hierarchy are Biological, such as hunger, thirst and sex. Next are the Safety needs that include security, stability and order. Then come Belongingness, such as affiliation, affection, and identification. Thereafter Self-esteem needs follow which include prestige, success, and self-respect. Finally at the top in the hierarchy comes the need for Self-actualisation that refers to a person’s need to develop his full potentialities in whatever field he works.

Leaders align people for a cause; they work for more than just the occupation. Leadership is beyond survival, beyond the routine hours of work. It is to work for something which gives meaning and direction to the lives of people. A great leader is the one who caters to the needs of the people and takes them to the level of self-actualisation. He takes them to the highest level of excellence and fulfilment. He believes what a man can be, he should be. He who does this is a true leader.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Making a successful leader

Successful leaders are the ones who act as the driving force for individuals as well as for organisations. They act as a beacon light and make others tick. A lot of research has gone into the making of a successful leader.

‘Leadership is not about where you are, it is about what you can do’

To lead people you must be willing to lead the way. You must realise that it is not the position that matters but it is your ability and your work that eventually count. You must be able to lead by setting example. That is the meaning of a leader; you cannot ride on the shoulders of others and lead. A leader has an unflinching commitment which serves as a performance bar for others. A leader always sets the bar quite high and the rest of the people follow suit.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The greatest companies and the best leaders are those who take chances. Many leaders fail because they adopt a safe approach and thus they do not give space to creativity and learning in trying to play safe. They lack trust in the people. They want to take credit for the achievements and blame people for failures. They want to hog the limelight.They are egoistic and misuse their positions; they are the people who particularly favour those who are flatterers. They do not recognise the skills of their people and have a biased attitude when it comes to dealing with people; they provide opportunities based on their own perceptions rather than on the basis of the ability of individuals. They fail as leaders because they fail to inspire people; they are not able to develop the talents and use the skills of men whom they lead. Here are the most common reasons for the failure in leadership.

Same approach with everybody.

Lack of compassion.

Flattery.

Avoiding responsibility.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Want to hog the limelight.

Communication gap.

Ego-centric.

Manipulative approach.

Unable to recognise people.

‘Great leaders are known not by what they do for themselves but by the things they do to others’

The great leaders leave their impress on the people with whom they associate; some people have something magnetic about them; they create a spell on the people. They are the leaders, they are the people who wish good of others and help others. They are the people who believe in speaking the truth rather than speaking pleasing things. They make people strong by motivating them to achieve excellence.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The making of a leader

When the journey is rough it is a time to show that you are tough. The test of leadership takes place when the going is tough. It is often difficult situations that produce great leaders. History tells us that the greatest leaders that the mankind has seen have emerged from adverse situations, be it great leaders like Gandhi, who fought against the British and also against the racial discrimination in South Africa, or Martin Luther King,who had to encounter slavery, or Mother Teresa, who worked for the poor in difficult situations, or even great corporate leaders like Jack Welch, who came forward when his company was suffering losses.

Problems are an opportunity for the leader. When others are busy complaining about the problems and being victims to them, a leader is the one who is busy looking for their solutions and fixing them.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

A leader

Finds delight in distress.

Pushes the limits in victory.

Finds lessons in pain.

Strives for excellence in exertion.

Maintains order in chaos.

Remains humble in success.

Displays dignity in defeat.

Rises every time he falls.

Persists in failures.

Retains calmness in confusion.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Lead by example

A gentleman named William Story, the renowned sculptor, was once asked to make a speech when the statue of George Peabody was unveiled in London. He went to the stage and pointing a finger forwards the statue said, ‘That is my speech.’ Let your work speak. What you do is much more important than what you say. Let your work inspire others, and when you do that you are a real leader. What you say makes no difference unless you yourself do it. Leading from the front is an art which makes a leader. If you want to lead from the front let your work do the talking.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

A famous athlete went to his coach and told him that he had reached a point of stagnation and was not able to improve on his timing any further in the 100m sprint. The coach gave him a pep talk, but in vain. Finally the coach asked him to wait for two days, and on the third day, when the training was about to start, the coach gave him a new pair of shoes and assured the athlete that he had ordered the best shoes for him,which would surely improve on his timing; he told him that it was because of the shoes which he had been wearing that he was not able to improve on his running speed. The athlete began with renewed vigour and finished up getting his best timing for the season. He hugged the coach and thanked him for the special shoes. The coach looked at the athlete and just smiled. He said, ‘It was not the shoes but your effort that did it, as the shoes were the same which you were wearing before, but just your attitude changed and thus you managed to get your best timing. You can achieve anything, just keep trying.’

Leaders brings out the best in people heven when they are down

Mental block is the biggest obstacle that keeps people down; it keeps them away from achieving big things. Leader, like the coach in the story, manages to get the best out of individuals by helping them come out of their mental blocks and give their best even when they are down. He works with the people and reinforces the winning belief in them.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Leaders help people realise their own potential

Leadership is about increasing the self-confidence in people and taking them to where they really belong. Leaders make people realise their potential and make them do things which they themselves never thought of.

‘To be able to lead others, a man must be willing to go forward alone’—Harry Truman

The initial step is the most difficult one. Leadership is about taking the initial step in the right direction. It requires a lot of self-belief, conviction in your ability and courage to start. A leader must be willing to go forward alone; he must not hold himself back in any situation. That is the beginning of leadership. To be able to lead and guide others you must move confidently in the direction of your dreams, your vision. To be able to lead people you must know who you are; what you want and where you need to start. You must have convincing answers to all these and that is where leadership starts.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Responsibility

An executive was once asked, what was his formula for success. He replied, ‘It’s very simple, Just ten simple two-letter words: If it is to be, it is up to me.’

The strength of the shoulders is determined by the responsibility they can bear. Great leaders are those who can bear the responsibility of an ever-increasing circle of people. Their ability to take responsibility keeps growing. Leaders always work harder and are more determined than anyone else. They set the tone by taking the responsibility; they are ready to bear the pains and put in the best effort by accepting responsibility.

Leadership is about backing people during tough times. A person who is successful and doing well requires very little support, but the hallmark of real leadership lies in supporting the people even when they are not doing well, because that is the time when support is required the most. A successful leader creates an environment in which effort and learning are rewarded; he understands that failure is part of the process. He backs people when they are struggling and are down; he makes them rise by providing them all the encouragement and support they need. That is leadership.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Commitment to core

In his autobiography, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, narrates an incident of a remarkable act of courage and leadership. In 1979, when the Indian scientists were working on creating the SLV-3 satellite launch vehicle, a 6-member team working on launching SLV-3 mission was preparing for the simulated tests and evaluation of the second phase in the launching of the satellite. They were all waiting to see the response with anxiety but found that a technical problem had arisen. There was some problem in one of the valves. To rectify it the team members went to the test site. And all of a sudden a burst occurred; the oxidiser tank filled with red fuming acid had blasted, and hot and fuming acid was spread all over the members, causing severe acid burns and lots of pain to the team members. The scenes were nasty, the agonising suffering was evident. A disaster had struck the mission. Abdul Kalam and one of his associates rushed to the hospital and pleaded to get 6 beds in the hospital.

Siva Rama Krishnan Nair was among the six persons injured. The acid had spilled on his body at several places. He was in a state of severe trauma with burns and was unconscious. Around 3 a.m. in the morning he regained consciousness.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Just when he regained consciousness, he saw alongside his bed Abdul Kalam; you would expect someone in this condition to express pity over his own condition but the first thing Nair did was to give an assurance to Abdul Kalam that he would make up for the slippage in schedules caused by the accident. Abdul Kalam was deeply moved and greatly impressed by his intensity and drive for the mission.

What a spirited attitude, what sincerity, dedication and optimism! They are the leaders, the people who show great drive and commitment in achieving their targets; they are the people who show total commitment. They are the men who inspire others around them and bring out the best in everyone. They are the leaders.

Clarity of mind

‘A leader is a follower, follower of his own heart’

With the clarity of mind, your vision begins to expand. Your decisions are made easily if you have clarity of thinking. If the mind is not clear, it is like seeing in the muddy water; you cannot see things at the bottom. With purity of conduct and practice comes clarity, and then vision becomes clear. The best advice comes from the depth of the heart, as it knows what you want in life.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Never underestimate people

When a silkworm makes cocoon, it spins more than 800 yards of silk in one unbroken length. Even though a silkworm is tiny, yet, amazingly, it spins such a huge length of silk. Similarly, no matter however insignificant one may seem, never forget that everybody is potentially capable of achieving anything and everything, provided he has the right motivation, skills and time. Never underestimate the human potential, for it is always capable of producing extraordinary things; great leaders never underestimate anybody; they make people believe in themselves. They repose faith in people and help them fight against all odds.

The Facets of Leadership

Research by Daniel Goleman of Harvard University has confirmed that it is EI, Emotional Intelligence, which plays a major role in making a leader successful. He coined the term EI. Basically it means to know yourself, knowing your real personality and also to control emotions, how to deal with various situations in life, etc.

There are basically 5 aspects to it, namely

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Self-awareness

‘The first step of being a leader is not to command others but to have command on yourself ’

Self-awareness is imperative for the growth of a person. It basically helps to know one’s strength and weaknesses. By being aware of one’s weaknesses, one can always strive to remove his weaknesses and build up his strength. Thus by knowing yourself, self-growth becomes easy. You know the direction in which you have to move in order to grow. A leader has a high degree of self-awareness.

Self-regulation

Self-regulation is a subjective term; the greatest leaders the world has seen have had shown great levels of self-regulation. Be it people like Newton and Gandhi or even business tycoons like Bill Gates, Henry Ford, etc. It is about control of your speech, actions, emotions, feelings, and control of your routine. It is the ability to channelise your energy for a cause or a purpose instead of just letting it go waste in useless activities; self-regulation makes one reach the pinnacle of success.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Empathy

It is about respecting the feelings of others. It is all about being connected to people. The leader is someone who is grieved more by the agony suffered by his team and is willing to work to mitigate the same. A great leader first puts himself in the shoes of the members his team, understands their concerns and circumstances and then comes up with solutions.

Motivation

A leader has to be self-motivated; leadership is not a 9 to 5 job. A leader has something greater to observe than just the routine hours of work. When you work for a cause, as the great leaders do, you are respected as a leader. That is what motivates people. It is not about what you get, it is about what you have to offer. A leader is the person who can move people with sheer passion. He is the person who is guided by strong sets of core beliefs and values; often a leader makes a remarkable impact on the productivity of people and also of an organisation.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Social Skills

It is the ability to get along with people. It includes various facets, like communication skills and building rapport with others. All the great leaders of the world have been excellent orators; knowing and believing is one thing and ensuring that you convey the same message and enthusiasm is another. Great leaders not only communicate well, but also network well.

Abraham Lincoln was great at communicating with people; he always used to entertain people by narrating interesting anecdotes and jokes. He used to identity himself with people quite easily to the extent that people shared their feelings with him. One important aspect of being a leader is the fact that you have to let go your ego. An egoist is seldom liked and he does not easily identify himself with people.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Attributes of a leader

All leaders have personal charisma, they have their own style, yet there is a lot of similarity in the attributes of great leaders. They are the people who make a significant contribution in the lives of people they meet, they guide them and take them to where they belong and at times without their knowledge. Leadership is about giving more than a hundred percent, it is about taking the responsibility without expecting a reward for it, it is about having interest in what you do and also inspiring others to do the same.

A leader communicates his vision.

A leader connects himself with people.

A leader lives his dreams.

A leader spreads his passion.

A leader cherishes his commitments.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

A leader shares his wisdom.

A leader inspires growth.

Leadership Attributes

Decision-making and personal competence.

Ability to recognise a problem.

Optimism, especially when things are not going well.

Receptive and a good listener.

Clear objectives.

Pleasing personality.

Compassionate.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Responsibility.

Builds people.

Ability to follow through and execute.

Stimulates creativity.

Definite plans.

Open to feedback for improvement.

Coordination.

Willing to go the extra mile.

Brings out the best in people.

Always enthusiastic about other people’s success.

Goes out of the way to help people.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Keeps promises.

Makes others feel special.

Publicly praises and privately criticises.

Communication.

Inspires change.

Ability to follow his convictions, his heart and principles.

Translates vision into action.

Ready to face the blame when things go wrong and praises the team for success.

Always strives to make the impossible possible.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Impact of leadership

A great leader is the one who

Teaches him who does not know.

inspires him who knows but does not apply his knowledge.

Praises him who knows and applies his knowledge.

History is full of leaders who have transformed the world. Look at the people who have reigned and ultimately it is the impact that they have made on people, on companies and on nations that really stands out and makes them great. The leaders create a climate for people to grow in. They build the inner drive in people to succeed, they make people come out of their shells and aim at something big. They create an environment in which people grow and transform themselves; they help them to change. Inevitably the mark of a great leader is to inspire change. People begin to follow him and tend to change for the better in his presence, almost subconsciously. No one likes anybody’s intrusion into his personal life and habits; most people defend themselves even when they know that they are doing wrong. But a leader is the one who does it effortlessly, thereby inspiring changes. This cannot be achieved by forced leadership, but by leadership by consent.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

A great leader is he who can

Inspire.

Transform.

Direct.

Trust.

Empower.

Enhance and bring out creativity.

Provide support.

Encourage innovation.

Motivate for doing big things.

Make effective changes.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Ability to manage people

When Sir Humphry Davy, a great scientist, was asked about his greatest discovery, he replied, ‘Michael Faraday’. Leaders value people more than anything else, they know and realise that there is no substitute for human talent. Great leaders create new leaders, they recognise people, lead people, and build people. They are true leaders.

Andrew Carnegie said, ‘Take away my people, but leave my factory, and soon grass will grow on the factory floors. Take away my factory, but leave my people, and soon we will have a new and better factory.’

Carnegie was a great leader; he was once asked the reason for his fat salary; he was one of the highest paid individuals of his time in America; he answered that it was for his ability to manage people. Great leaders recognise the value of men; they realise that the most important asset is the human being. They are able to lead people. They just do not build factories but also build men, men of courage and vision, and move along with them in the direction of growth and prosperity.

LEADERSHIP

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain, If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees, If you want hundred years of prosperity, grow people.’ —A Chinese proverb

Awaken the leader within you; each and every person is a leader but not everybody is willing to take the responsibility. You can be a leader; leader is not just the person who leads but leader is also the person who is driven by values and is in pursuit of a personal mission in life. Be a leader in your life.

Chapter 4

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

LEARNING FROM NATURE

A Chinese bamboo tree, if watered regularly takes 5 years before yielding any seedling or sprout. It barely grows in the first 5 years, one has to wait and nourish it properly. But when it starts growing, it grows to a height of 90 feet in the next 6 weeks. The cause of this growth is the elaborate root that enables it to grow really fast; the root is developed during the five years when seemingly there is no growth. Some people think that the effort put in watering it is useless, as they are not able to see much progress in the first five years, but they are not aware of what is happening inside. The effort which is put in watering it is not wasted; in fact it enables growth by building a strong foundation.

Similarly in life, when you find that you are not able to see the results despite your efforts, remember that it may take some time but eventually you will see the progress. By making persistent efforts you ensure a strong foundation for your success. Success which comes without a solid foundation is temporary. You will be suitably rewarded on the basis of your actions. Don’t get disheartened, no effort is ever wasted, it will bear fruit at the right time. Continue making effort; an honest effort never ends in failure.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Karma

Karma is the sum total of our acts. It includes breathing, thinking, talking, hearing and everything that one does. Everything that you do constitutes your karma. When you do something noble, you acquire credit for that. As you act, so you are rewarded; nothing happens in a disorderly manner in this universe; there is a law governing our actions. Even Newton’s third law of motion says that every action has equal and opposite reactions.

The law of karma that whatever action you perform, be it in thought, word or deed, you will be rewarded or punished according to your actions. You are completely responsible for your actions and their consequences. If you do good deeds, you will get good results. If you do bad things you will get bad results. You may not get the results immediately but sooner or later you will be given the just fruit for your actions.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

So if you do good deeds, you will get good return. If you do sinful activities, you will incur suffering and misery. It may not happen immediately or right away but it is like a bank, when you are doing good deeds,it is like depositing money in the bank, which you will get back. But if you are doing bad and sinful activities, it is like taking a loan, it is like incurring a debt, which you need to pay back.

There is a story about the Scottish scientist, Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin. He was once asked the reason for his success, and in his answer he attributed his success to his patience. He further said that he had developed patience as he had to walk 6 kms to go to school. This just shows that you never know when and in which way your efforts will be rewarded but surely every effort is rewarded sooner or later and this is what the law of karma says. Sometimes we do not know what is best for us and whine at small things, Alexander Fleming would not have known the importance of walking to the school when he was a young boy but eventually the role it played in his life was significant. Similarly, every effort that you put in will be suitably rewarded.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Be thankful to nature

I owe a lot to trees, for they teach me to stand for others unconditionally.

I owe a lot to nature, for it teaches me to work effortlessly and harmoniously.

I owe a lot to the sky, for it teaches me that there is no limit to achievements.

I owe a lot to ocean for it teaches me to remain silent amidst disturbances.

I owe a lot to the grass, for it teaches me to grow in silence.

I owe a lot to the river, for it teaches me to flow, otherwise life would be stagnant.

I owe a lot to the earth, for it teaches me to remain grounded under all circumstances.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

I owe a lot to the seasons, for they teach me the value of change.

I owe a lot to the sun, for it teaches me to dispel darkness and brighten others.

I owe a lot to the stars, for they teach me the value of discipline.

I owe a lot to the lotus, for it teaches me to grow irrespective of its environment.

I owe a lot to the time, for it teaches me that my existence is transient.

I owe a lot to the mountains, for they teach me the value of resoluteness.

I owe a lot to the day and night, for they teach me the value of regularity.

I owe a lot to the sunflower, for it teaches me to look at the bright things in life.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Cultivate the habit of being thankful for life; many a time we miss so many small things which make life beautiful; we miss them because we are looking for something else and in doing so we miss what is. Appreciate what is and be thankful for it. So many great things in nature lie unexplored just like the vast potential in a human being. Learn to explore and exploit that which is available to you and be grateful for it. A rich life is a life lived with a grateful attitude. Gratitude shows the way you look at things. Gratitude decides your altitude. When you are grateful it shows that you have found something good and are thankful for it; it shows that you look at what is rather than fret and fume over what is not.

Learning success secrets from nature

‘All actions are perfected by qualities of nature.’ —Lord Krishna

If you are open and want to learn, there are sources of inspiration everywhere. The first thing is to be open-minded, then observe carefully and finally practise. Practise what you learn until it becomes a habit.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Look around and you will find a lot of things which can inspire you. Dattatreya, an incarnation of God according to the Hindu mythology, is supposed to have 24 gurus, Dattatreya, who was himself almighty and all, knowledgeable, depicts the value of learning by seeking to learn and practise every moment. His gurus or teachers include flowers, pythons, bees, elephants, fish, moths, air, water, earth, etc. He had as many as twenty four gurus, which shows that lessons are available everywhere, one just needs to have an attitude to learn. Look around and you will find inspiration from many sources which will play the role of catalysts in your life.

Dattatreya also teaches the value of humility; even though he was all powerful and learned, his keenness to learn is a lesson for all mortals.

Nature always teaches us; it is always giving us hints and lessons. It has inspired the likes of Milton to compose the best poems, and inspired Newton to discover gravitation. Nature always works harmoniously; it looks effortless; but if you study carefully you will notice that the most complicated and difficult processes are going on synchronously; that is what makes it look effortless. Similarly, a man who does his work in a synchronised manner and in harmony with his aptitude achieves success.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Great minds learn from all sources. Look at Walt Disney who saw a mouse and got inspiration to create Mickey Mouse. So many answers present in nature are waiting to be explored, so many truths are there to be unveiled, so many treasures are there to be traed; nature has all of them. Look at the pattern in which the petals appear on a flower; that is exactly equal to the well-celebrated Fibonacci number in mathematics. Wilbur Wright noticed that the soaring birds twist their wings to restore balance; he warped the wings of the aircraft to achieve the same effect. Nature is inspirational; it is the source of many a great achievement.

Interdependence

Many scientists who have studied the interdependence among the species in nature, have found that every specie, no matter however small it be, makes its contribution to and plays its part in maintaining the harmony in nature.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The bumble-bee carries the power of service and depicts interdependence prevalent in nature. They are important pollinators of many plants.As a bee lands on one flower, collecting its nectar, pollen also attaches itself to the leg fibres. It is then transferred to other flowers, creating a fertilisation process. Their movement from one plant to another symbolises the interconnectedness of all living things. Nature shows that we live in an interdependent world; It teaches us that we are all in some way or the other dependent on others, though we may not be aware of it. It shows the precision and beauty of existence.

