Inspiration from unexpected quarters

Flipping through my file and recall, I came across a speech that I delivered as a guest at a prominent school a few months ago. This was on their annual day and I was excited to witness the performance and potential of the young students. Their hard work and sincerity moved me deeply.   

Reflecting back (and the older I grow), I have realised the contribution of several people in my learning that what creates success in life and what constitutes success is far from the stereotype.  

So much of my learning and wisdom comes from my mother and her emphasis on a positive attitude in life, no matter what. She always said that with the right attitude everything can be changed and transformed. This has always stayed with me not only through losing her to cancer, but also in the work I do on resilience.  

I owe so much to my life mentor Dr Daisaku Ikeda, Japanese Buddhist leader and a world influence in the areas of education, culture and peace. From his writings and his example, I have learnt the importance of perseverance and how important it is to have goals and dreams to work towards.     

From my best friend (who also happens to be my husband) I have learnt that in this fast changing world, self-motivation is critical. In a world where the daily grind and several struggles pull us down, we need to motivate ourselves continuously.     

In Kung Fu Panda, Po the Panda finally realises that there is no power greater than faith in himself. Only when he realises that there is no power greater than self-belief, does he transform and becomes a great warrior from the bumbling, uncertain Panda with some physical limitations.  

This holds true for all of us. Especially for the young because self-belief can be elusive in the middle of the struggle for studies, admissions, finding and keeping special friends, in looking good, in doing extra-curricular stuff and in plain having fun. What an enormous stretch! All this can be great stress or great fun. It all depends on your approach and attitude.   

What if you decide that you will travel from Noida to New York to see the statute of Liberty and then, finding the journey too long, too tiring and just plain irritating, you stop at the eleventh hour. What do you think will happen? You will never enjoy the sense of achievement that the completion