Diamonds

The hardest known substance on this planet is diamond. Diamond is made up of carbon. Carbon subjected to extremely high pressure and heat for a long time becomes diamond. The natural place where the extreme conditions needed to form diamonds exist is deep inside the earth.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Even the smallest of diamonds is precious; similarly, in life small things have a lot of value. Never neglect them. A diamond is the hardest known substance; the intense heat and pressure make it the hardest substance, so also in life when you are going through pressure and difficult times it is the process which may be necessary for you to grow, to become a better and a tougher person. It is that process which strengthens you as a person. Diamonds are brought to the surface of the earth by volcanic emission. The hot molten lava cools down and solidifies into rock within which diamonds can be found. So when you face a tragic situation, an upheaval in your life, it has something good to offer to you. You may not know that when you experience it, but be patient and you will realise the value of these experiences with the passage of time.

Finally, the qualities of men are shaped by the struggles and tough times that they have to face; this phase adds value and strength to their character and makes them rare and precious among men like the diamonds among gems.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Adaptability

‘Life is all about changing to adapt and adapting to change.’

The chameleon is noted for its ability to change colour in response to light, heat and other stimuli. It changes its colour in order to escape from danger. It is a good example of adaptability according to the situation,which can maximise your chances in all circumstances. Don’t get into a mental rut and don’t develop an unnecessary attachment with things; move on and appreciate whatever you are presented with and do your best. Be firm of values and adaptable otherwise. Things are not always as you want them to be. The art is to adapt yourself to circumstances and enjoy the experience. Adaptability gives you a larger perspective in life. It widens your horizon. A rich life is full of experiences. Being adaptable to people, places, culture, food and the environment is the root of success.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Nature shows that several animals have become extinct due to changes in the atmosphere and surroundings. The biggest reason for their extinction is that these animals unlike others were not able to adapt themselves to the changes in nature. Adapting to changes is really difficult; some animals do it better than others and they survive. Thus adaptability is a must for survival. So also in the case with human beings; adaptability plays a big role in making you successful and survive; in the modern world, the speed with which the information, business and other things change is quite high. Unless you are adaptable,chances are that you will not be very successful. To maintain success, you have to adapt to changes and show flexibility to move along with the world.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Synergy effect

The report, published in the journal Nature, suggests that formation flight was part of the evolution of birds. Not only pattern-flying help the birds fly farther, it allows them to communicate with each other on the wing; it is efficient. A V formation helps the birds conserve energy because the V-shaped air streams created by the birds in front reduce the wind resistance for the other birds. When the lead bird gets tired, another bird takes over and thus the birds help each other in this manner. What this suggests is that if each one collaborates the weakness of one is covered by the strength of the other, and we can literally astound ourselves with our achievements. Collaboration can conquer your weaknesses. Learn to work around with people having complementary skills. This is the essence of synergy effect, which essentially means, if 10 people collaborate and work together they should be able to produce more work than they would produce working independently.

The art of management teaches us that we must all learn to work with others and overcome the difficulties. The idea is to maximise the strength and minimise the weaknesses by mutual support.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Bee

A bee goes to the flower and collects the nectar from the flower; it sits inside the flower and collects the nectar from the flower, but in the evening the flower closes and the bee gets trapped in the flower. This happens due to excessive attachment of the bee to the nectar; it gets trapped and thus invites suffering for itself; it dies inside the flower. Similarly, for everything in life there comes a time when you have to say, enough is enough, otherwise you will be entrapped. You must be careful, for when you are seeking pleasure you may be trapped by the pleasures. You should be careful not to get entrapped by the pleasures. You must know when to come out of them, otherwise life can be a trap. Be judicious to say no to the things which can entrap you.

Work out the details

‘I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something’—Richard Feynman

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

If you look at the rainbow, you will see a beautiful spectrum of seven colours which is very attractive and charming. But science has proved that rainbow is nothing but an optical illusion, that it does not exist in reality; and that it is merely an optical phenomenon. Although it looks real, it is not so. This fact became known only when someone studied the details of the rainbow carefully. When you see things superficially, without working out the details, you do not get to the real thing.Success lies in working out the minute details; that is what makes a great artist, a great professional and a successful man.All people float on the surface but very few people work out the minute details; the real difference lies in working out the details in which success lies. Anyone can play a musical instrument but a musical maestro plays the same instrument with precision, great skill and rhythm, which makes him stand apart from others. Success lies in working out the details.

‘Success is a rainbow of persistence, optimism, patience, hard work, self belief, sacrifice and preparation’

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Guard against activity which takes you nowhere

If you throw a stone in a pond, a wave is created, which creates a ripple effect on the surface of water. But if you observe closely you find the water does not go anywhere, it stays there, although activity can be seen on the surface of the pond. At times, similar is the case with our work; we do something, we are busy, involved in some activity, but going nowhere. Activity alone does not guarantee progress. Watch carefully and analyse how you act, in which direction you are headed. Contemplate before you act in order to act better; before doing something ask yourself, is it really worth doing, where will it take me? And then act. Act in a manner which gives you progress not just activity

‘You don’t find pearls floating on the ocean’

It is a well-established fact that you dive deep into the sea to find pearls; you do not get them by watching from a distance. A lot of training and effort is required to get the pearls; similarly a lot of hard work has to be put in to get success. You cannot sit back waiting for things to happen; it is not guaranteed that you will get the pearls when you dive, but by doing so you maximise your chances to get them. In the same way by working hard and going to the depth of things you increase your chances of success manifold.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘Grass always looks greener on the other side, but it makes no difference if you are aiming the sky’

The goat has a tendency that it grazes for a few seconds one patch of grass and then immediately goes to a far distant patch of grass, even though there is plenty of grass in the first patch itself. Similar is the tendency of a man; though enough opportunity is there, one still looks on it, and finds that the other people’s work is more lucrative and has more opportunities. The other person’s work looks easier merely because you do not have to do it.

There are only two ways of looking at things: one is to do your job to the best of your ability and stay focused and the other is to look at the work of others and regret what you are doing. The people who are busy doing work, who love their work are the people who are at the top; they have their eyes fixed on the goals and are too busy to look at the other side; truly speaking, they are focusing on the top and do not let their attention be diverted by anything.

You can see the thorns and say awful,

You can see the rose and say wonderful.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

But greatness lies in seeing both roses and thorns alike.

See things in the right perspective; in life you will have moments of joy and sorrow; at times we tend to get overjoyed when things are going well and too depressed when things are not going well. The calm and composed people handle both the situations without being ruffled; instead, they develop dispassion, such that they appreciate whatever they are offered by life. They are the people who do not make a fuss about things, they do not complain, they do not make excuses; they do not overcelebrate; they focus on the things that really matter. They keep a sense of perspective, which helps them achieve a lot of success.

‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard!consider her ways and be wise.’—6.6 proverbs, Bible

The Bible instructs mankind to follow the ant; science has also revealed some fascinating facts about the ants; the ant is very industrious; most of the ants live in communities; they do their activities and display an exemplary behavior. Their activities include gathering food and hunting. Within a community each ant knows its place and performs its duties with total commitment.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Worker ants are very hardworking and committed; they are persistent and do their work with full loyalty and dedication to the community.Their persistence and ability to work hard is a lesson for all.

The power of ant lies in teamwork. Each ant does its part of the work to ensure the survival and good health of the whole colony, regardless of the role it has been assigned. If the ant has to fight, it will; if the ant has to dig tunnels, it will; if the ant has to carry leaves for miles, it will; it does all for the good of the community.

The ant works unselfishly and always looks after the fellow ants. They are naturally driven to work for the good of the community. They teach us the value of service.

The queen ant has wings until it is fertilised; once it is fertilised, it pulls out its wing which inhibits its flight for the sake of the new born ant and depicts selflessness.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Devastating nature

Man is well acquainted with Nature’s fury. Nature can be devastating in the form of earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones and what not. Nature can inflict severe punishment. Scientists have often observed that the cause of most of the devastating occurrences is the imbalance caused in nature. This imbalance becomes detrimental to man. Nature is at its harmonious best when it is working in a balanced manner. This is a big lesson for man; as long as one works in a balanced manner, one is peaceful but when there is an imbalance in life, life becomes devastating. We are not machines, we are people having emotions. It is important to strike a balance between your vocation, your family, your beliefs, your relationships, your health and your friends. True prosperity comes when you manage things properly and lead a balanced life.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Flightless birds

Not all birds fly. It is a well-known fact. All such birds, despite having lost their power to fly millions of years ago, have wings. Many of these birds (e.g. the great auk) lived on isolated oceanic islands where there were no predators. Since these birds did not need to fly to escape any predator, they gradually lost the power to use their wings. Man has many faculties, dormant powers and a brain with extraordinary capabilities which ordinarily remain unused if one does not use these powers for a long time; they also become useless as the wings of the birds which do not fly. Develop a higher sense of perspective in your life and live with a purpose, with a cause, with a desire to do something noble, something big, and you will draw upon reserves of energy, which otherwise remain unutilised. Getting things too easily is not necessarily good in the long run.

Power of a seed

A small seed, equal to a mustard in size, grows to become a huge banyan tree; a seed, equal to that of a tomato seed or an oat flake, becomes a redwood tree or scientifically known as the sequoia tree, which is around 300 feet in height,that is, around 50 times the height of an average man, and the root of the sequoia tree encompasses an area around 3 to 4 acres.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

An amazingly small seed has the potency to hold such a huge tree sounds quite incredible. Within the small seed, lies dormant the ability to create a big tree. Saints have often compared the seed to a thought; a tiny seed has the capability of developing into a huge tree; in the same manner a thought if it is harnessed and acted upon can develop into massive achievements.

But the seed does not sprout unless properly tended and nurtured, so also even the best of ideas do not succeed unless they are developed and acted upon promptly. Never waste the most powerful resource of the human mind, that is, the thought.

Though the seed is small, it has the potential to hold a tree as big as the redwood. Small things develop into big things when they are followed up rigorously, optimistically, regularly and patiently.

‘Nothing big can be achieved by thinking small.’

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

It was the potency of the thought, an idea, that made a clerk resign and start a business of his own. This man did not even have proper school education but he had the ability to think big and the ability to make his idea grow. The company that he launched later became the biggest private company in India, known as the ‘Reliance Group.’ The man behind this phenomenal success was Dhirubhai Ambani. He nurtured a thought, harnessed it and later it manifested itself as the Reliance Group of Industries. The ability to follow it through and make it happen lies within you. You can have many thoughts and ideas in your life but ultimately it is your ability to eventually make them happen that really matters.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Perception is not reality

Have you ever looked at the spider’s web? See the spider silk once again. If somebody were to tell you that it was one of the strongest materials in the world, stronger than steel, surely you would not believe it. But it is a fact; according to a research paper published in the journal, Nature. The spider silk has the tensile strength to density ratio which is approximately five times greater than steel. The spider silk is thinner than human hair, lighter than cotton and stronger than steel. It is quite amazing! When you look at it, you cannot fathom the great science involved behind the silk generated by the spider. Our perception has a limit; it is based on the limitations of senses. Never close your options; you just never know what will work. Everything that you do, no matter howsoever insignificant it may seem, has the potential to change your life. The things which seem insignificant can make a significant impact as your life. Don’t limit your perception without the exact knowledge of the reality. Your perception may not be always correct.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Eagle

An eagle has an incredible amount of patience. It can be seen sitting on a tree in the same posture for hours together; the eagle teaches us the value of patience.

Vision: An eagle has an immaculate vision; even when it is flying in the sky at a great height it keeps an eye on the ground and its target. It catches its prey in a flash as and when it finds the opportunity. It teaches us that irrespective of our position we must not lose focus on what we want in life. What matters most is on what thing you are focusing. To grab an opportunity you have to be as the lookout for it.

Ability to fly during storms: lesser birds do not venture out during storms, but eagles fly even during storms. They teach us to fight against our troubles in life and face them boldly instead of shying away from them

It thrives on what it hunts; the eagle does not eat dead meat. It teaches us the value of self-effort; so many times we depend on others for doing a work when we are quite capable of doing it ourselves. Be a selfstarter and deserve what you get.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Caretaking: Even though it is known as a fierce bird, it is very protective towards its little ones. This it sets an example for all human beings to care for and nurture the young ones.

Extra effort at the end

There are migratory birds which move to locations which are more suitable for their existence; the migration of the birds requires them to travel thousands of miles.

The ability of the birds to successfully navigate thousands of miles and to know when the time is right to do so is amazing. When the birds are crossing the ocean they get tired towards the end and an extra effort is required when it seems most difficult to cross the ocean. So the birds have to make an extra effort if they have to successfully cross the ocean.

The goal looks farther than it is once you are tired; the birds teach us to make an extra effort to cross the hurdle and achieve the goal. An effort when the going becomes difficult and tough is required to meet the challenges of life. Just hang on and keep going till you the hurdles and reach the destination.

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘When you notice the great things in nature you wonder why you didn’t notice them earlier’

But so is nature. It gives us clues; very few are those who pick up value from this treasure which goes unnoticed, be it a morning which is a treasure in itself, for it means that you still exist; thank God that you are there today; everybody has a limited number of mornings, though one never thinks that way. Be ready to conquer the challenges, be ready for the struggle, there is nothing that you cannot do today. The ever so punctual sun has something to offer you, the freshness and the promise of the morning are there to stay with you. You are what you do today, for tomorrow is not certain. Yesterday is forgotten, today is your day. Appreciate all things that you like and try to imbibe them in your life and increase your knowledge every moment to make life grand.

Chapter 5

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Adversity can make you or break you. It can mould your life and make it successful and beautiful or it can make you crumble. Adversity is like a strict teacher whose teaching is invaluable but nobody likes it. Everybody can come out of an adversity stronger, but it requires courage, introspection and effort. Several instances are there when people have been broken or shattered by an adversity in their life. But remarkable are those who do not bow down before difficulties but overcome them by dint of their effort; they rise above their problems, and find astonishing solutions in the face of difficulties. They are the ones who are truly admired and respected by all. They are the ones who make history. They are the ones who move ahead and grow to great heights; adversity makes them stronger.

There are two possibilities in an adversity: either it will defeat you or you will defeat it. Which of the following ways do you want to choose? If you want to defeat adversity then make it count.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Make adversity count

“A fighter never loses and a loser never fights.”

What has happened is past, how you respond is present. Focus on what can happen rather than on what has happened.

Never give up, fight till the last moment of your life.

Adversity is the moulding phase of life, bear with it and be patient.

Introspect and enquire.

A noble idea, a noble person, a noble cause always triumphs.

Do follow your routine, involve yourself in work and remain positive.

Look at the things that are right in your life as opposed to what is wrong.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Have faith and confidence in yourself, believe that you can rise above every situation and do your best. Eventually you will.

Enjoy the struggle. Focus on the present and enjoy the work; just detach your mind from all the things that cause you pain and focus on the work.

Fill your mind with positive thoughts. Have faith in God. Do whatever you can.

You don’t have a quick fix for everything; it does not work all the time.

‘It does not matter where we are, what matters is where we are heading.’ —Anonymous

In his book, The Wings of Fire, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam narrates one very interesting incident. It happened when his dream of becoming an air force pilot was shattered, the dream which he had had all his life. He was very much disappointed and distraught; he then met saint Sivananda who spoke to him thus:

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘Desire, when it stems from the heart and spirit, when it is pure and intense, possesses awesome electromagnetic energy. This energy is released into the ether each night, as the mind falls into the sleep state. Each morning it returns to the conscious state reinforced with cosmic currents. That which has been imaged will surely and certainly be manifested.You can rely upon this ageless promise as surely you can rely upon the eternally unbroken promise of sunrise and of spring.’

Moments of despair and adversity are the mirrors that reflect the deepest truth of life’

When in difficulties you delve deep within and think about your life and analyse your actions; these moments mould you just as the potter’s wheel moulds the clay into a pot when it is wet. Adversity is like that potter’s wheel which moulds you into a better, a more refined person. How you handle adverse situations is very important; so many people get disturbed and commit all sorts of unwarranted acts when things are not going well for them, yet there are others who dig deep and fight till they achieve what they want. They grow and focus on the things that can be set right rather than worrying about what has gone wrong. They are the people who waste no time in crying and complaining about what has already happened but, with all hope in the world, act and come out stronger and better after every difficulty.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Don’t stop, keep moving

A Vietnamese boy failed in his school examination. He became very disappointed by his failure and started shunning the school. He did not like to go to school. One day when he was passing his time away from the school he saw a Buddhist monk chanting something, as follows.

‘Why does water not get dirty? Because it flows, it doesn’t stop.

Why does water never decay? Because it flows, it doesn’t stop.

Drops of water make a stream,

The stream becomes a river,

The river becomes a sea,

The sea becomes an ocean. How? Because it flows and it doesn’t stop.

Let my life never stop, let it flow, let it flow.’

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The boy contemplated on the meaning of this verse after listening it with rapt attention and understood its real meaning. The verse proved to be a turning point in the life of this boy. He went back to school with renewed enthusiasm and developed a new outlook and started concentrating on studies.

He grew up to be a great leader of his country. He fought against foreign powers for 22 years. He fought with Japan and France for the freedom of his country and with America for the unification of his country. This man of Vietnam, who became the Prime Minister and President of his country, was Ho Chi Minh.

Never mind what has already happened in life; there are some things about which you cannot change; don’t brood over the past, remember its lessons and forget the rest. You always have control over how you act and react in the present. Don’t let your life stagnate by disappointments; a moment can change your life; act, just start today, right away, right now, don’t hold back ,instead make your life a life worth living. Don’t forget that everything is within your grasp, you can always get it. Difficulties in your life are like the keys to the hidden treaurses you have; value them and unlock the abundant reserves within you.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘The biggest opportunities come disguised in adversity.’

Stephen Hawking, a British physicist and mathematician, is considered the greatest theoretical physicist of the late twentieth century. He has contributed a lot to the study of black holes. He has explored the origin and evolution of this universe by his researches into the nature of space and time. He has also written several books. Among his books is the bestseller, A Brief History of Time.

Stephen Hawking was once asked, ‘What do you feel about being in a wheelchair?’

‘Not a lot …I try to lead as normal a life as possible and do not think about my condition, or regret the things I can’t do, which are not many.’ By the way, he is not able to walk, he is not able to speak, his body is weak and he has to remain seated in a wheelchair all the time.

He further said, ‘Before I was diagnosed with this condition I was very bored with life. But the prospect of an early death concentrated my mind wonderfully. I realised that life was good and there was a great deal I wanted to do. I can safely say I am happier now than before my present condition appeared.’

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

What a great attitude to life! The attitude with which one faces difficulties and trying circumstances is what makes an ordinary person an extraordinary one. Most of us waste our time, the precious time that is allotted to us, in engaging ourselves in worthless activities, but adversity sometimes makes us realise the value of time and life that is given to us.Even in the worst of situations, you can win, provided you believe in yourself.

Overcoming troubles

This young boy’s father died when he was an infant; he had to face all the troubles and hardships to get education; he used to walk 8 miles to go to school, and sometimes had to swim across the river Ganga with books kept on his head to reduce the walking distance to school.

He was always in financial trouble owing to his father’s early death; life was nothing short of a continuous struggle for him. When the other children of his age played, he toiled hard; his life took a turn at the age of sixteen when he was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi; after that he joined India’s freedom movement and worked selflessly for the country. But the difficulties were far from being over; he was imprisoned many times by the British government; he spent about nine years of his life in prison.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

He never stepped back but always forged ahead, with all the courage,in the world; he was a man of great moral character and unshakeable beliefs; finally he triumphed in life, playing a significant role in India’s struggle for freedom; later he became one of the greatest politicians that India has ever produced; he was the second Prime Minister of India; he was Lal Bahadur Shastri.

A noble cause never fails, come what may.

Never think that you cannot rise above your problems, always think your problems cannot rise above you and you will overcome them.

Potential gains from adversity

Adversity makes you tougher and mature to handle difficult situations.

It gives you a deeper understanding of life.

It makes you realise that you are not the supreme; you can only act and do your best.

It makes you realise the value of life.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

It enhances your inner growth.

It disciplines you and teaches you to utilise your resources, including time.

It enhances judgement.

It makes you focus on work harder and give up ordinary useless activities.

It builds and reveals your character.

It teaches you humility.

It teaches that nothing stays for ever, not even adversity.

It adds new dimensions to your life which you never had before.

Buddhist Lama Yeshe sermonises us to look at life in a manner that we can get rid of our anxieties and increase self-awareness—honesty,acceptance and sincerity can help in understanding life. He says

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

• Death is a fact of life.

• Change is the only constant phenomenon.

• Life goes on.

• Life moves on like a river.

Understanding these things is a must in life. At some point or the other each and every one will be confronted with these. Pain and suffering will be caused if we do not understand them; they are an integral part of life like our existence. We cannot run away from them.

‘When the heart grieves over what it has lost, the spirit rejoices over what it has found’—A Sufi proverb

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

There is meaning in everything that happens; there is deep philosophy involved, lessons worth a lifetime to be had. Sometimes we may not superficially observe what we have gained but at deeper levels of consciousness there is a significant gain from all the suffering or bad times that one goes through. To understand what life is one has to go through these experiences; to appreciate all that is good, you must know what is bad. So in order to rejoice one has to go through suffering and develop a higher understanding of the meaning. Life cannot be celebrated without suffering or facing adversity.

‘If God is with us, who can be against us’—8.31, Romans

Trust God and have faith in Him. Do your duty and don’t worry about other things. There are times when you cannot help things but even in the most trying circumstances and difficulties faith can help you fight back. Have faith in yourself and whatever you do, do it as well as you can, and always remember that sooner or later you will be the winner, whatever may be the situation.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Practise the art of dissociation

When the things are not happening as you would want them to happen,when you are struggling, try to dissociate yourself from the things that are happening. Remember when you were a child, you feared even an injection; it was the most painful thing in the world for you at that time. After some time going to school became the most painful thing for you. However, you became used to school and made friends, then the report card gave you trouble. It continues like this in life. Think about your biggest troubles five years back; now you can look back and dissociate yourself with those events; you can even smile at some of the troubles that you had. Similarly, whatever the distress you have, try to develop a sense of dissociation and see it as if you were watching it on the screen as a movie and become an observer. Everything will pass. Always remember whatever happens, happens for the best. Your troubles are your assets; find value in them

The test of character is adversity.

The test of a friend is difficulty.

The test of toughness is pressure.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The test of strength is endurance.

The test of greatness is nobility.

The test of power is forgiveness.

The test of courage is taking the roads less travelled.

The test of success is in repeating it.

‘If on your way to success you have not encountered adversity, chances are that you are not really successful; real success comes after adversity’

Most of the successful people owe their success to the difficult times they had had to face; there is a lot of introspection and self-examination that you go through when you are not successful. You don’t do so when everything is going well, but when you are down that is the time when you do introspection and think about your weaknesses and try to improve yourself; that is what brings real success. The things that you learn when you are down are the things which help you to get up and reach greater heights.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Adversity is like friction

Science teaches us that resistance in the form of friction is needed for creating motion; without friction motion cannot be created as desired; even the tyres of the car would slide not be able to turn it or stop it.Thus friction is imperative for motion, though it is resistant to nature. Similar is the role of difficulties in life. Adversities create the necessary friction, which is important for us to move forward and make progress in life. They are the source of motion in our life; it appears that they are restricting our movement but, in fact, they ensure that we do not collide with anything by going too fast in a wrong direction. Realise the fact that you cannot lead a life without difficulties, so ensure that you get the best out of these adversities and that is the best thing that you can do. These adversities come to test your resolve, your attitude and make you a better person

‘Often it is adversity that makes one access the most valuable resource that is the power within; with it anything is possible’

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

There are a lot of lessons taught by adversity you begin to understand others, you grow, you learn to deal with difficulties, but perhaps the most valuable thing is that adversity introduces you to yourself, your real nature is revealed, doubts are dispelled; when you look within. It is adversity which makes you access the abundance that you have but you never bothered to tap it. You begin to understand yourself better. You become equipped to copy with changes once you know and understand yourself. Once you know yourself, you develop belief in the power within you and think that there is nothing that you cannot achieve.

‘The purest ore comes from the hottest furnace’—Anonymous

A very well-known person who fought with adversity and overcame his disability was Franklin D. Roosevelt; even though he was handicapped,he was in no way inferior to any person having no physical disabilities.He became President of the USA. Roosevelt was a handsome man; he was nominated for the Vice President’s post at the age of thirty-eight. One hot day he bathed in the chilly waters of the Bay of Fundy and contracted paralysis at a young age and became crippled for life. He could not move his body below the waist.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

But Roosevelt was not someone who would go down without making a mighty effort; he was a man of tremendous will power and firm resolve.He used them to fight against disability and achieved amazing success.After some time he was made the Governor of New York. He was diligent and worked hard as the Governor and was soon nominated and elected as President of the USA.

His task as the President of the USA was not easy. When he became the President, America was facing an economic crisis. Millions of people were struggling for jobs and were short of food, abodes and basic necessities of life. He worked hard and formulated a plan which bailed the country out of the crisis, thus proving his mettle as the President.

History of mankind is full of men who just did not accept defeat, no whatever the situation; whatever the difficulties they faced them with an ability that comes with poise. They were the people who had faith in themselves and fought against all odds; they were the people who were capable of doing things which the ordinary people could not imagine. A physical disability can paralyse your body but make sure that it does not paralyse your will power and mind, because they are most essential to win the battle of life. Roosevelt is a great example of achieving an astounding triumph.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘Nothing can defeat you if you make up your mind to fight, and nothing can save you if you have accepted defeat’

If you continue to do your best irrespective of the situation you are in, sooner or later you are going to change your life and circumstances.Look at the great leaders, like Gandhi, Lincoln and Roosevelt, and you will see something common in them. They were the leaders who grew up in adversity and that was what made them strong and honoured; their ability to handle difficult situations was a testimony to their fighting prowess in critical moments in life. They had to face a lot of hardships, but they never accepted defeat. In fact with every blow their will power grew stronger and they fought harder and succeeded when nobody expected them to succeed. If you accept defeat, you cannot move forward but if you stick to your work and keep doing your best you create the best opportunity to succeed.

A remarkable comeback

His head was shaved with small markers and the doctors said to him,‘We’re just going to make a little hole, pop it out, remove the lesions, put it back in and cover it up.’

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

They were talking about his skull. Suffering from chronic pain, Lance Armstrong’s disease was diagnosed as testicular cancer that would eventually spread to his lungs and brain. The doctors told him that he had less than fifty per cent chance of survival, what to say of participating in a cycle race.

Tour de France is one of the toughest and most gruelling events for an athlete to participate in. One has to cycle more than 100 miles a day for three weeks straight in inclement and uncertain weather. Armstrong says that even some of the cars would break down under such conditions.It is almost draining for a human body. The cycle race involves a tremendous physical and mental strain. The riders sustain injuries and bruises and meet with serious accidents. They suffer aches and pains.

Armstrong participated in the race before he was diagnosed as suffering from cancer in 1996, and here is how he faired

1993 - Did not finish.

1994 - Did not finish.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

1995 - 36th position.

1996 - Did not finish.

1997 - Did not enter.

1998 - Did not enter.

Tour de France is not an easy race to finish; he could not finish it three times. Not anybody on earth could have believed that this man would ever participate in a race which involved three weeks of gruelling and torturous peddaling after suffering from cancer. But this man had the strength of mind and conviction to do that; yes he was great Armstrong.

After being declared a cancer patient, and having failed to even finish the race in three of his four previous attempts, Armstrong again started preparation with great perseverance, despite tough conditions, several injuries and painstaking efforts along the way, and he was again ready for the big event, finally doing what he loved the most, riding the bike in the most prestigious and the longest cycle race in the world. The battle was tough but Armstrong was tougher and, with all his struggle and effort, he won the race. No one could believe it but the miracle had happened.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

When Armstrong won, some of the people lost. They were the sceptics who lost, they were not able to believe his winning the Tour de France. They believed it was a case of taking banned drugs and still maintained their scepticism. They were proved wrong again after his medical tests were found clean. The triumph of Armstrong is a testimony to the fact that all of us have a tremendous power to fight and the ability to triumph, come what may.

He won and created a record of winning the race no less than seven times. He won the race from 1999 to 2005, and made a world record as regards the number of Tour de France victories. It almost sounds unreal but it is the true story of a man who believes in his dreams, who believes in miracles, and who is willing to sweat and pay the price for success. The story of Lance Armstrong’s the story is the stuff dreams are made of.

When things are not going well for you, that is the time for learning and deep introspection, that is the time when you ask yourself some of the most important questions of your life. Lance Armstrong mentions in his autobiography, about 2nd October, 1996, a day which was one of the most crucial days of his life when he was diagnosed as suffering from cancer. He says, ‘It remained the most important day of the year, larger than any birthday or anniversary or holiday, and it was a day, filled with introspection, of thinking about second chances.’

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

He cherishes the day when his illness was diagnosed as cancer; which focused his mind on the task ahead and is one of the best things to have happened in his life. He called it,’Carpe Diem Day’, which means, seize the day. It is about turning your setbacks into opportunities; this is exactly what top achievers do. There are two ways in which one can handle difficult situations: one is to meekly surrender and the other is to fight, seize the opportunity and show extraordinary resolve, which is the hallmark of greatness.

Truth has power.

Boldness has magic.

Purity has strength.

Character has morality.

Practice has performance.

Honesty has trust.

Persistence has reward.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Selflessness has the world at its feet (immortality).

Good conduct has admiration.

Ceaseless striving has accomplishments.

‘Very often the worst situations in life present best opportunities’

Very often the worst situations in life present the best opportunities.But we are unable to grab them as we are not ready. Walter Raleigh’s famous book The History of World was written during his imprisonment; the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, wrote Glimpses of World History when he was in jail. Adversity adds another dimension to you, which makes you accomplish great feats, dormant faculties become active and you are no longer the same person; your capabilities are enhanced, your perspective on life changes, you begin to take life more seriously and do a better job of it. He who has not seen adversity has not seen life. This extra dimension is what distinguishes the ordinary from the extraordinary.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

So whatever the situation, the way you deal with it decides who you are, whether you succumb to adversities and crumble before them or you make an extraordinary effort all setbacks and misfortunes. Even in sports,the great players are they who excel when the team needs them most, when the team is in dire need, when the team is not in a good condition,when the conditions for playing are not favourable, when the going is tough, that is the time for the real test of a player. Special are those who excel in all these situations.

Everybody has the capacity to turn around but very few men actually do so. Are you one of them? Are you ready to face the challenges that life throws at you? Yes, you can face them. Always remember, adversities come to make you and not to break you.

Winning against all odds

Victor Frankl’s wife, father, mother and brother died in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. He survived along with his sister. The experiences that he went through in the concentration camp were traumatic and torturing to say the least; amidst several barbaric atrocities they had to face extreme hunger, cold and brutal assaults. Several times people were baked in gas ovens. Even Viktor Frankl had been under the threat of being consigned to the gas ovens many times.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

He was writing a book, the manuscript of which—his life’s work had been snatched away from him. Any other person would have given up the desire to live and would have lost all faith in himself, but Viktor Frankl showed a triumphant spirit and eternal optimism and fought his way out of this extreme suffering.

He reasoned that even in the most terrible circumstances, people have the freedom to choose how they look at their circumstances and what meaning they draw out of them.

It was this spirit with which he lived and later developed a therapy called the logo therapy, and wrote several books, among which the book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ became a runaway best seller, a book in which he described his experiences of the concentration camp.

Viktor Frankl remarked that there were two kinds of people who lived in the concentration camp. One, those who had a desire to live and chose to fight, and, second, those who gave up and had no interest in life and this kind of thinking made their condition worse and finally they died of misery and hopelessness.

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

It was due to his and others’ suffering in these camps that he came to his hallmark conclusion that even in the most absurd, painful and dehumanised situation life has a potential meaning and therefore even suffering is meaningful.

One must have the courage to go through the pain with an attitude of gratitude which is the way to triumph in adversity. The greatest triumphs, the greatest victories, the greatest moments come when you learn to overcome troubles and come out stronger from the most difficult situations. Believe that you can confront your troubles and difficulties with strength and grow even in the most hopeless situations.

‘The enormity of your problems is nothing compared with your ability to solve them. By overestimating the problem you underestimate yourself ’

TRIUMPH IN ADVERSITY

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Viktor Frankl came out of the tragedies stronger than ever before. He wrote 32 books which were translated in several languages, developed the logo therapy and lectured and spoke at seminars all around the world. He is the recipient of 29 honorary doctorates. He stands as a role model for every man. His life is a lesson for all mankind as to how to get the best out of the worst situations. It is not just Viktor Frankl’s victory but a victory of human ability to win, in the toughest condition, the toughest battles. It is also a victory of the will power, conviction and human bravery.

Few men defy all odds and succeed when nothing seems to work in their favour, when they are down, when they are in a hopeless condition; they rise like the phoenix and set before mankind great examples to follow. They are the men who keep pushing up the limits of human excellence beyond imagination by coming out triumphant out of all the adversities which life can create for them. Not all men succeed in adversity but the adversity does bring out the best in men. Adversity makes men strong. Be tough and don’t hold back from fighting; when you are pitted against difficulties see them as opportunities to grow and excel. Your conviction can conquer anything; don’t be afraid and go for it.

Chapter 6

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

‘The road leading to success is very crowded, almost all people start the journey for success, but strangely very few are those who reach the far end, called success; rest of them run out of patience, change course or quit and most of them do so when they are near the end, called success’

A natural question is, what is success? It may be different for you and me, is an easy reply to the question. Success is something that differs from person to person; it is a subjective term, having various implications and meanings for different people. Success means doing your very best in all situations, in all places, at all times, and achieving what you are really capable of. It is surpassing the limits that you have set for yourself; it is transcending the ordinary; it is doing something that changes you and takes you where you belong to; it is doing something so well that it makes your existence a gift to the world; it is getting what you want from life and being happy with it; it is giving back to the world more than you hold back for yourself; it is making a significant contribution to the lives of people you meet; it is in living a fulfilling life and overcoming all setbacks, all difficulties and all obstacles and leaving a mark which gives you satisfaction and bliss; it is living a life that can make you proud. That is real success.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Success window

(I) The one who makes full effort and achieves success is a leader; follow him. He is the one who has many followers. He is the individual who strives hard and achieves success. He sets the example and benchmark for the others to follow.

(II) The one who makes full effort but fails need not be disappointed; remember that full effort is full victory. He should be happy with his effort and wait patiently for the result. He should try and channelise his energy in a better way.

(III) The one who makes less than 100% effort and fails should work harder. He should objectively think and work hard; he should focus on and identify the areas which require his attention and must make full effort.

(IV) The one who succeeds despite making less than 100% effort is a person who is wasting his talent, for he is supposed to do bigger and better things in life. What he thinks to be success may not be success; he might be capable of much more, given his full effort.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The A to Z of success

A. The attitude with which you see the things makes the difference

B. Emulate the kindest, humblest, happiest and best person you know.

C. Commitment is the key to unlock success.

D. Don’t fear fire, extinguish it. Face your challenges in life; don’t run away from them.

E. Equip yourself with knowledge and wisdom. Without wisdom knowledge is not useful.

F. Failure is the route to success.

G. Goodness in your action, deeds and thoughts paves the way for greatness.

H. Hard work is important, but hard work in the right direction is more important.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

I. Ignite your mind with good thoughts, that is the way to empower and broaden the mind.

J. Just believe in your dreams and do all whatever is needed to accomplish them.

K. Keep in touch with friends.

L. Look for good everywhere, in every situation, in every person. Be thankful for it.

M. Money cannot stop you from getting old, it cannot stop you from dying either.

N. Nothing will last permanently in this impermanent world.

O. Often the small things in life give a lot of joy but we miss them in looking for the big things.

P. Perfection, if it is your goal par excellence, will be the result

Q. Quitting never made anybody successful.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

R. Right effort at the right time and in the right direction gives success.

S. Success often brings more success, but it is also a catalyst for failure; success can lead to failure if not handled properly.

T. Today will never come again, make the most of it.

U. Understand yourself fully, then you will understand everybody.

V. Victory is certain for one who has faith and will to continue working even in difficulties and remain focused on his objective despite distractions.

W. Winning is not crucial as long as you do your best.

X. X-ray your thoughts, for they provide the way to success.

Y. Your thoughts change your world. Why not change your thoughts?

Z. Zeal is the essence of all great things and achievements; without zeal everything would be rather ordinary

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

What makes one successful, while others fail? What makes one achieve great things while others remain mediocre. What makes a person great while the others don’t? What make a person revered for ages while others go into obscurity as if they never existed? Following are some of the things that can take you from one level to a higher level; they can help you immensely. They are the principles on which success is based. If you read them, you will know something, but if you follow them, you will do something great.

Success strategies

1. The world is won by those who let it go

‘Success is all about moving in the direction of your goals. If you think too much about the end, you may stumble and not achieve success, but if you pay attention to each step, then the journey becomes easy and success comes even without your noticing it’

When you think too much of the consequences you become anxious. Anxiety leads to pressure and pressure leads to restlessness of the mind. And finally the restlessness of the mind does not allow it to remain focused on success and when the mind is not focused it leads to failure.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Focus the mind on the process and do not let the process be vitiated; the results will come once you do the process well. Success comes to him who remains focused on it and does the process well; it depends on execution of the task in hand in the best way.

When an archer is shooting for nothing,
He has all his skill.
If he shoots for a brass buckle,
He is already nervous.
If he shoots for a prize of gold,
He goes blank or sees two targets.
He is out of his mind,
His skill has not changed,
But the prize divides him. He cares,
He thinks more of winning
Than of shooting,
And the need to win
Drains him of power. —A Taoist, Zhuang Zi

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

2. Be yourself

‘If you are not happy with what you are, chances are that others won’t be happy with you either. Better change yourself than pretending being someone else’

It is better to be rejected for being yourself rather than being accepted when you pretend to be someone else. Pretence shows lack of selfrespect; only a person who does not like himself pretends to be someone else. Honesty is important; you cannot cheat people for long. Realise who you are and be yourself. Don’t waste your life living a pretended image. Do not fake being someone else; instead, become the person you want to be by effort rather than by pretence. If you will be yourself, you will have the strength to succeed.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The man in the mirror

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what the mirror has to say.

For, it isn’t a man’s father, mother or wife
Whose judgment upon him must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts the most in your life
Is the man staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest
For, he’s with you clear up to the end
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final result will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass. —Anonymous

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘He who does not know can learn. But he who doesn’t know but pretends that he knows stops learning’

One who admits his fault is far better than one who is trying to hide it. You cannot fool yourself as long as you can look into your eyes and say that you have done your best, which is the test of your commitment. Be true to yourself and analyse what you have done; don’t go by what other people expect; if you are happy with what you have done, chances are that you would have done a good job.

3. Follow your convictions

Thomas Edison told Henry Ford that the idea of a motor car was useless. But Ford was defiant; he would accept none of this; he went ahead with his idea of a motor car; after his persistence, the result was a car, a car without a reverse gear. Finally, they built a car with a reverse gear; even the genius of Thomas Edison is not always right. If you have faith in what you are doing, carry on. There are some people who you can never please. Some people just never see good in others. You are what you are; what other people say about you does not change you, it does not make you different; you will be what you are.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

People will always say something

When I was confident, people said you are arrogant.

When I was humble, people said you are timid.

When I took risks, people said you are reckless.

When I was circumspect, people said you are subdued.

When I was caring, people said you had motives.

When I was forgiving, people said you are weak,

When I was silent, people said you are dumb.

When I was decisive, people said you are adamant.

When I was open-minded, people said you are indecisive.

When I was focused on work, people said you are mean.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

When I was having fun, people said you are wasting life.

When I was enthusiastic, people said you are over-excited.

When I was calm, people said you are dull.

When I was relaxed, people said you are casual.

When I was looking forward, people said you are anxious.

When I was consistent, people said you are boring.

When I was moody, people said you are complacent.

When I was trying something new, people said you are not aware it cannot be done.

When I was failing, people said you are not good enough.

When I was successful, people said you are lucky.

Finally, I don’t listen to what they have to say.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

There are some people who will always find fault with you. They have the habit of looking at the negative things; they do not necessarily make constructive criticism but they try to pull you down. Everything will change once you succeed

Walt Disney’s idea of Disneyland was rejected by six major banks before being accepted. They said no one would visit it.

A gramophone record company which had the opportunity to sign the Beatles rejected them. It felt that the electric guitar music was only a passing phase.

About the Wright brothers, the New York Times wrote that may be in 1 million to 10 million years they might be able to make a plane that would fly.

It does not matter what people think about you as long as you do the right thing. If you believe in doing what you are doing, just keep doing it. Their opinion may change after some time, and it does not really matter what others think. The best thing is to do your work in such a manner that people’s opinion changes rather than your work.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

4. Applied knowledge

If you keep a mirror in a completely dark room you will notice that it does not reflect anything; mirror is rendered useless when kept in a dark room. Similar is the case with knowledge without application. Knowledge without application is useless; knowledge is useful when you apply it in practice. What you learn, you must apply it in your life. Even a diamond does not glow in dark. So even the most advanced knowledge and education serve no purpose unless they are well utilised and applied in practice.

Practice what you learn; make sure that whenever you learn something good, something useful, you commit yourself to practise it in your life. Otherwise all learning in the world is of no use.

5. Hard work

‘Hard work is the best talent that I know; strangely, it works in all the fields of human endeavour’

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

What is the difference between top achievers and ordinary people? Here are the major differences which make one extremely successful and the other not quite so. They make a world of change in the life of an individual; following are the differences that are evident after carefully studying the lives of the most successful people.

6. Expect the unexpected

Plan and prepare well, anticipating all the worst situations and considering all possible scenarios. Plan with a pessimistic mind and perform in an optimistic way. Plan for the worst situation and the worst circumstance; your performance should be such that even in these conditions you should be well prepared so that you become a winner.

Do whatever it takes to raise your bar higher and higher so that even in your worst performance you are higher than what is required to cross over. That is the level of preparation that must be put in so that you come out victorious. Prepare as if your life depends on it and perform as if you were practising. Don’t let pressure get into your head when you are performing.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

7. Prepare well

Everyone is a potential winner.Some people are disguised as losers.Don’t let appearances fool you. —Kenneth Blanchard

There was a kingdom in ancient times where after the ruler had finished ruling for five years, the king was sent to a lonely island where there was nobody and where there was only a forest. So there was a search for the ruler; the person who accepted this condition was made the king. The king was nominated, he enjoyed a kingly life in the kingdom; he met everyone and lived a lavish life; he enjoyed all the glories of the palace for the first three years; from the fourth year onwards he started thinking about the fact that he had to go to the lonely island but indulged in the pleasures again and lived as if he would stay in the kingdom for ever. Finally the last year came, he was now under a lot of stress as he realised that it was not long before he would be sent to the island; he was constantly worried which made him sick; he remained bedridden for most part of his last year in the palace; finally the dreaded day came and he was carried on a boat to that lonely island. He was shivering with fear; the boatman rowed the boat and the island came closer and closer; the king was hoping against hope that something would happen; they reached the island; the boatman came back. The boatman had seen it all; he used to carry the king on his final journey for ages.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Again the search for the king began. Nobody wanted to be king, but after a long time a young man came forward and accepted the challenge. This young man became the king. He started ruling in a peculiar fashion; he met nobody and did not go out with people as the other kings had done; he was always doing something, instructing some of the guards. This routine continued for the first few years; three years passed; now the king started moving out of the palace and met people. The final year began; he enjoyed the life of the palace, the life of being a king. Contrary to what the other kings had done in the past in the last year of their rule, he enjoyed every moment of that year as the king, but finally the D-day came and he was taken to the island; the old boatman was called; the king sat on the boat as the boatman rowed towards the island. On the way the boatman was surprised to see a very tranquil and calm king. The boatman said to the king, ‘I have never seen such a calm and composed person in the face of death. Are you not afraid? You are going to a lonely place where there is only a wild forest.’ The king just smiled and did not say anything. At last they reached the island; the boatman was stupefied to see the island. A huge palace was in place and some people were waiting to welcome the king. The king told the boatman that during the last five years he had been working day and night to move his kingdom to the island and that was the reason for his being calm. The boatman and all the people in the kingdom were stunned by the intelligence of the young king.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Preparation and effort can resolve the biggest problems

We are all like the king in that kingdom; we all will be taken to a different place, not at the end of five years but at the end of our life. Prepare well for that.

Farsightedness in the long run always pays rich dividends. Shortsightedness is a bane.

To get extraordinary things in life, you have to rise above ordinary things.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

8. The Power of sublimation

According to the Hindu scriptures Maharishi Vyas was the person who dictated the great epic, Mahabharata; it was Lord Ganeshsa who went on taking down the dictation, scripting the great epic. The deal was that Ganesha would write whole of the Mahabharata in one go without stopping even once. The Maharishi was amazed to see how Ganesha could take down shloka after shloka without any sign of tiredness even after taking down the dictation for a long time. Finally, the great sage asked him the secret of his energy. Lord Ganesha replied, ‘O revered Maharishi, energy comes from self-control. I observed complete silence and harnessed my energy in writing this epic.’

Observing silence is considered a very important practice in the scriptures as it conserves energy. It also makes the mind focused on one’s aim. Thus it is important to observe silence as much as possible; talking about useless things does not help; conserve energy, avoid gossiping, useless arguments, etc. Socrates instructed his disciples, to say things which passed the triple filter of truth, goodness and usefulness. If at least one of the criteria was met only then he would listen or speak. Sometimes we do not even notice the amount of time and energy that we waste in talking and discussing about useless things.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

All great things are the result of a great deal of self-control. Selfcontrol is an art by which you can be a true master of yourself. It has to be practised as a matter of daily routine, at all times and places. Conquer your low nature and vices like anger, greed and selfishness, etc., and you will get a glorious success in life.

Freedom does not when you hold on to something, it comes when you let things go; let your vices go and become free from them. When you do that, you become absolutely free. That is real freedom, everything else is mere bondage that binds you to pleasure that is nonexistent, but entices you as if it was real. To become free from all the vices is the foremost step for getting real success in life, success that makes you reach places to which you truly belong.

The great Einstein formula for success

A = X+Y+Z
A → Success
X → Work
Y → Hard work
Z → Keep your mouth shut

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

9. Focus on the present

‘Yesterday never comes’

Tomorrow may come but yesterday will not. Past cannot be future, past cannot be present. Why delve on it? Being consistent requires you to focus on your actions day in and day out. What you do today is more important than what you did yesterday. Focussing on the present action is the hallmark of consistent performers. If you think too much about yesterday, today your action may be affected. The most successful people in the world have got the uncanny knack of doing their best with great regularity, that is what makes them successful. A sportsman is a good example; everyday is a new day for him. You might have created a world record the day before, but it counts for nothing today. You have to start all over again. You just cannot take anything for granted. You cannot expect a salary on the basis of what you did yesterday, last week or last month. You have to make every day count. Don’t feel sad or glad for yesterday; instead focus on today’s job and that is the most important thing to do.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

10. Be consistent

‘Consistent people are never complacent and complacent people are never consistent’

People often forget your capabilities, they forget the past. The best way to remind everyone how good you are consistency of performance. Just look how great athletes prepare and practise for competitions. They put in the effort continuously and regularly. They train and toil for hours. Slowly they build up their stamina and by constant practice develop and enhance their skills for the big occasion. For a single medal and a single event they train for years, regularly. After years of continuous practice they get medals. Consistency shows your state of mind; it shows that you are unfazed by distractions. Such people are those who focus harder on work after success and complacent people are those who relax and do not focus on work after getting success. Regular effort and consistency are like the two faces of a coin; they are always together.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

11. How you view things makes the difference

‘There may be many views but yours is the most
important because it decides whether
you are headed for success or failure’

Once Thomas Edison’s lab caught fire and it was reduced to ashes. Thomas Edison was in his sixties at that time. Several people said that it was really difficult for a man at his age to come back, that everything was burnt, and that he would have to do everything again. A lesser mortal would have been totally dismayed after the incident and would have blamed his luck. But when Edison saw his lab on fire, he said, ‘All mistakes are burnt up, thank God we can start afresh.’ He came up with another invention just six months after this incident. Ultimately, it all depends on you. Everything has positive aspects. Look for the best in every situation and you will be surprised to find how often works out in your favour. Success lies in seeing what everybody misses and making it work for you.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

12. Expect success

‘You may not know when you will get success,but believe you will get it; and continue your efforts,success will be yours’

There was a shopkeeper who used to sell pencils, but for three days he sold no pencils. Again next morning he went to his shop, sat there the whole day without any customer even in the vicinity of the shop. It was 8 p.m. and he usually closed his shop at 9 p.m. Suddenly his mobile phone rang and his wife asked him to come home early, as, she said, there was not much chance of anybody coming after 8 p.m. But the shopkeeper said to her that he would not come before nine. Time was running fast and disappointment was writ large on the face of the shopkeeper, but he saw someone coming to his shop for the first time in the last four days; he smiled on the arrival of that person, but the person asked him the address of somebody’s house in the vicinity and went away. The shopkeeper started to pack up; it was 8:55 pm now and just when he was closing the shop, there was somebody at his shop, an elderly person wearing torn clothes.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The shopkeeper thought that there was not much chance of selling anything. The old man said, ‘I want pencils.’ Oh, does he have the money to pay me? thought the shopkeeper. The old man said, ‘I want 5000 pencils for the Republic Day tomorrow.’ He gave him money and took the pencils. The shopkeeper asked the man why he wanted so many pencils. The old man replied, ‘I am the chief guest in five schools for the Republic Day celebrations.’

If you do what you are supposed to, and in the right direction, success is a matter of time

Shopkeepers sit in their shops waiting for and anticipating customers. They do not know when customers will come. But they are prepared for them, they follow a routine. They do not close the shop if they do not get customers for a day or two. Success is like a customer, you do not know when it will come, but be prepared for it by sticking to your routine and it will come. Successful people persist, they don’t give up. They anticipate and wait for success. They work hard until they get success.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

13. List of no’s to which you have to say yes

Big things are won by those who say no to the easy and alluring things in life’

Actions should be intellect-driven, not merely bonded by likes or dislikes. When you are presented with a choice in life, you can choose something that pleases you but is not good for you in the long run or you can choose something which may not be pleasing to you in the short run but will be useful for you in the long run. Success can be achieved by making tough decisions, by saying no to the lucrative things which bind you to the shackles of mediocrity, and make you an ordinary person, and by saying no to the things which lead to failure. Start today making a list of the things to which you will say no. Here are some of the things with which you can start your list.

No shortcuts

No excuses

No dawdling

No criticism

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

No temptations

No complaining

No gossiping

Saying no to things that bring you down

No backbiting

No grudges

No cheating

14. Identify things that make a difference

To get success you have to stay focused on your aim and make sure that your energy is well utilised. If you waste your energy on insignificant and unimportant things it will go waste. Every little thing that you do matters, so ensure that you engage yourself in fruitful activities which may speed up your journey to success.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Things that matter

It does not matter what has happened

What matters is how I view what has happened.

It does not matter how much money I have

What matters is how I spend it.

It does not matter that I lost

What matters is I did my best.

It does not matter how many people I know

What matters is whether I know myself.

It does not matter what my circumstances, situations and environments are.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

What matters is the attitude that I adopt in dealing with them.

It does not matter that I don’t play well

What matters is that I am always improving.

It does not matter what I wear

What matters is, the knowledge I have.

It does not matter what I have

What matters is that I am happy.

It does not matter what others are doing

What matters is what I am doing.

It does not matter what I want.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

What matters is what I need.

It does not matter that I am not perfect

What matters is that I am persistent.

15. Opportunity

Creating opportunities

Someone once asked Alexander the Great, ‘Would you like to capture the next city if you had the opportunity to do so?’ The emperor replied in an emphatic way, saying, ‘Opportunity! Why, I don’t wait for opportunities, I create opportunities.’ To be successful you don’t have to wait for opportunities, you must create them, and you have to make it happen.

Everybody has equal opportunities; some people don’t ever see them, whereas others are always on the look-out for them, which makes a huge difference. The one who is on the look-out seizes the opportunities and achieves success. Success lies in seizing the existing opportunities and sometimes creating them.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Failure is an opportunity to pass on to bigger things.

Adversity provides an opportunity to rise to levels of greatness.

Poverty is an opportunity to create great wealth.

Fear is an opportunity to be courageous.

Patience is an opportunity to learn precision.

Success is an opportunity to be humble.

Life is an opportunity to be immortal.

Ignorance is an opportunity to learn.

Imperfection is an opportunity to improve.

Suffering is an opportunity to serve.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Death is an opportunity to seek the essence of life.

Today is the biggest opportunity, seize it without fail everyday in your life and succeed.

16. Turn setbacks into achievements

‘First convince yourself that you can do it,others will be convinced only when you do it’

John Bunyan, one of the world’s greatest writers and author of the masterpiece in the English literature, called Pilgrim’s Progress, scripted this masterpiece when he was in jail. He did not wait to get out of prison to write the book. He did not postpone his work because the jailors refused to give him paper to write on. Instead, he sat on the bare floor and wrote on twisted and wrinkled pieces of papers which were used to fasten the milk bottles to the prison.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

It was a setback and a difficult situation. John Bunyan did not have the comfort that most of the writers have, in fact he did not even have paper. But the old saying is always right: where there is a will there is a way. He managed to write, on wrinkled pieces of paper, one of the most celebrated novels. He changed a setback into a stepping stone on his path to success by sheer grit and determination which is the hallmark of extraordinary people.

Setbacks are inevitable, they will come, but he who conquers them gets real success.

Success is achieved by turning setbacks into achievements, by finding ways to deal with problems and turn them into fortunes, by being steadfast and committed to your goals without being distracted by, tragedies and mishaps becoming resolute and more determined when things are not favourable to you. Jesus said, ‘If ye have faith, and doubt not …if ye shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea, it shall see, it shall be done.’ Be free from all doubts, have faith in yourself and believe that you can reverse the situation and you will.

The greater the setback, the greater the opportunity it provides.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

17. Excellence is eternal patience

‘Patience is doing your best till you get the expected result and sometimes it is surpassing the expected result and doing beyond the best’

Patience is not waiting for things to happen, but making things happen and waiting till they happen. Most of the great men had fought pretty tough battles and suffered numerous defeats, like Abraham Lincoln, Edison or Leonardo da Vinci.

But the most important element on which excellence depends is patience. It is the bedrock of anything sublime. Patience is perhaps the most desirable quality in all acts of creativity in the field of art, music or science. Even when others move ahead great people pursue the work which others think absurd and not worth devoting time to it. But ultimately it is patience which triumphs in the form of Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci, a filament bulb made by Edison, the discovery of gravitation by Newton and many other things.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

It is interesting to note that Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps one of the most versatile persons who have lived, a great sculptor and artist, spent ten years in studying the anatomy of a person before he made his first statue. He later spent four years in painting the famous portrait of the woman known as Mona Lisa, which is amongst the best paintings of the world. What makes a person give so much time and make so much effort. Others might have done a lot more in their lives but perhaps none could match the kind and quality of work that Leonardo did. Without incredible patience it is impossible to achieve the perfection that he achieved. His impeccable portrait of Mona Lisa is an example of the reward of patience. You may ask you do not have so much time as Leonardo had. Perhaps, right. But have patience and remember it is the great things that require a lot of effort, energy and time. When you do so you may think that you are doing something worthwhile. Patience is the key to glorious achievements. Do not get rattled if things take some time; be patient, wait and do whatever you think right. Results will follow in course of time. Do not get anxious; instead focus on how you can improve upon what you are doing.

Edison, the great scientist, who is credited with making many great inventions, compared his efforts the sound coming out of the phonograph that he had designed. Edison said, ‘From 18 to 20 hours a day for the past seven months I have worked on the word “specia”. I said into the phonograph “specia, specia, specia” but the instrument sounded “pecia, pecia,pecia”. It was long enough to drive one mad.’

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

But he persisted relentlessly and finally made his phonograph work and succeeded in inventing the phonograph. He had to make a lot of alterations, a lot of trials and he committed so many errors but he kept probing. This is what you need to do in case things are not working well for you. This is how life is. It rewards you according to your efforts sooner or later. Thus be persistent and stop not till you get the desired result. Keep working.

18. Don’t compare yourself with others

‘If success is easily achieved, it is failure’
Success is something which stretches you fully, it makes you perspire, it requires a tremendous effort and energy demands. Achieving something without really doing your very best means that you have the potential to do something bigger and better. It means that you can achieve much more than what you have achieved. Getting more than others but less than your worth is defeat. Success means you get what you deserve, what you are capable of. Michelangelo never compared his art with anyone else’s art, nor did great Newton or Einstein stop doing their experiments just because they were better than others. They did their best ceaselessly without fail throughout their life and that is why they stand among the tallest men in the annals of human achievements. Achieve what you are capable of by doing your best and working as hard as you can. Don’t compare yourself with others but learn from all.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

19. Power of persistence

It took Chestler Carlson about 20 years to succeed in his effort to make a photocopying machine. He started his quest for a technique for photocopying in 1938 and after making a lot of experiments and doing hard work he became successful in his endeavour. But his idea was rejected by several companies; after several disappointments a small company, Haloid, acquired its patent in 1947. Later Haloid became known as Xerox, which is now one of the most successful companies in the world. The first machine was launched by the Xerox in 1959. Success comes to the one who persists; persistence makes the difference between a hit and a miss. Success and failure depend on persistence. One who persists longer always succeeds. To overcome problems you have to persist longer than the problems.

Persistence can take you where talent cannot reach; it can take you where charisma cannot lead you. It takes you where patience and effort together take you and makes you achieve the highest goals. It takes you where mediocrity makes way for greatness to greatness. Persistence works like magic, it makes the impossible possible. It makes you enjoy your journey till you reach your destination. Never give up, keep persisting.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

20. Take full responsibility for your actions

It was all chaos, the scenes were heart-rendeing: human bodies in pain and blood and death everywhere, people screaming, running here and there, bogies toppled one upon another; an accident had occurred, a train accident. The person responsible for the mishap was to retire from service the same day when the accident occurred; nobody could find out the cause of the accident and that person went home feeling relieved. When he reached home he started narrating to his wife how he forgot to change the tracks and so the accident occurred; he told her that, as, it was the last day his service he would go scott free, and that nobody would be able to get to the cause of the accident. He was confident that he was safe and was happy that he had no longer go to work; just then the phone started ringing. He picked up the phone; a rescue team member was on the phone; he asked him to immediately come to the spot where the accident had occurred; he reached the station rather reluctantly but when he reached there he was terribly shocked to see the dead body of a young man with a gift for his father—a Father’s Day present—the dead man’s friend told that he wanted to give a surprise to his father, so he did not even inform his father that he was coming to meet him; the man was shocked and petrified and cried in anguish; the young man who lay there dead was his own son.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Take responsibility for your actions.

You cannot escape, there is no way out, sooner or later you have to pay the price for all your actions.

Never underestimate others, suffering; next time you may be at the receiving end.

It is never over till it is completely over. Every second counts.

Your actions are a reflection of who you are. You cannot escape the results of your actions. Make sure that you take full accountability for your actions. You leave an impression about yourself through your actions, which no one notices.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

21. Enjoy what you do

‘When work becomes a pain, life becomes a vocation; when work becomes a pleasure, life becomes a vacation’

I met a person who was known for his excellence. When I asked him what was his hobby, he replied it was his work. Excellence is a habit, as Aristotle said. To attain excellence you have to do your best and work wholeheartedly. Excellence is what makes work a joy. The happiest people are those who love to do what they do and they do excellent work. It is imperative to enjoy work as the quality of your work increases manifold if you love and enjoy your work. You do not have any other choice, because work is something that occupies most of your life; either you have to find out something you love to do or you have to love what you do. The people who make the greatest success stories, the greatest scientists, engineers and artists all loved their work and that was what made them achieve great things. You cannot escape work; sooner or later you have to realise this and do your best.

Work

The greatest work is not where you can make a million

But the one where you can touch a million.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The greatest work is not where you can create wealth

But the one where you can create a legacy

22. When the going gets tough the tough gets going

‘If you want to succeed learn to confront the hurdles; you just cannot avoid them in the long run; sooner or later you have to overcome these hurdles to succeed’

At the age of fourteen, this young boy caught a cold, which later deteriorated into severe rheumatism. Thus he became a cripple for life.He was unable to move about as he used to. He lived for fifty-nine years after he was crippled. The struggle against illness and pain was intense; throughout his life he had to fight against physical disabilities.

The boy could not go to school and college because of his illness. But he refused to surrender meekly; instead, he chose to live with a fighting spirit and optimistically began to teach himself while he was bedridden.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Finally, pain and illness were defected by the doggness and determination of the boy, who developed interest in astronomy. He later became known as John Flamsteed. He was Britain’s first astronomer. He became a prominent astronomer and did an amazing work in improving the theories of astronomy. His paper supplied to Newton useful data for his book.

His work was well appreciated when he entered the Royal Observatory in Greenwich as the first royal astronomer. He made barometers and thermometers at home.

He was knighted by the King of England for his contribution to science which was immensely useful. His services in the field of astronomy were pioneering and laid the foundation for exploring space.

Somebody said it right, ‘The highest laurels of life have been won by those who fought the toughest battles.’

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

23. Often the difference is very small

Often the difference between victory and defeat is very small; it is a little fraction of a second that decides who is the winner of the race, it is a small difference in the number of marks that decides who wins the gold medal in the exam; often the difference in the persistence of a loser and that of a winner is very small; it is a small difference which decides who gets promoted; it is a very small degree of deviation from the path which decides whether a satellite launched is successful or not; there is a very small difference between a successful and an unsuccessful surgery; it is a very small difference that makes a big difference at the end. Never underestimate small things; carefully pay attention to the small things, the small things get added and make a big difference in the end. Success is the result of a series of small efforts; every little thing that you do, every little effort that you make to succeed makes the difference in the end.

The word ‘Kaizen’ is derived from two words—kai, which means ‘to change,’ and zen, which means ‘good or for the better.’ Thus Kaizen means a process of continuous and gradual improvement. Even small amounts over a period of time contribute a great deal. The difference that each day occurs in our life ultimately results in a big difference.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

24. Do your best

The F1 racing car is made of approximately 80,000 components; if it were assembled 99.9% correctly; it would still have 80 components wrong. It needs only one defect for the car not to start. The point is that there is a huge difference between 100% and 99.9%; every small contribution is needed to make 100%; 99.99% may just be not good enough. Give your 100% to whatever you do. Leave nothing to chance; absolute preparedness and constant practice are what are required for success. Success comes when you give your 100% and do not leave even the smallest space for a failure or a mishap.

25. Finish it off

In a race it is not the person who takes the early lead but the person who finishes first wins. The end is the point of evaluation and not the start. You are rewarded on how you finish and not on how you start. So when you begin doing something you will be known by how well you finished it rather than by how you started it. Make sure that even if you stutter in the beginning or in the middle you finish it rather than leaving it undone.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Always remember

• When you start losing mental focus, that is the time you should strive harder to concentrate.

• It is better to stumble than to stop.

• The easiest thing is to stop, but the best thing is to fight and carry on the flight till the end.

• Medals are not awarded to those who give up the race in the middle.

• If you continue and try, you may succeed, but if you do not continue and try, you will not succeed.

In the 1968 Olympics, in the Mexico Olympic stadium, marathon runners were crossing the finishing line and only a few spectators were left there to witness the incredible feat of a strong-willed and determined man called John Stephen Akhwari.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The man from Tanzania was injured in a fall. Battered and bruised, his leg was bloody and crudely bandaged; in a lot of pain he was finishing the final few laps of the 26-mile contest. The final few laps were very difficult but he continued to run and with great determination finished the long race. He got a standing ovation and huge applause from the crowd as if he was the winner of the race. After he finished the race, he was asked why he kept running despite injury and pain when he could have quit. ‘My country did not send me 7,000 miles away to start the race. They sent me to finish it’, was his response. His reply shows the spirit of all those who make it big in life. It is not you start, it is important how you finish. You will fall, you will fail, you will go through pain, but you must not quit. You have to finish off the race.

You need not be a winner to win. Winner is the person who does his best and not the one who wins, just like Akhwari who is a winner.

Success

Success is not for the weak

They don’t have the strength to combat the battles for success.

Success is not for the lazy

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

They don’t make the effort required to win.

Success is not for the procrastinators.

They don’t do anything, thinking that there is a tomorrow which never comes.

Success is not for the impatient

They don’t wait long enough for the game to finish.

Success is not for those who make excuses

They don’t accept the responsibility to do anything.

Success is not for the people who are tempted by ordinary things of life

They don’t have the ability to rise above the temporary pleasure.

Success is for the fearless, bold, dynamic and ever-patient one.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Success is for the one who dreams with his eyes open.

Success is for those who expect, wait and want it the most.

It is for the one who strives and makes a big effort

Who plans, prepares and executes well the ordained task.

It is for the most persistent who sweats in the scorching sun

And who knows what he wants and tries his very best to win.

‘The strongest foundation for success is laid by the merit of your actions, nothing in the world can shake it’

Everyone entertains the thought of becoming great; all want to leave an indelible footprint on the sands of time. Cherishing a dream is one thing and executing it is something different. We must see to it that by the dint of hard work and perseverance that dreams are turned into realities.

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Success comes to those who even amidst severe difficulties and hardships carry on whatever they have taken up; when obstacles grow they become tougher and more focused; they are the people who get success. When they are down, when they are hurt, when they are cornered, they do not grieve and lose heart, but become more determined to succeed. They are the people who succeed.

‘H2O is necessary for life and so also for success, it being humour, humility and optimism.’

To see a bright ray of hope in every failure, to be able to laugh about when things are not going well, and to appreciate and acknowledge that you owe your living to this world are rare privileges, which give you power to succeed.

Ultimately, it is not what you know, not what you say, not what you think, not what you promise, not what you can do, not who you know, not what you have done in the past, that matter; what matters is what you do now to achieve success.

Chapter 7

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Never mind, be happy

Never mind if you do not get what you desire,
Be happy with what you have.

Never mind if you do not get success
Be happy with the effort that you have made.

Never mind when you meet people who are superior to you,
Be happy that you got a chance to learn something from them.

Never mind what others suggest you,
Be happy with what you can suggest to yourself.

Never mind what people think about you,
You are still what you are.

Never mind that you have to work hard,
Be happy that you have work to do as opposed to none.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Never mind if you are doing ordinary things,
Be happy that you can do them extraordinarily well.

Never mind what this world has to offer you,
Be happy that you can still make a difference.

Never mind that you are growing old,
Be happy that can learn more and more.

Never mind if a wrong is done to you,
Be happy that it wasn’t you who has done the wrong.

Never mind that you have made a mistake,
Be happy that you realised and corrected it.

Never mind losing over arguments,
Be happy for not losing friends over arguments.

Never mind if somebody hates you,
Be happy that you can still love him.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Never mind when people pull you down,
Be happy that you are doing something worthwhile.

Never mind when you are down,
Be happy that you can always get up.

Ask yourself what makes you happy

As a child, I used to ask for balloons, toys and chocolates. If I would get them, I used to be happy. If I didn’t, I would get upset. I felt dejected when I did not get the things that I wanted, even though they might not have been useful for me, sometimes might have been even harmful.

When I grew up a little, I asked for freedom, fun and play. If I would get them, I used to be happy; if I didn’t, I got really upset. After some time I asked for bikes, money and wanted to be with my friends, away from all bondages. If I would get them, I was happy, otherwise, I was upset. Now when I sit back and think about the things that I craved for as a kid, as a young boy, I think that the things that I wanted were never really useful for me, but I always wanted those things and got unnecessarily upset when I did not get them. My happiness depended on things which were of no value but I did not understand this.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

So now when I ask for something, I ask myself, is it really worth having? Will I be really happy five years down the line, or ten years down the line, with this thing? The answer to most of the things is no. This has made my life a lot better and a lot simpler. No longer there is the anxiety to go for the mundane things, I can now look for the bigger and nobler things that a mortal can aspire for, and that makes me happier than ever before.

What makes one unhappy?

Excessive indulgence.

Worry.

Anxiety about results.

Bitterness in relations and an unforgiving attitude.

Unable to see the happiness and prosperity of others.

Comparison with others.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Meaningless and boring life.

Failures and difficulties

Criticism, holding grudges and resentments.

Unfulfilled desires.

Attachment to things. It is not possession but attachment that causes sorrow.

Old age, disease and death.

Let us look at some of the things which rob us of our happiness. One of the major challenges is to fight and control anger and agitation arising out of unsatisfied cravings, comparisons, delays, denials and several other things. The idea is to attain a state of mental balance and happiness and to reach the optimum in every facet of life.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Anger management

‘Anyone can become angry—that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time,for the right purpose, and in the right way —this is not easy’ —Aristotle

Anger is a negative emotion. It is an emotion which shows uncontrolled behavior. It shows that you are weak. You do not have control over your emotions. The best way is to channelise your anger, conserve your energy and use it in a better way. Being angry is a matter of choice; choosing anger is a bad option.

Learn the art of dealing with people. Remember that everybody is not the same. Understand that people hold different opinions.

Anger is one letter short of danger

Anger arising out of ego

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Your ego is hurt when someone says something to you that you do not like or when someone insults you, when someone rebukes you, when you are not given your due or are mistreated. This is the best setting to practise detachment, and show that you can transcend yourself, forgive and forget.

Anger arising from unfulfilled desires

Anger arises when your desires are not fulfilled. The desires may be good or bad, but once you do not get what you desire, it creates an agitation in the mind, leading to anger. If the desires are noble, they will find a way to get materialised. If the desires are not good, they will create more agitation and will create a web around you. Practise contentment.

Anger arising from a wrong done to you

When someone wrongs you or cheats you, when something unrighteous is done, when injustice prevails, anger is natural. If you are right, you have a cause and a reason to be angry; however, do not waste your energy in letting out your anger. Harness the energy and do something worthwhile, that is the best way to let out your anger.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Don’t let someone else’s mistake or actions dictate your response. Your actions are ultimately under your control.

Once a news channel, BBC, conducted a programme untitled ‘The Defining Moment’, seeking to know the defining moments in the lives of the most successful people around. One of them was Azim Premji, whose response just showed what it meant to harness anger and use it constructively.

Azim Premji said, ‘I was studying at Stanford University. My father suddenly died, so I had to rush back to India and I attended the first annual general meeting of my company. A shareholder, who was very articulate, very vociferous and who categorised himself as a public spokesman, gave me a very sincere advice in front of all the shareholders. He said: “Mr. Premji, you should sell your shareholding and give it to more mature management because there is no way a person of your age with your experience can lead this company.” And that really made me more and more determined to make a success of Wipro. So I think he was the biggest service I ever got in Wipro.’

Premji did not get angry with that person but managed to capitalise on his energy and build one of the most successful companies of India.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Premji has been often called the father of the Indian outsourcing phenomenon, attracting global clients around the world and leading Wipro to great success.

Anger disturbs peace; it destroys calmness and makes a person lose his ability to reason. Your response may be filled with anger and that is natural. The anger, even though it may be righteous, does not do any good to the person who is angry. It causes damage to the physiology of the body; extreme anger can even cause heart attacks, strokes and death. Even in the normal course, anger is destructive. Harness the same energy to do something constructive. To be angry is easy, but to use the anger and create something significant and big art of it, requires an extraordinary mindset. It is easy to do the ordinary act, that is, to get angry; if you can control your response even once in ten situations which arouse your anger, you are on your way to rise. You can do so, it if you try it

Let us look at the ways in which we can multiply the moments of our happiness and increase them by our conscious endeavour.

Means to happiness

Seek to serve.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Desire to be free from dualities. Be unbiased and enjoy things.

Strive for excellence in whatever you do.

Fulfil your duty.

Live life with a mission, a sense of direction or a purpose.

Be at peace with yourself, meditate, be silent, create inner harmony,

Forgive, and forget the things that make you sad.

Detach yourself from the results, give your best.

Do what you love to do and that which elevates you in your life.

Think nobly, tune your mind to good thoughts; it works as a tonic for the mind.

Practise what you preach.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Thinking about short-term gains brings sorrow, thinking about longterm gains brings joy.

Make someone else happy; it works like magic.

Be thankful to God for the things that you have.

Forgiveness is a way to happiness

Many times people get upset by what others say; people get upset and bear grudges against them. In the process they become tense, angry and stressed because they cannot forgive and forget. They brood over such actions again and again. Sometimes people take criticism personally and take it to their heart.

But the research conducted by Greg Easterbrook has shown that the people who forgive are happier and healthier than those who bear resentments.

Studies have shown that being a forgiving person makes you a happy person as opposed to those who bear grudges.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Even when a wrong has been done to you, to bear the feeling of hatred and anger does not help you, instead it affects you physically and mentally both; it makes you unhappy.

When you have negative emotions such as anger or hatred it is you who gets affected and not the person with whom you are angry. So forgive and forget in order to be happy. Take things in your stride; people have the right to have their own opinions. You cannot control others but you can always control yourself. Don’t hold any negative opinion against anybody and you will be a much happier person.

Psychological research has begun to show that being a forgiving person is essential to happiness. Even when someone wrongs you, feeling angry or hatred only causes your life descend to misery and resentment. You are the person who suffers, not the person you are angry with. Forgiving on the other hand can lift the burden.

Whispers from God

‘Whoso heareth me shall not be confounded’ ECCLESIASTICUS xxiv. 30.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

I heard a voice, looked around and found no one, to my surprise; then said the voice, ‘I am God.’ I was shocked. Then said he, ‘Come to me. I am God. Don’t worry, just be with me.’ I said, ‘Good Lord, salutations to thee.’ I asked him, ‘So what is thy wish for me?’ He said, ‘Why don’t you listen to me?’ I said, ‘Never ever you spoke to me. You are away.’ He replied, ‘You do what you want, you never listen to me.’ I said, ‘But, God, you never spoke to me, you are always away.’ He said, ‘I am with you all the time, but you are never with me. I tell you often but you don’t listen to me. You hear me not when I command, you care not what I say, you go your own merry ways and say to me that I don’t say. I guide you, but you go astray and think that I am away. You give me sorrow and pain; when I tell you that you hurt me, you say that it is the only way since I am away.’ I said, ‘Sorry, God, I was lost, please guide me your way. I now know you were always there, but I went astray.’ Lord replied, ‘Listen to me, I am within you, I stop you from going the wrong way, I always tell you the right way. Listen to me to mend your ways.’ ‘But where are you, God?’ I asked, and a prompt reply was heard, ‘I am present as the little voice within you that always has something to say; let it be your guide and follow its commands. Prosperity and success will be following thy way.’

‘Listen to your inner voice and follow what it tells you.Everyone in this life is born to accomplish a mission.Hence follow the inner command and you will always be happy’ —Mother Teresa

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Happiness out of work

‘The secret of joy in work is contained in one word excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it’ —Pearl S. Buck

Chanakya was one of the greatest teachers in ancient India. His teachings are well known as the ‘Chanakya niti’, which contains great management principles. He was a learned and scholarly person; he emphasised that one should analyse thoroughly before starting something new. He said, ‘Once you start something, don’t be afraid of failure and don’t abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.’

Take all possibilities into account and then start and once you start something don’t give it up unless it is finished. To abandon something in the middle or being apprehensive does not give you joy. Hence work sincerely; put your heart and soul into your work, that is where happiness lies.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Excellence in your vocation brings happiness. When you do something well, when you enjoy your work, excellence follows. Strive for excellence. Excellence is the result of persistent and consistent effort. Csikszentmihalyi in his research has shown that doing what you love to do increases happiness and gives a sense of meaning to your life. Great athletes call it ‘being in the zone’. This is described as the highest state which produces happiness; you move in the direction of your goal or purpose and your mind switches to a higher state where you just flow and do your activity, engage yourself in the process without thinking about anything else. It happens when you are completely tuned to what you are doing; you are no longer bothered about the outcome, but your mind is completely focused on what you are doing. For a student, it is focusing on the studies, focusing on the subject and learning rather than thinking about the marks. That is the best way to learn; if the mind of the student is engaged in the thought about marks at the time of studying his learning is affected. When the mind flows freely it is the moment when the greatest achievements come, be it artists, professionals or athletes; this is the secret of happiness.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Have a balanced state of mind

Sorrow, unhappiness is inevitable in life. There is no life that has ever existed without its share of suffering, disappointment and sorrow. What is important is, how well you are equipped to handle these phases of your life. It is all temporary; just as a pendulum swings from one end to the other, similarly a man moves from a state of joy to sorrow. But to be centred in life, adopting a balanced approach and enjoying ups and downs give real happiness. Aspire to be happy, come what may; don’t be unnecessarily attached to something, don’t worry for things that you cannot do anything about. Try to learn from failures and enjoy them. Maintain poise in success.

Celebrate not just success but also failures, not just pleasure but also pains, not just joy but also sorrow, not just triumphs but also adversities.When you begin to do that you celebrate life.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Remember the old story about the king who was unhappy and went out looking for happiness. At least, a wise person told the king to wear the shirt of the happiest person in his kingdom to become happy. After a lot of search, the happiest man in the kingdom was found. But the man didn’t have even a shirt. The message is still relevant; you don’t really become happy by accumulating things. Happiness doesn’t really depend on what you possess. Happiness is a state of mind which one cultivates. Great sages are always happy; they are in a state of bliss though they don’t have any materialistic objects. Thus, it is a mistake to associate happiness with the things that you have.

Remember what makes you happy

Forget the critics, remember the criticism.

Forget the competition, remember your job.

Forget the grudges, remember to forgive.

Forget the people who hate you, remember those who love you.

Forget the defeats, remember the lessons from them.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Forget the distractions, remember your purpose.

Forget the people who pull you down, remember those who help you climb up.

Forget the adversity, remember the growth.

Forget the obstacles, remember your dreams.

Forget the negatives, remember the positives.

Forget the failures, remember that nobody is perfect.

Forget the excuses, remember to find a way to do work.

Forget what you did yesterday, remember that today is a new day.

Forget what people think about you, remember they are busy thinking about themselves.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Forget the difficulties, remember the opportunities.

Forget the disappointment, remember there is hope.

Forget the things that stop you, remember what gets you going.

Forget your worries, remember to smile.

Forget your limitations, remember that you can always overcome them.

Forget yourself, remember you are a part of the Infinite.

Forget ‘cannot’, remember you can do.

It is all about forgetting the bad things and remembering the good ones.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Enjoy the work

Happiness lies in the process, not in the end product. Attaching happiness with the end result or the destination deprives you of the true happiness that you can derive out of the work. Any activity can have two results, positive or negative; in case the result is negative, we get disheartened. Even if the result is positive, we don’t enjoy it always and move on to the next desire or activity. We tend to focus so much on the result that we lose the real pleasure that is derived from the process. Happiness does not lie in the objects of desire; it lies in the mind of the man. So enjoy the process, irrespective of the result.

The best journey is the journey within. Look nowhere except within and there lies all the happiness. By all means have your possessions but don’t let their absence cause distress. Learn to manage with or without the objects of your desire. That is when you get real happiness. Happiness that comes from external things is temporary and they also cause sorrow. Happiness is a state which cannot be achieved by getting things or by attachment to external objects. Attaching happiness to material possessions is like the mirage in the desert. Desert travellers see a pool of water in the desert where there is none. This is called mirage. It is caused by a trick of light in which a part of the blue sky appears to be surrounded by land which creates the illusion of a pool.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

When one goes to the place where water appears to be present, he finds out that the place has shifted farther away; it was just an illusion. Similar is the case with happiness which is associated with certain things; when you get them you come to know that those things don’t really give happiness as imagined but only create an illusion of happiness once you get them you realise that.

A deer seeks the scent and moves from one place to the other in search of it. It doesn’t know that the scent is in its own body, located in its natal, and that it doesn’t need to go out to find it. Man is also like the deer; though he has an abundance and all happiness within; he goes out in search of happiness but finds it not; he knows not that happiness is inside and not outside.

The way to enjoy is to give up attachment.

The way to succeed is to persist.

The way to happiness is to enjoy the process.

The way to strength is through struggles.

The way to power is to take responsibility.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The way to love is to serve.

The way to live is to be awake.

The way to peace is to be silent.

A story is narrated about a man who walked up to Socrates and asked him about Athens. He said that he wanted to shift to Athens, so he enquired about the life in Athens. Socrates asked him, ‘What is your native place like? How is life there?’ The man replied, ‘The place is full of conceit, confusion, chaos and all bad people stay there.’ Socrates said, ‘Athens is the same. You will find the same things here.’ After some days another man came to Socrates and asked him the same question about Athens. Socrates asked him about his native place to which the man replied, ‘The place is full of peace, cooperation and people are very helpful and cordial.’ Socrates said, ‘Welcome to Athens.’

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

You make your own environment

Most of the problems are internal, but we look for external things to fix them.

A man who is not at peace with himself seldom finds peace outside.

Be willing to fight against your problems, never run away from them.

What you see outside is merely a reflection of inside.

If you are happy within, you will see good things in life. If you are sad and down, you will see bad things. What you see is a reflection of your internal state. When you are cheerful, everything looks harmonious. When you are sad, everything looks chaotic

‘If our inner world is not in harmony we cannot be in harmony with others; if the inner world is in harmony we cannot be in conflict with others.’

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

When you see a quarrel it means that inner harmony is missing. But the person who is in a blissful state, like the sages, in a state of extreme bliss, he seems to be unaffected even when some wrong is done to him.He is still at peace with himself and others; he doesn’t waste his energy on things which cannot be changed or what are beyond him.

Recall the story of King Midas who was granted his wish that whatever he would touch it would turn into gold. He was very happy; he started touching things and they turned into gold. The clothes, the fruits the utensils and everything he touched turned into gold. He was happy until he touched his daughter who was turned into gold. He realised that even gold and riches cannot bring happiness; he cried for his wish to be taken back. He also realised that everything was temporary. Anything that came from outside was short-lived and could not make you happy for long. Even though you may be turning all the things in your life into gold, beware there may come a day when you may regret it, if you don’t realise that beyond the riches there are some things in the life that cannot be neglected.

‘The happiness which is obtained by long practice of disciplines, which puts an end to the sorrow, which is like poison in the beginning but like nectar in the end, which is derived from the serenity arising from the real self, is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness(sattvika).’

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘Whereas happiness is declared to be in the mode of passion, which is born of the union of the senses with their objects, which seems nectarlike in the beginning but turns out to be poison in the end.’

‘That happiness is in the mode of ignorance (Tamasika), which springs from sleepiness, sloth and heedlessness and which is delusive in its effect on the spirit from the beginning to the end.’ Bhagvadgita 18:37-39.

Bhagvadgita describes the happiness based on the modes of nature. Thus the real happiness is that which arises by discipline and effort. It is when you go deep within, when you are in harmony with yourself. It is difficult in the beginning but slowly by practice you begin to derive happiness and the pleasure that comes from nowhere but from your spirit. Happiness that arises from external objects and lucrative things is temporary and gives sorrow in the end, though it is quite enticing and pleasing in the beginning. Also the happiness which comes from the vices has a corrupting effect on the human; in the long run what you get is pain and not happiness; refrain from all such activities and experience the real happiness.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘Guard against momentary joy which may give long-term sorrow’

Whatever brings us pleasure we must do that is the common notion that one has, but that leads to more distress and unhappiness. Someone has rightly said, ‘Going after happiness deprives you of it, but when you don’t chase it, it comes to you.’ Don’t run after pleasures, don’t chase them, do your work and be happy with it. All joy will come to you. If you cannot find happiness in what you do, then you will be unhappy most of the time, as you need to work for most of the time in your life. Work is ultimately the source of happiness and joy. Identify what makes you really happy in life and do it.

Cherish the beauty of the moment,

For it shall pass without your notice; it brings joy, unlimited.

Cherish the music of the morning,

For it shall pass without your notice; it brings tranquillity, infinite.

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Cherish the silence of the night;

For it shall pass without your notice; it brings the promise of sunrise.

Cherish all that there is, cherish all that exists,

For it shall pass in waiting for something that does not, and you forget every moment is life.

Chapter 8

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

‘Failures are milestones on the way to success; they guide us along the way to success by telling us how far we are off the target’

There are some common causes of failures, the things which stop us from achieving what we are capable of. They may be different for different individuals but most of them are common to all. One can never let one’s guard down in the face of these problems, for they are bound to fill life with frustration and failures. The things that bring us down, the things which take away the glory of accomplishing what we are truly capable of, let us take a vow to fight them and eradicate them from our life and strive to live a life that one can look back with pride and feel happy about it.

Failures create a web of doubts, which entangles most people. The man who comes out of the web is not necessarily the strongest but he is the one who keeps trying to break free despite repeated failures.‘Failure is a signboard which says, try again.’

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

What does the word ‘Fail’ mean to you?

F- First

A- Attempt

I - In

L- Learning

For me it means that the process has begun, you have started your journey to learn, and there is great value in a failure. Fail means first attempt in learning; it gives you the right feedback as to where you stand and what you need to do in order to make yourself successful. One learns to value success by failing. For, it makes success all the more sweet. If you don’t fail often, there is a great possibility that you don’t do a lot of things,or that you set low targets. If you want to succeed, learn to fail first because there is great lesson in failing which spurs you on to reach greater levels of success in your life.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘Failing never makes you a failure. Quitting does’ —Anonymous

When Henry Ford shifted Edison’s lab to Dearborn village, it was shifted with all the trash intact as Henry wanted everybody to see how much effort Edison had put in to succeed. He had to do a lot of experimentation and a lot of waste was thrown out before he could succeed. The trash pile was gigantic, indicating both the preparation as well as failures in his way to success. Behind every success there is a string of failures, which often go unnoticed.

When you do something, ensure

That you don’t fail for lack of preparation,

That you don’t fail for lack of effort,

That you don’t fail for lack of commitment,

That you don’t fail for lack of practice,

That you don’t fail for lack of responsibility,

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

That you don’t fail for lack of trying,

That you don’t fail for lack of focus.

Then even if you fail it will be a lesson and not a failure.

Knowledge without action and action without knowledge,

Analysis without work and work without analysis,

Demand without need and need without demand,

Success without hard work and hard work without success,

Work without enjoying and enjoying without work,

All lead to failure.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Handling defeat/failure in a graceful manner

• Learn a lesson.

• Accept that there is somebody who has done better than you or you were not up to it.

• Take it sportingly.

• Analyse what went wrong but move ahead.

• Grow with every situation. View it as a challenge.

• Try and detach yourself from the outcome. Be happy.

• Don’t brood over the past. Move on, especially when you cannot change things.

• Count your blessings and be thankful for them instead of being preoccupied with failures.

• Attitude matters most when you lose.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

• Everything is temporary, it will not last.

• It makes you more compassionate and humbler.

• Always look for positive possibilities, they are aplenty, but not everybody finds them. Train yourself by always looking at the positive side in every situation.

• Everything has a cause. Everything happens for a reason.

• Forget the failures but remember the lessons.

• Keep trying, keep learning and keep improving.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Seek the power within to fight

Let not failures daunt you.

Let not fear cause strife.

Turn to your inner resources.

Spark the light of life.

Every battle of the struggle.

In your life, irrespective of the result, you will fight

I read a story about a five-year-old little girl, Nancy, One day she went to the market with her mother. The little girl was fascinated by a pearl necklace and she asked her mother to get the necklace for her. The mother enquired the price of the necklace but it was too high for her to purchase the necklace. She somehow consoled the little girl and promised her to bring the necklace for her the next day.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Next day, she brought the necklace, gave it to the little girl and asked her to take care of it and when she took bath, otherwise, she said, the necklace would turn green. Nancy was very happy and excited after getting the necklace and wore it all day long and took it off only when she took bath.

The little girl’s father loved her very much and every night, before she slept, he told her a story. After finishing the story her father asked, ‘Nancy, how much do you love me?’ She spread her arms, indicating the huge amount of love for her father. Father said, ‘Then give your necklace to me, dear.’ Nancy said, ‘Daddy, take away my new ribbons or this teddy bear but don’t ask for the necklace.’ Her father laughed. Next day again after finishing the story, he asked Nancy to give him her necklace. Again she was willing to give her toys but not the necklace. After a few days passed, one day when her father returned home from the office, she ran to her father and gave her necklace to him. Her father smiled and took out a blue velvet box in which was kept the original pearl necklace and gave it to Nancy. In fact Nancy’s mother had given her a plastic necklace.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

God’s delays are not His denials

A lot of strife is caused in life when something is taken away by God but you invariably get something much better in return. To gain something sometimes you have to lose something. Don’t panic; always remember that ultimately it all happens for the very best.

What you want might be nothing as compared to what you are going to get; just be patient.

God’s plan is sometimes better than your plan. Perhaps you might be capable of getting bigger and better things than you have yourself imagined. Just carry on and know that at the end of the day, you will triumph.

Ego

During the time of communal violence, one of the Sikh Gurus visited Multan, which is now in Pakistan. He wanted to spread his message of love and peace, so he decided to talk with the people and wanted them to realise that wrong had been done to them. So he went to people and tried to explain to them; he went to a shop and when he tried to instruct the shopkeeper.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

the shopkeeper took a beaker and started pouring milk in it from another beaker until it was completely filled, and said to the Guru, ‘If I pour some more milk in it, it will spill out. It is completely filled. Similarly, we are completely filled with our religion and we don’t want to hear anyone.’ The Guru looked at him and took out a rose from his pocket and pulled out some of the petals of the flower and floated them on the surface of the milk in the beaker. Then the Guru said, ‘There is always room for good things; even if you are full with yourself, accommodate the good.’ The person got the message and thus was humbled by the saint.

If you are full of yourself, chances are that you will not be able to learn, listen or advance in life. Even if you are full of yourself, don’t reject the good things that come to you.

Don’t be egoistic and don’t close your mind; if you do that, failure is not far away.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Practising humility

Humility is an expression of the heart which makes communication easy; it helps you grow, learn and prosper. Humility always triumphs where ego struggles. Humility is a virtue which shows proper understanding; it knows that you are just playing your part in the cosmic design during the short span of your life. Humility is the realisation that you are an instrument in the orchestra and the symphony is created due to others also. It is the ability which provides others ample space. It is the ability which makes your good qualities quite visible. When a person is arrogant his good qualities are overshadowed by arrogance. Humility is the essence of learning; it accepts it what it does not know and is always eager to learn. It creates a lot of space for you, especially in the hearts of others. Humility is an expression of class and strength. It is the ability to achieve big things without even making noise about it. It is the absence of false pride and pretence. Humility comes when ego is conquered.

The tallest trees, the highest mountains, and the tallest structures all have one thing in common. They are always grounded. No matter howsoever high you go, keep your feet on the ground, as it hurts the most when you fall from a height.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

1. Lack of Courage to Pursue Your Dreams

Honda was a man of courage and grit. He was keen to design a new kind of piston that would improve the performance of the cars. He worked very hard for it and was sure that his designs would be revolutionary. He offered his designs to the Toyota. The engineers turned his offer down without even meeting him once. He was not one to step back; he continued to try to meet the people from the Toyota. But when they had a meeting his product was ridiculed by them. An ordinary person would have given up, but Honda provided them all the details and finally his conviction won. He got an order to supply pistons to the Toyota.

After facing all the hardships, Honda invested all his resources and made full effort to start a plant for producing pistons. But nature willed otherwise; there was an earthquake in Japan which destroyed his factory and his dream. Yet Honda retained faith and courage; he started construction of the factory again. The factory was soon ready.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

When the factory was ready and production was about to start, the World War II broke out. Bombs were dropped and much of Japan was tormented and devastated by these attacks. Honda’s factory was destroyed yet again, but bombs could only dismantle his factory and not his hope and spirit. Honda lost his factory, property, wealth and friends, yet he continued making all the effort in the world and began to construct his factory for the third time. Now, the Honda car company is one of the leading car companies in the world bigger than even the Toyota. Honda has shown that courage and persistence can overcome every obstacle; he who is prepared to fight will get his due. If you have faith in your dreams, the impossible becomes possible.

A life of dreams is the dream of a life. Live your dream, for that is a life which strengthens you, for that is exciting and challenging. When you live a life without dreams, aspirations, challenges and without something to look forward to, there is no joy, just the same routine and the survival of existence. Survival becomes a necessity, the struggle to sustain yourself becomes a challenge and in the end you lose yourself. Create a life of dreams and make your presence a gift to the world; it is a privilege rarely few have.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

2. Fear

‘Fear is the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the facts’

Perhaps the most common obstacle that most people are confronted with, which reduces them to limited mediocre beings is fear. Fearlessness is the facet which involves being free without being reckless. Fearlessness is different from recklessness. In recklessness there is no responsibility for action and there is the lack of proper understanding, whereas fearlessness is taking responsibility for your actions with proper understanding.

Fear arises when you focus on the wrong things. It arises when you focus on the results instead of focusing on the work. When you look at the result and not the activity, the mind becomes anxious and hence the fear comes. It arises when you don’t have faith in yourself and in the higher power. If you trust yourself, all the doubts and fears will be dispelled. Know that you are part of the divine; you are not an ordinary creature but you are specially designed to accomplish something big.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Fearlessness comes with the faith. The degree of fearlessness depends on the depth of your faith. The more fearless you become, the greater the things you can achieve.

Faith in yourself is the beginning of fearlessness.

Fear imposes shackles of mediocrity, whereby one goes about in a routine manner and does what everyone else is doing, does not listen to himself but sees and follows others, and does not realise his own potential. Fear is also ‘the state of inertia’, whereby one is opposed to change, thus avoiding failures and in the process avoiding success. Avoiding failures because of fear is known as the ‘fear of failure syndrome.’

Look around at anything great that has ever been done, there has been a sense of fearlessness and risk about it. You need to have firm belief and faith to make it possible. Everything new and different has a lot of apprehension around it. But with fearlessness you can conquer all the doubts. Once it was considered impossible to fly.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

People feared flying. But two men, the Wright brothers, were busy defying fear; they had faith in themselves and they made flying possible. They did not create the plane out of fear; Mozart did not compose out of fear; the greatest artists, the greatest professionals did not work in fear, but they worked with faith in themselves. The people who work under external fear seldom achieve greatness but people who work with faith in themselves do.

3. Reckless, Careless Attitude

There was a seventeen-year-old-boy who was gifted a bike on his birthday by his father. He had a long-cherished dream of riding a bike and finally he received his gift. He went for a ride and drove the bike as fast as he could, and, while carelessly taking a turn, the bike slipped, causing a severe accident. While in hospital, the boy regained consciousness after the accident. Beside him was his father; he looked at his father and asking him not to worry said, ‘Daddy how is my bike? I will never ride the bike recklessly again. I have learnt the lesson after the accident and will be careful with my driving.’ Father started weeping and said to the boy, ‘Son, you will never be able to ride the bike again.’ The son impatiently asked, ‘Why, what happened to my bike?’ Father hugged the boy and said, ‘Son, your bike is intact but you have lost your left leg.’

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Had the mistake been avoided, the consequence would have been different

By all means avoid mistakes as much as you can; when you prepare well, when you are careful and cautious, you eliminate chances of committing mistakes. If you take precaution in doing things that you do, it increases your chances of success.

Carelessness can be costly

Carelessness can cause a severe damage; very often we are casual and careless, which can really hurt. Most often one thinks that it doesn’t matter much and becomes casual in his approach; you may be safe so far, but there is no guarantee that you will always be saved; sooner or later you will have to pay for your careless attitude, so better take pains and act as well as you can.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

A bad example is the best instructor, provided you are not the setter of the example

One learns from a mistake, but one learns best from the mistakes that others make. Sometimes a mistake can be really costly. Great people learn not only from their own mistakes but from other people’s mistakes as well; a mistake can change your life; it can take up your time. Therefore be open-minded and learn from as many sources as you can; learn from the experience of other people.

A careful and a meticulous programme has to be made in order to minimise mistakes. Mistakes can be a curse. It is just impossible not to make mistakes and be perfect, but it is always possible and plausible to avoid and reduce chances of making mistakes. Experience, as they say, is the best teacher but often an expensive one. Beware of life, it offers no retakes.

Don’t just let go an opportunity of your life in a careless, unconcerned and ignorant manner, which may lead to a disaster.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

4. Low Aim

‘The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and miss it, but we aim too low and reach it’ —Michelangelo

You are born to live a great life, then why settle for mediocrity? Don’t settle for anything less than the best. Give your best and expect the best. Low aim is a crime, given the potential in a man. Everyone is capable of achieving great things but not everyone realises this. Dream and think of big things. Achieve even bigger things by working hard for them. Set yourself onto goals which stretch you and bring out the best in you. The difference between success and failure is small and is shaped by the way you think. People who are successful set for themselves difficult goals; they aim high, whereas unsuccessful people either don’t set goals or settle for too less.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

5. Procrastination

‘Procrastination is avoiding that needs to be done and doing what needs to be avoided’

Perhaps the most common obstacle to success is procrastination. All people procrastinate but in varying degrees. The best professionals are those who do their jobs right away; others wait for a tomorrow that never comes. Procrastination follows the law of inertia; if you are not doing anything, you will avoid action. If you are doing something, if you are busy; then the tendency to procrastinate becomes less. The people who are busy and doing a lot of things are less likely to procrastinate than those who are idle. So avoid idleness as much as possible; even when you don’t have any work, engage yourself in something useful like reading, meditation, visualisation, etc. but don’t stay idle for long, as it creates lethargy which increases the habit of procrastination.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Causes of procrastination

Waiting for the right time.

Laziness.

Delaying in order to avoid confronting the problems.

Dependence on others.

Lack of mental discipline.

No driving force in life.

Absence of risks, a laid-back job.

Complacency.

Focusing too much on what next than on what now.

Distractions.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Fear lack of priority.

Mood, waiting for the right mood.

Lack of intensity.

Indecisiveness.

Low self-Image.

Low self-confidence.

Unorganised approach.

‘Life is like a slope; for going up you have to put in a lot of effort. But once you stop putting in the effort, you start sliding down. You don’t have to make effort for that. You are either going up or going down, there is no status quo’

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Laziness and procrastination will ensure that you go down at a great speed. Beware of them. Excessive procrastination leads to a loss of selfesteem, makes you feel weak, useless, helpless, frustrated and decreases your capacity to perform and increases the stress, sense of guilt and self-doubt. It makes failure a high possibility. Research has shown that procrastination is related to the behavior of a person but it can be controlled. The emphasis should be on doing things. Remember that the mantra for achieving success is to do things without delaying even for a second.

Overcome procrastination

Don’t ignore the problems, confront them.

Make schedules and stick to them.

Get busy, get occupied.

Avoid distractions, get on the job.

Don’t wait for the perfect day, the perfect time.

Stay on purpose, analyse reasons, make an effort and begin.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Do away with the beliefs that make you half. Make a list of such beliefs and eradicate them one by one. It is a matter of attitude. Practise to focus on the job and do it as soon as possible. Practise time management.

When you make a schedule, stick to it even when there is no pressure or a deadline.

Tomorrow is said to be the busiest day, so do it today, do it now.

6. Complacency

‘Success is a lousy teacher’ —Bill Gates

Success does not teach you so much as failure. In moments of success there is celebration, in moments of failure, there is learning. Most of the people tend to lose their sense of balance when they get success. It is imperative not to take success too seriously; to repeat success you have to keep improving. Concentrating your mind and energy on your success may deprive you of the same in future. If you think too much of the past success, it will affect your present action.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Concentrating the mind on what you are doing is important; let not success distract you. Even when you are successful, analyse the grey areas, the areas where you can improve. That is the hallmark of a true and successful professional.

A champion in any field is known by his consistency; see any sportsman, any athlete, the best professionals are the people who are consistent. The champion teams are those who perform consistently. Consistency is the mark of a champion. Everyone can have a day or two of glory, but not everybody can retain it for a long period. Edwin Moses, the former world record holder in the 400m hurdle-race, won 122 races consecutively. That is what consistency is made of. The greatest champions display a consistency level, which distinguishes them from others. Once you get to the top you have to work harder to stay on there than you did to reach there in the first place.

‘Practice is the best company. The longer you keep it, the better the rewards will be’

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Jahangir Khan, one of the very well-recognised names in the world of sports, is no doubt one of the greatest sports icons, a champion in the game of squash. His achievement of winning 555 international games remains one of the greatest sporting spectacles ever. It speaks about his great consistency, application and the will to win. To win he had to train himself and he did it as hard as anyone. He once said, ‘To be the best, I had to work harder than everyone else.’

Talent doesn’t win for you anything. It is the application which invariably does it. Without application talent is useless. Whatever be your profession, a high level of effort and practice enhances your skills and polishes your talent. Practice holds the key to good performance; it is the best way to keep complacency at bay. Ordinary people introspect after every failure, whereas the champions do it after every success. You become complacent when you rest on your laurels once you have had success in the past. Work hard and don’t lose perspective; one of the greatest distractions in life is when you get success. You can go on to greater heights if you can stay focused on your work and maintain a learning attitude even in success rather than becoming complacent.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

7. Avoiding Failures

‘I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed’ —Michael Jordan

The successful people fail more often than others. They are the people who strive and venture out, make an effort and get involved. They get out of their comfort zone and do something and that is what makes them successful. It is about grit and perseverance. People who fail are the people who do not attempt things. The man who does not fail at anything is the man who does not do anything. Once you begin to fail, once you begin to do something, once you strive, your chances of success will be bright. Unless you take chances, your chances to succeed are not bright.Do not fear failures. Don’t be reckless, adopt a calculated approach, but do things that you love and want to do. Be ready to fail more often and then you become ready to succeed.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

8. Indecision

What makes a person indecisive?

• Lack of clarity of thought.

• Lack of courage.

• Fear of criticism and what others will say.

• Lack of initiative.

• Fear of failure.

• Reluctance to accept responsibility

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

How you make your decisions

What drives you to act is very important. Are you a person who is driven by the fear of losing your job? Or by the fear of failure? Are you driven by external rewards and punishments? Are you a person who blindly follows others? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, then you should definitely change the way you make your decisions.

Easy or difficult

It is easy to get into problems but difficult to solve them.

It is easy to criticise but difficult to accomplish.

It is easy to be sad but difficult to be happy.

It is easy to know but difficult to practise.

It is easy to be lazy but difficult to work hard.

It is easy to procrastinate but difficult to do a work right away.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

It is easy to practise but difficult to perform.

It is easy to say but difficult to do.

It is easy to quit but difficult to persist.

It is easy to be reckless but difficult to be responsible.

It is easy to follow but difficult to lead.

It is easy to be ordinary but difficult to be special.

It is easy to be arrogant but difficult to be humble.

It is easy to live for yourself but difficult to live for others.

Life becomes easy if you make the difficult choices and it becomes difficult if you make the easy choices. It is better to choose the difficult options for they lead you to success rather than easy options because they lead you to failure.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Decision-making

Every single decision in your life is important, though it may not seem that way. Every decision that you make shapes your future. Your ability to make decisions is imperative for success. Success lies in making right decisions at the right time and then following them by your actions. Decision-making is necessary at every moment of your life, be it dealing with people, work, objects or your future; the best decisions will give you the best results. The best decisions are those that are not left to chance but made by effort. Always remember that a decision can change your life. When you make a decision.

• Analyse your own strength and weaknesses before making a decision.

• Timing of decision—even a right decision taken at a wrong time leads to failure. It is important to make right decisions at the right time.

• Don’t try to win the approval of all. It is very hard to please all the people, but the important thing is to do what you believe in.

• Take the advice of other people, reflect over all possibilities and then take your own decision.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

• Difficult decisions need a bit of intuition; trust your intuition and go ahead. All great decisions have a certain amount of intuition and instinct behind them.

• Don’t compromise on your values in life when you take a decision, otherwise what you gain will be nothing as compared to what you lose.

• See what drives you, go for it. Involve your heart and be passionate about what you want to do.

• Never step back even if your decision involves a calculated risk or difficulty.

‘Of all the options, if you choose the easiest among them, chances are that you have chosen the wrong one’

More often than not the best choices are never pursued owing to risks and difficulties. If the best choices are pursued, then they need to be pursued persistently. A failure does not mean that your choice was wrong. Persistence is needed; once you make your decisions, stick to them and you will be successful.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

9. Too Much Reliance on Others

‘The road to success is different for everybody; nobody can build it for you. You have to make it in your own way’

Be a self-starter; don’t wait for things to happen. You have to go out and make things happen; no one can make you successful; you have to go out there and do the hard things yourself.

An old story is told about a king. Once when the Delhi Fort was attacked, the son of one of the Mughal kings was captured by the opposing army. When asked why he did not run away, he answered, ‘There were no servants to help me wear my shoes.’

Many times we land into a soup or lose the golden opportunities in life by depending too much on others; one should be a self-motivated and keen worker. Don’t depend on others for the things that you can do yourself; don’t be a slave of lethargy; try to do even small things yourself.

Disappointment is faced by those who depend too much on others, as it leads to unnecessary delays; the task may take a long time; others may not do it as you want them to do it.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

There are a lot of benefits when you do things yourself, as it enhances your self-confidence and patience, makes you a self-starter, helps you to take initiative and increases your concentration and the sense of self-respect.

10. Labelling Things as Impossible

‘Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it’ —A Chinese proverb

History shows that impossible has always been made possible. Look at the Wright brothers who developed an airplane; look at Newton who found out ways to measure the distance of the sun and moon from the earth. He calculated the size of the sun and moon which was considered impossible. Bell was laughed at for his idea of telephone; no one paid much attention to his idea and the critics said it to be a useless idea and a waste of time. Marconi’s wireless communication was regarded as illogical and impossible.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

You can achieve anything once you make up your mind. Nothing can stop you. A well-directed effort can help you achieve your goals. Most of the things you see today were thought to be impossible but only a few people did not believe so and they were busy making the impossible possible.

11. Falling for Short-term Gains

The good is one thing, the pleasant is another.

Both, differing in their ends, prompt to action.

Blessed are they who choose the good; they who choose the pleasant miss the goal.

Both the good and the pleasant present themselves to men.

The wise, having examined both, distinguish the one from the other.

The wise prefer the good to the pleasant;—Katha Upanishad

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

To choose the good over the pleasant is a tough choice. Success requires making tough choices, which make the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary. On a cold winter morning you may not feel like getting up, the pleasant thing is to stay in the bed, but the good thing is to get up and go in the direction of your dreams. If you want to achieve great things in life, you have to make hard choices in life. You need to be disciplined. Success cannot be good for free. It comes only to those who can afford it; the price of success is making tough choices. You have to be clear in your mind and make a clear distinction as to what will help you proceed in your life. The things which are going to take you up the ladder of success in the long run are the things which are difficult to be pursued, but you have to choose them and that is the price that you have to pay for success. There will be a lot of disturbances which may prevent you from climbing up but be vigilant and by conscious effort avoid them and go for real success. Don’t be distracted by short-term disturbances; always think in the long term.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

12. AVOIDING RISKS

‘Almost all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose’ —Steve Jobs

All extraordinary things in life involve a bit of risk; if they are accomplished, people will call you a genius, if they are not accomplished people will call you a fool. Calculated risks are risks when you take the responsibility for your actions. The actions bring growth and improvement in your life. They are good actions, not taken recklessly. Reckless actions are those for which you do not take responsibility. Trust yourself and do not miss the opportunity to chase success.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Benefits of taking a calculated risk

You can follow your heart and passion.

Live your dreams.

Satisfaction that you pursued your goals irrespective of the outcome.

It is better to fail than not to try.

Growth and opportunity

Bring adventure into your life.

‘If you want to climb, don’t fear falling’

The most successful people are those who often take risks and make early moves. The laurels are won on the battlefield and not in the comfort zones. To come out of the comfort zone requires a big effort; you have to take a chance. There is no possibility success without taking chances. Do not let previous mistakes dictate the choices you make. Life keeps moving; think and analyse what can go wrong; look at all the possibilities and then decide just go for it.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

13. Habitual Mistakes

‘Man is a master of his habits’

One of the most important things successful people do is to learn from their mistakes; on the other hand, those who keep on repeating their past mistakes and do not learn do not move ahead of a threshold limit, which keeps pushing them back .

You are the master of your habits, and not a slave to them. Often one is not aware of the mistakes that one makes and the negative habits may develop which lead to failures. People fail because they do not realise that they have such habits as prevent them from achieving success. It is all about making a sincere effort. The beginning takes place in your mind with the thought that you have to do it and that you have to give up these habit patterns. Once you realise it you can start working on it and slowly change your habits. A series of small efforts go a long way in improving you as a person. Don’t stop but continue; ultimately little steps make a big journey.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

14. Giving Up

Sir Winston Churchill had delivered a number of electrifying lectures. Once he was invited to deliver a speech before a young audience. He went onto the stage and said just one thing, which perhaps is what makes the difference between success and failure. He said, ‘Never, never, never give up.’

There is immense value in this statement: if you do something, try to stick to it until you finish the job. Everybody can start but everybody does not finish. Those who finish and finish well are the successful people.

15. Fatal Attitude

‘Hard work is the torch which successful people use to move ahead; some men never see that torch, because when the torch is used they sleep and wake up saying that success is luck’

Lack of self-belief and too much reliance on luck leads to failure. Understand the basic principles governing luck and then act. Everything that you do makes a difference; do not bother about luck but keep doing your best.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Many scientific discoveries have been attributed to chance or luck. The X-ray, LSD properties and penicillin are some such discoveries. If you were to carefully analyse these achievements you will find that they are the results of efforts and experimentations, which bore fruit in unexpected hours. Luck does not favour those who take it for granted. Luck favours those who are prepared for it.

Interestingly, Albert Hofmann, the scientist credited with the discovery of LSD properties, wrote, ‘It is true that my discovery of LSD was a chance discovery, but it was the outcome of planned experiments and these experiments took place in the framework of systematic pharmaceutical, chemical research.’

Luck favours when preparation meets opportunity

1. Luck is the reward for hard work. When you put in something extra, you get something extra, that is luck. Do a little more whenever there is an opportunity.

2. Luck follows the law of cause and effect. Everything that you do has an effect; it may be instant or it may take some time, but sooner or later it is manifested.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

3. There is a saying that luck favours a prepared mind.

4. No one ever got lucky by taking rest. Not even Newton; he was vigilant to analyse the phenomenon of the falling apple.

5. People who get lucky are the people whose subconscious mind attracts positive things. Their subconscious mind is always at work; they have consciously or otherwise programmed the subconscious mind to give them the answers to their questions.

6. The harder you work, the luckier you get. Preparation brings luck.

7. All those people who plan, prepare and practise, prosper and get lucky.

16. Lack of Focus

Success requires single-minded devotion and concentration. You cannot expect to be the best in any field if your energies are scattered. You need to work hard and concentrate on one thing at a time. Doing one thing at a time is necessary for success.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘How long did it take you to learn to play violin?’, asked a young man of Geradini. ‘Twelve hours a day for twenty years,’ replied the great violinist. Big things in life are achieved by regularity, patience and concentration; quick fixes have never made ripples in the annals of history. Look at all the great things that have been achieved by men and they will all tell you the tale about an extraordinary amount of work. Doing the same thing over and over again requires a lot of effort, but unless you focus on work you cannot be efficient. Genius is infinite focus on work. Look at all the greatest artists and you will see that part of their success is due to their ability to focus on their work.

Bill Gates once said, ‘My success, part of it certainly, is that I have focused on a few things.’ Success is the result of focusing on a particular work. If you do too many things, chances are that you will not be able to do them well.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

17. Underestimating Oneself

‘Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang the sweetest’ —Henry Van Dyke

No man is born on the earth without some talent. Each and every one is unique. Most of us don’t recognise the abilities and talents we possess and waste our life in mediocrity of effort and achievement. Explore the talents that you have and pursue your interests. You are nothing short of a miracle, you are the only one who is you, never forget that. Believe in your ability; everybody is special. You have all the potential to conquer; do not live like a slave.

18. Misplaced Priorities

Make a clear distinction between what is important and what is not. The ability to focus on important things in life is very important. You have limited time; if you focus on unimportant and useless matters you are doomed to fail.

‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’ —Anonymous

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Plan carefully how you want to invest your time and energy. The best people are those who have the ability to distinguish between the important and unimportant tasks. Cut down your activities which are unimportant and consume your time. Be sure that you invest time in the best possible manner. Schedule your day according to your priorities.

19. Self-Deprecatory Attitude

Some people believe that they are born to lose. They always wonder why it happens to them. They rationalise and impress upon their subconscious mind the belief that they are not good enough for achieving big things in life and immerse themselves in such thoughts.

They rationalise and say things like

‘I am too old for success.’

‘I am not intelligent enough.’

‘I am not lucky.’

‘The time is not right for me to do it.’

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

‘I knew something would go wrong.’

A story is told about a man in the Guru Granth Sahib; the man goes to a mystic, and asked him his own worth. The mystic smiled and gave him a very precious stone and said, ‘When you do as I say, you will get the answer to your question.’ The mystic put forth the condition that the man should not sell the stone but he had to go around and search for the person who could buy that unique stone at the maximum price. The man went on his trial; he went to a beggar first, who was not willing to pay anything for that stone. Next he met a fruit-seller who offered one kg apples for the stone; then he met a clerk who was willing to give 1 thousand rupees for it; thereafter he met a jeweller who offered 1 lakh rupees for that stone; finally on his way back he met a person who knew the value of that stone and said that the stone was priceless and he was willing to pay anything for it to the man. The man returned to the mystic and said to him that still he did not get the answer, to which the mystic replied, ‘Just as different people valued this stone differently, some thought it was not worth a penny, yet there were others who thought it was priceless. Similar is the case with this human body. Some think it is useless, others think it is priceless.’ One who knows his own worth is a priceless being, otherwise life is just wasted.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Know yourself, you are unique, priceless and a gift to this world.

Life is a waste, if one does not know his own worth.

Everyone is capable of greatness; a few do not believe in it that makes them fall short of it.

When you realise that there is divinity within you, you realise how special you are. That is when you really get to know what you are worth.

Come out of this self-deprecatory attitude if you have to get big success. You have all the resources you need to be successful.

20. Taking Things for Granted

‘Unless you pay the price for success you will not know its worth’

Once a young man, a very successful researcher and a breakthrough inventor, was asked, ‘What is the defining moment in your life? What made you such a successful researcher that made you solve so many problems that others could not?’

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

He replied, ‘When I was young, my father loved me a lot, but he had a very peculiar way of giving me my pocket money. He used to hide it under the ground and asked me to dig it to find my pocket money. It was a matter of fun for me when I was a child and I loved to play in the mud. When I grew up, I did not like the idea of digging the ground to earn my pocket money. One day I told my father that I did not enjoy playing in the mud anymore and asked him to stop putting my pocket money under the ground. I asked my father the reason for hiding my pocket money under the ground. He grinned and said something which left an impression on my mind and changed my life. He said, ‘Son, all I wanted you to learn is unless you dig deep you cannot find solutions to your problems in life. You have to get to the root to solve any problem. And never take anything for granted in your life; you have to earn everything. There is a price for everything, nothing comes for free.’

Get to the root of the problems.

Unless you confront your problems, they will always trouble you.

Resolve your problems, do not be afraid. Never procrastinate.The more you neglect a problem, the bigger it will grow.Problem grows like cancer; we make it unmanageable by sitting over it.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

21. Stagnating with Old Beliefs, Ideas.

Learning is the prerequisite for success; you cannot stop learning. You have to constantly reinvent yourself and increase your knowledge. Information is increasing every second.

David Kolb, a professor at MIT, says, ‘In a world where the rate of change is increasing every year, in a time when some men will end their careers in the same jobs or even same occupations that they started in, the ability to learn seems an important, if not the most important, skill.’

‘Learning to learn is the learning to learn’

Learning comes to the one who is open, keen, willing and has a thirst for knowledge and to the one who is ever keen to find better ways and means of doing things and improving. Learning is natural for such a person. One has to have these attributes, only then can learning begin.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Common obstacles to learning are:

Ego – I know it all.

Ignorance – I don’t know.

Indifference – I don’t care to know.

It is difficult to know, how to know.

It is more difficult to know, what to know.

It is most difficult to know, how to apply what you know.

Stimulate yourself with all the knowledge you can and dive deep in the ocean of learning, which is vast and deep and without limits. Enhance your abilities and keep refining your skills by learning. Continually seek to know, improve, and learn from all the people, situations, failures, setbacks and circumstances. Everything that you associate with in your life has a message of advancement, a message of progress for you. Learn it and move ahead as a better person.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

22. Lack of Regularity

A young man went to a doctor and complained of severe bodyache. He was unable to move. The doctor asked him about his condition and the reason for it. The young man replied, ‘I watched a movie yesterday.’ The doctor shook his head and said, ‘But I didn’t get the point.’ The young man in a shrill voice, with pauses in between, confessed, ‘I liked the hero’s physique a lot, so thought of giving it a try. So I brought dumb-bell and barbell etc., and worked out the whole of yesterday in order to have a physique like him. Somebody told me to work hard, to get that kind of a physique, so I did exactly that.’ The doctor’s prescription, in addition to the medicines, read like this, ‘Regularity is essential for anything to be accomplished. From a scientist to an athlete, all their accomplishments are the consequence of a regulated effort. Erratic efforts bring pain.’

A spark is a result of regulated work as in the case of Archimedes. The ‘Eureka’ moment, what was that? The answer could be a flash of genius. Yes, may be. But that was the result of a regulated effort that he had put in for a long time, and not just a momentary flash. He constantly pursued his work and did experiments and also at the time of bath, he was absorbed in thinking about his research problem, so he got the answer. Regulated effort is the sure way to success. Human body, nature and just about anything that you see around you, all work in a regular manner. There is great strength in regularity.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

23. Inability to Perform under Pressure

The major reason why people perform badly under pressure is nervousness and anxiety. Nervousness is natural when you are confronted with a do-or-die situation; it means you are doing something which is important and critical for you. What happens as a result of this is that you start to think what would happen of you don’t perform well. And this shifts your focus on the results of your actions instead of on the activity and you become nervous and anxious. So you are in a state of nervousness and anxiety; at the back of your mind you are worried about the consequences of not doing well and thus you are not able to do your best.

A student, when he participates in a competition which is critical for his success in life, is naturally under pressure. Now during the exam if he is not able to solve a few questions correctly he starts thinking whether he is going to pass or not. He is not able to concentrate on solving the questions, instead his mind starts thinking about the results and thus he is not able to do his best due to anxiety and pressure. If the same time is utilised in solving the problems the result will be much better.

You can fight anxiety by

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

• Recalling your best performances in your life and triggering your brain positively when things start getting dicey.

• Concentrating on your breath and not thinking too much and being as calm as possible.

• Focusing on the process and not worrying about ifs and buts, just doing what you are doing with full concentration of mind.

24. Unwilling to Change

Change is a compulsion. Change is a necessity, otherwise everything would stagnate. If you don’t keep changing proactively you will have to change reactively. Either way change will happen.

Thomas Watson, the former chairman of IBM, was once asked about the demand for computers in the world, to which he replied ‘ I think there is a world market for maybe 5 computers’

This was a valid statement a few years back, but people will laugh at this statement now.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Things keep changing; the rate of change keeps getting faster and faster. The one who does not adapt to changes is left behind. Unless you keep yourself abreast of the changes you cannot succeed. Success requires you to change proactively; it requires you to be flexible. It is about making meaningful changes to grow. If you resist change you resist success.

Causes for resisting changes

False sense of security.

Unwillingness to take risk.

Opposition to new ways and methods.

Unwillingness to work hard for making changes.

Reactive approach, waiting for things to happen and then to make a move.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

What things should change for growth?

1. Change and growth

Knowledge, skills and learning require you to change; only when you change you can progress. Constant refinement and improvement need to be done; what is relevant today may not be so tomorrow. For example, a scientific theory which is valid today may be proved wrong or be bettered tomorrow. Thus change is important and growth depends on change.

2. No change and growth

Values and principles do not change. One has to be firm in matters of values and principles and only then growth happens. If you do not have consistent values then growth does not happen. Stick to your values and beliefs and do not change them to make progress.

3. No change, no growth

If you don’t keep yourself abreast of the knowledge and skills in your area of work, then you cannot grow. Growth depends on change; technologies change and the skill required to do a particular job changes, so without change there is no growth.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

4. Change, but no growth

All activity is not progress. Transfers and relocations may be a change but not necessarily progressive. Sometimes changes are ineffective.

Change to change the things you want to change

Change to change your thoughts.

Change of thoughts leads to change in actions.

Change of action leads to change in results.

Change of results leads to change of fortunes.

Change of fortunes leads to change in your life.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

25. Lack of Concentration

Often one notices that two men, equally skilful, work equally hard but they get different results. What is the difference between them? The difference lies in the ability to concentrate. It does not matter how long you work; as long as your mind is not on the job, there is not much chance of your being successful. The quality of time spent is very important. If one works with single-minded determination, the results are great. Singleminded determination means your mind is on the job. Your focus is restricted to your work and the mind does not wander. So many times, we are doing our job, but the mind is constantly wandering here and there; this is the result of an untrained mind. Try to focus hard on your work and bring back your mind to work; this is the secret of success. The greater your ability to concentrate, the better is your performance.

It is better to be alone on the path of righteousness than to be with many on the path of wrong.

It is better to be defeated than to win by cheating.

It is better to give your best and not have something than to have something without giving your best.

WHAT PREVENTS SUCCESS

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

It is better to learn humility in defeat than arrogance in victory.

It is better to be tired than to be lazy.

It is better to be guided to your mission in life by failures than to live misguided all your life.

‘Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm’ —Abraham Lincoln

Enthusiasm is common when you start something; real enthusiasm is that which remains throughout the course of your pursuit of your journey. It is easy to lose enthusiasm in the middle and when things are not going well, but real success lies in sustaining the level of enthusiasm even in failures. Once you do that success is guaranteed.

Chapter 9

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

SUCCESS STORIES

‘In the last analysis, the last thing is the life of an individual. This alone makes history, here alone do great transformations take place and the whole future, the whole history of the world, ultimately springs as a gigantic summation from these hidden sources in individuals’ —Carl Gustav Jung

Read the life stories of great men like Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln, and you will begin a journey of learning; you will see how keen these people were to learn good things and constantly reinvented themselves. Having learnt the things by experience or reading books etc., how they incorporated the same in their lives, ultimately turning the lessons into their new habits. Some men just do not want to learn things; their excuse is, ‘I cannot do it’, even without making an attempt. But if you think in this manner, you will never even make an effort to change. When you make an attempt to cultivate a good habit, there will be times when you may fail, but ultimately life is a series of such battles with yourself for its betterment and fulfillment, so at the end of your life you can proudly reflect on the way you have lived.

The lives of great men will kindle a fire within you, which will help you conquer doubts and struggles.

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The Flight Of Ambition

It will act as a lantern in the face of darkness; it will stretch the limits of your horizon beyond the limits of mediocrity. It will take you to new glory and inspiration which will lead you to great heights.

Lessons from the greats

In every sport, players seek advice from the great players. They try to learn as much as possible from the senior players who have tasted success in the past. They learn from them the technicalities of the game and also receive some tips on how to improve their own game. So cultivate the habit of observing the great people in your field; also learn from the people in other walks of life who have embarked on greatness. See how they emerge from the struggles, how they maintain consistency and how they manage to stay unaffected even by huge success. Observe them closely; once you do that, you will subconsciously pick up some of the traits which will help you to improve, in many spheres of your life. Great people from all walks of life, in varied settings and senses have some common qualities; try to learn from them how they do the following.

Mind management: How they manage to stay balanced and calm in pressure situations?

Growth: How they grow? Take a clue.

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The Flight Of Ambition

Application: How they apply what they learn?

Preparation: How they prepare and pick up finer points that others miss?

Focus: How they keep away distractions to reach towering heights?

Self-belief: How to have self-belief even when all others are against you?

Discipline: How about doing things when the mind says no?

Habits: How they inculcate positive habits and reach the pinnacle of success?

Sustaining success: How they manage to succeed and still focus on their work? How they fight complacency?

‘Great people are not known by the possessions they had, but are known by the legacy they leave for others’

SUCCESS STORIES

Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Some men who have made a significant impact on the world, in the lives of men, and continue doing so, are the personalities which are discussed here. You can learn a great deal from the lives of such men; their lives act as a torch to enlighten the paths of other men. They stand tall and strong as the epitome of success and achievement. Someone once asked Mahatma Gandhi to give his message for his followers, and his reply was, ‘My life is my message.’ That just sums up the way in which these great men have lived; it is a message, a lesson for all.

MOHAN DAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI (MAHATMA GANDHI)

Gandhi was no ordinary mortal; he was a leader of the leaders. Several of the greatest leaders that the world has seen got inspired by the saintly man, called Mahatma Gandhi. It is difficult to find a man who lived a life as remarkably as Gandhi lived. Martin Luther King’s life took shape after attending a lecture about Gandhi. The Dalai Lama speaks of Gandhi as his mentor in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. Nelson Mandela, the great South African revolutionary, considers Mahatma Gandhi his source of inspiration. Gandhi is known as the Mahatma in India which is a synonym of great soul. He is also regarded as the Father of the Nation in India for his selfless striving for the nation. The Harvard School of Business Management has crowned him as the management guru of the 20th century.

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The remarkable thing about Mahatma Gandhi is that as a child and even as a young man he was quite an ordinary person and showed no real signs of the person that he would become, one of the most towering personalities of the world history. His father was the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Porbandar. He went to England to study law. When he fought his first case in the court as a lawyer, he lost the case and was not even able to say anything in the trial; he was so nervous in front of the judge; out of a sense guilt he paid the money back to his client after losing the case. He had trouble with the administration and working in conditions which were against his ideals; finally his brother asked him to go to South Africa when he received a call for a job there.

His visit to South Africa proved the turning point in his life; it was there that he started his fight against the injustice and wrong. He was always involved in doing work for the good of the Indian community in South Africa. He was once beaten and thrown out of the first class compartment of a train despite holding a valid ticket; this incidence made him all the more determined in his quest to fight the wrong and injustice. He involved himself in the service of the Indian people in South Africa and became popular with them; he started discovering his great potential as a human being through the service of mankind.

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The Flight Of Ambition

Gandhi assumed the leadership of the Congress party during India’s freedom struggle and played a key role in gaining independence for India. After coming back from South Africa he rallied poor farmers and labourers, protesting against oppressive taxation and discrimination. Gandhi was several times arrested and had to go through sufferings but he was firm and never stepped back. He slowly gathered the support of the nation and led several movements against the British rule in India.

Gandhi’s philosophy of life was based on the firm conviction in principles, ethics, selfless and detached outlook towards life. His autobiography is a great insight into how he was transformed from an ordinary person to an extraordinary person. It is about his practical experiences and struggles. It is about teaching oneself self-denial and developing a strong will power. It is about living a life which is lived beyond the clutches of I, me and myself. It is about making sacrifices in life, sacrifices not just for his personal gains but mostly for the good of all. With every sacrifice his will power grew stronger the will power that was the source of his strength and the will power that was almost infallible.

Eaknath Easwaran, an author of more than 80 books, mentions in one of his books, Daily Living of Bhagvad Gita, Mahatma Gandhi’s schedule when he was in his 60’s. He writes that

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The Flight Of Ambition

Gandhi used to get up at three in the morning and answered correspondence; he then met with the Indian leaders through the day, gave press interviews, held his prayer meeting; subsequently he walked after taking his dinner, and after that at eight in the evening he went for a four-hour session with the British-Viceroy of India. These talks were crucial to the country, for they were instrumental in shaping the future. At midnight, he walked home, discussing about the meeting with his associates and colleagues; he went to sleep at one in the might and again got up at three in the morning. This was his daily schedule.

He lived like this for many months at the age when most of the people usually like to laze around. The remarkable man that he was lived and made full use of the faculties granted to a man. All his work was motivated by a noble cause, unselfish in nature. He said that a life without challenges, a life when you were not being stretched to the fullest was not worth living.

‘He who is free from selfish attachments, who has mastered his senses and passions, acts not, but is acted through by Lord’ —Bhagvad Gita

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When you are noble, your cause is pious, you can surprise yourself with the kind of things that you can do. All of us have tremendous capacity latent within us waiting to be unlocked. The key to unlock that is to lead a life which is unselfish. Self-centred approach is never useful in the ultimate analysis; love and serve others that is the least that you can do.

THOMAS EDISON

He had only three months of formal education. His schoolteacher called him a retarded child, too dumb to learn. After that his mother never sent Edison to school. Edison received education at home. His mother had been a schoolteacher in Canada and happily took up the job of teaching her son. She encouraged him and taught him to read and do experiments. Slowly his genius started to emerge and he rose to be one of the greatest scientists and inventors of all times. He recalled later, ‘My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint.’

For most of his life, Edison suffered from seriously impaired hearing, but it did not stop him from inventing some incredible things in the field of science that changed the world.

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The Flight Of Ambition

His first invention was an electric vote recorder but it did not sell. His idea was far ahead of its time; even though it did exactly what it was supposed to do, the electric vote recorder was unsuccessful in terms of the market. Edison learned a lesson and since then he invented products which were readily marketable. His numerous inventions include phonograph and incandescent light bulb. He was a man of incredible patience and insight; that is the reason he was the owner of more than 1000 patents. It was Edison’s bulb, together with the distribution system of electric power that he developed, which made electric lighting practical for ordinary domestic use.

Thomas Edison’s last patent came at the age of 83, shortly before he died at the age of 84. He had a total of 1097 patents to his credit by then, a number which companies can be proud of, leave alone a human being. Even in his old age, Edison worked hard. Throughout his life he was a pioneer in many ways.

‘Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless’ —Thomas Edison

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Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Edison was a man known for his grit and determination; he was relentless and kept pegging away with great spirit and enthusiasm even when things were not going well. His method of experimentation was to never give up until he had fixed the problem. His most famous invention, that of an incandescent bulb, was a testimony to this fact. He continued to strive until he invented the bulb. In the process he had to meet numerous failures, but he moved again with renewed energy each time his team failed. On his numerous failures he remarked, ‘I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward’

Edison’s persistence for his inventions is an inspiration to one and all. The intensity and his determination to carry on the task till the end was quite remarkable. Once Edison was asked the reason for his brilliant inventions. He replied, ‘I don’t know any other reason. Anything I have begun is always on my mind and I am not easy while away from it until it is finished.’

Therein lies the secret formula of success: doing things to the finish. Thomas Edison remains one of the most influential personalities in the world of science and technology, a man who revolutionised the field of science through his inventions. Edison was best known for his incandescent bulb which made electricity a popular phenomenon.

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The Flight Of Ambition

Swami Vivekananda

He was born in 1883 in Calcutta and was known as Narendra during his childhood. Narendra was an extremely intelligent and a bright child. He was always moved by the sufferings of the other people and had great compassion for all. He was a fearless and brave child. He was very inquisitive and used to ask everyone whether they had seen God. Nobody could satisfy him except Rama Krishna who said, ‘Yes, I see God, just as I see you here; the one who seeks Him sincerely can see Him.’ Narendra could feel the depth of truth in the voice of Rama Krishna; he started visiting him more frequently and later accepted him as his Guru. Thus began the journey of Narendra to Swami Vivekananda.

It is not often that you expect a saint to be a successful person, for success is often measured by the materialistic possessions. But great are the saints as they do not have materialistic possessions; they have something more noble, more sublime than all of the materialistic possessions put together; they have wisdom. They come in the world on a purpose; they come to make man think, for a man forgets to ask some of the most basic questions about his existence. They come to make him realise the potential that he has. They come to guide the people who seem to lose their way in the beaten tracks of life.

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The Flight Of Ambition

They come to guide us and bridge the difference that we create with ourselves. Swami Vivekananda was one such great man whose sole aim was to make people realise the potential divinity within them.

He was a man of great conviction and strength. His teachings to mankind have an air of authority and supreme conviction. He professed, ‘All power is within you. You can do anything and everything.Believe in that.’ He emphasised that there was divinity within a human being and tried to arouse the inner power of the human being.

Swami Vivekananda inspired Jamshedji Tata to start the Indian Institute of Science, one of the foremost centres of research and learning in India. His vision was that India should be able to regain its position of a world leader by the means of technology.

Swami Vivekanda’s lectures and sermons were electrical and they inspired one and all. The great saint wandered about and lived a life of a monk; he went to the West, where he was widely acclaimed for his soul-stirring talks at the Parliament of Religions. His lectures have been compiled in several volumes, known as the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.

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The Flight Of Ambition

His books are still a source of inspiration to many and serve as the guiding force. He managed to establish several centres of learning and service whose aim is to uplift the poor and remove suffering. His noble mission, his remarkable vision, his moral excellence and his deep spirituality make him an icon for the young generations. The Government of India celebrates his birthday as the National Youth Day.

His message still continues to serve humanity, transcending the limits of caste and religion. He was a man who had in the power of service and experienced the deepest truth of existence. He once remarked,‘ In this hell of a world if one can bring a little joy and peace even for a day into the heart of a single person, that much alone is truth; this I have learnt after suffering all my life, all else is mere moonshine.’

There are very few men whose existence can be cherished by mankind. There are very few men who live through their deeds even after they depart from the world; there are very few men who can influence the people and make them achieve and do things that they themselves never thought were possible. One such great hero was Swami Vivekananda; he continues to win the hearts and minds of people through his stunning speeches and writings.

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Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Bill Gates

Every year the Forbes magazine releases the list of the richest persons in the world; there are many new entrants and many persons are omitted, but one man stands out at the top for more than a decade now. He is Bill Gates, currently the richest man in the world, according to the Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires in 2007. He has been the richest man since 1995 and also the first man in history to have amanned a wealth of 100billion US dollars.

If there was one man who would be a universal hero today, he must be Bill Gates. Bill Gates is a genius, a man who has been instrumental in making one of the significant contributions in terms of technology, which has changed the world. Not many people in history have made such a big impact on the world as Bill Gates, the founder of the Microsoft, the largest software company in the world.

He took a brave decision to drop out of the college at the age of 19; he took a gamble and made his dream come true. With Paul Allen, his friend, he developed the BASIC language and revolutionised the computer industry. Within a short span of time he along with his friend and partner, Allen, established, the biggest company in the world.

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The Flight Of Ambition

He is one of the most recognised and popular entrepreneurs in the world today. His philosophy is that you have to surround yourself with the best people in the world and that gives you a chance to improve.

Ever since his schooldays computers were his passion; he played the role of a pioneer and started writing computer programs when people didn’t know anything about them. He seized the challenges and together with Allen reached to the world stage within no time. Such is Bill Gates.

A remarkable thing about Bill Gates has been his considering himself as the best. This is the spirit which wins the world for a man who is willing to improve and is always keen to find a better way in which things can be done.

His philanthropy is known the world over. He has been playing a pivotal role in not only transforming the lives of others but also encouraging others to come forward and do the same thing. He is the source of inspiration. He is the man who has carved out a world which has created opportunities for others.

He is truly one of the most successful man to have ever lived. We salute this remarkable leader of the world.

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The Flight Of Ambition

Abdul Kalam

His journey from the sacred shores at Rameshwaram where he sometimes had to sell newspapers to the grandiose of Rashtrapati Bhavan (President’s House) of India is something that would make you believe in dreams.

He was born in a humble background to parents who had little education. His father was a boatowner in Rameshwaram. Even though his parents were not very rich and did not have many material comforts, yet they provided Kalam something much more valuable; they provided him spiritual insight and dreams, which acted as the trigger to lead him on his way to great success in life. His righteous upbringing coupled with his dedication to work built the platform for the foremost scientist, thinker and leader of the modern generation.

Kalam had a distinguished career as a defence scientist and played the key role in the satellite and missile program. Kalam as the chief of country’s defence research and development programme led the research and development to and all-time height by his strenuous efforts and matchless enthusiasm; he changed the way the people worked in government offices, leading them by example. Working overtime and even on holidays, Kalam’s remarkable presence set the research establishments ablaze. At the end of his successful career he was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.

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The Flight Of Ambition

Abdul Kalam had a dream; he wanted to fly high. As a child he was very curious to know and learn things and he still shows the same enthusiasm to learn things. He played the role of a leader in India’s space programme and a key role in the development of Indian missiles, etc. His ambition of becoming a pilot was more than fulfilled when he became the head of all the three defence forces of India by entering into the President’s House. Kalam leads a simple life and has written many books, including his autobiography.

As a child, he had a keen interest in mathematics and was a diligent student. He always scored a centum in mathematics. His studies had to be almost discontinued for the lack of funds after he had received the Bachelor of Science degree from St. Joseph’s and got admission into the Madras Institute of Technology, but for his sister’s help who mortgaged her bangles for his education at that time one of the pioneering institutes of India. Later he managed to get a scholarship and never looked back, going from strength to strength.

Abdul Kalam is a man of strong character and a deeply spiritual person, following a work ethic that can be described as nothing short of extraordinary, working for around 18 hours in a day; he is an ideal leader; his detail-oriented approach together with his commitment to excellence make him a true role model.

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The Flight Of Ambition

Kalam loves children and frequently visits schools and colleges to interact with and ignite the young minds and with dreams. He is a visionary who believes in the power of dreams and says,

‘Dreaming leads to thinking;

Thinking provides knowledge;

Knowledge leads you to work hard,

Which in turn makes you great.’

After becoming the President of India, someone asked him, ‘What is the happiest thing in your life?’ His reply was, ‘The design of lightweight calipers.’ It was for the physically challenged people that he and his team had developed the LWP; the weight of the caliper was exerting for the people who had disability in their legs and the LWP came as a welcome relief. Among so many achievements in his life he chose the design of LWP; the answer just describes the man rightly, a man who lives for others. That is Abdul Kalam for you.

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Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Abraham Lincoln

Once Abraham Lincoln noticed a pig, which fell in a muddy pond, desperately trying to wriggle out of it but without success. He watched carefully for some time and finally out of sheer compassion went near the pond and helped the pig get out of the pond. That just epitomises the great man, Abraham Lincoln; his circle of compassion and humanity was as big as it can get. A man of principles, dedication and a firm resolve, he remains one of the most influential persons in history.

He was born to parents who were farmers. When Abraham Lincoln was young he had to face a lot of hardships and he struggled even to get proper schooling. He had only about 18 months of formal education and was a self-educated man. He had a passion for learning, and used to read every book that he could borrow. The reading developed so much ambition and drive in young Lincoln that he aspired to reach great heights against all odds. ‘The Life of George Washington’, was his favorite book. He once walked 20 miles to get this book, and once he got the book he would read it all along the way.

He also read the Bible, the works of Shakespeare and history with keen interest.

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His political career started at the age of 23, with an unsuccessful campaign for election to the Illinois General Assembly. For a few months he even operated a small store in New Salem, selling tea, coffee, sugar, salt, blue calico, etc. After that he got the work of a village postmaster and surveyor. At the age of 25, he won the election to the state legislature. After that he studied law and was admitted to the Bar at 28. He started practising law the same year in which he was admitted to the Bar and soon made a name for himself as a formidable and respected lawyer. He also served four successive terms in the Illinois House of Representatives.

From the beginning of his life, he had to really work hard to get things and even when it came to his professional career, life was not very easy. Only a few things he could do successfully, but most of the time he was unsuccessful. Life was not easy for him. He had to work hard to make both ends meet. Just imagine what difficulties Lincoln had to face!

This was a man who failed in business at the age of 21;

Was defeated in a legislative race at the age of 23;

Failed again in business at the age of 24;

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Overcame the death of his sweetheart at the age of 26;

Had a nervous breakdown at the age 27;

Lost a Congressional race at the age of 34;

Lost a Senatorial race at the age of 45;

Failed in an effort to become Vice-President at the age of 47;

Lost a Senatorial race at the age of 49;

And he was elected President of the United States at the age of 52.

Abraham Lincoln never lost hope in his dreams; he surely was a man who knew how to get the best out of failures and struggles. With every defeat grew his persistence and he became more determined to get success.

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Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Finally his journey from a country boy to the President of the USA is a stuff dreams are made of. Abraham Lincoln remains one of the most able statesmen that the world has ever witnessed. His fight against slavery and uprooting it was one of his major achievements as the President. Lincoln is regarded highly and in various opinion polls he has been voted as the top most US President. His popularity has been due to his integrity, adherence to human values and ethics. He has been a pillar of strength and integrity amidst men. His remarkable life continues to inspire people to believe in dreams despite failures and tragedies.

You

Yes, you. Write about your own life. Write the things that you have done and accomplished. When you write about yourself, you will be inspired to do something which you will cherish if you have not already done so. Do it now, start writing as much as you can. Do not wait for even one moment; think that you can be a success story. Write your purpose followed by the goals that you have accomplished or want to accomplish. When you are writing about your story your mind will be triggered to create one.

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Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The most important of all the success stories is YOURS. What others have done in their lives makes no difference to your life, unless you get inspired, and do something worth your life. Believe that you can do it and just start doing it. Anything is possible for the one whose conscience is clear, whose heart is big and mission is noble. You deserve all success; start scripting your success story.

‘Your greatest invention lies in your hands, it is your future’

You belong here. Start doing things and fill in this page with the things that you would like to be remembered for. Ultimately, you will be known by the work that you have done in your lifetime, the kind of life that you have lived, the number of people whose lives you have touched and the difference that you have made when you were present in the mortal form. So start embarking on a journey to a life which you want to cherish living. Nothing can stop you; you are the person who is in control of what you will do with your life. Make your existence a gift to the world.

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Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

The common characteristics

Living for something larger than themselves.

Service to people.

A dogged and a determined attitude, especially when they are down.

The ability to get more out of life than others.

Ability to make a difference, especially when the going is tough.

An indomitable will, tireless striving for worthy goals.

Keen desire to learn, to improve and grow throughout their lives.

Self-assessment, self-awareness and self-improvement.

See and appreciate things as they are without being biased or prejudiced in any way.

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The Flight Of Ambition

To rise up with more energy and more vigour every time they fall.

Innate strength which comes from solitude and silence. A sense of spirituality.

Taking both joy and sorrow in their stride, they do not let external situations control them.

Ability to transform lives, circumstances and events for the better.

Push the limits of human achievement and excellence. They are inspirational for others

Ability to unite people irrespective of the caste, creed or nation to which they belong.

Live beyond their mortal existence with their achievements and through the legacy they leave for others.

Many a time, life will test you, life will give you hard blows; seemingly nothing will be going well for you. When you are down, there is only one thing that you have to do, that is to get up. There is no other choice; you cannot stay down, for ever.

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Apoorve Dubey

The Flight Of Ambition

Sooner or later you have to get up. The successful people are those who get up fast and with more intensity than ever before; they may be knocked down a few times, but that fuels them to rise with more intensity and with all the strength in the world. They do not waste time cursing their luck; they prepare and move up, higher than ever before. They are really the successful people.

So the next time you are down, don’t waste time, get right back, throw away everything that you have got and rise as never before.

Nobody can learn swimming just by reading books on swimming, or by talking about it. Ultimately, one has to go in water and practise in order to learn swimming. Going out there and doing it is the most important thing. Just talking about successful people, mind control, motivation, morals and ethics, etc, is of no use, if you yourself do not practise the same.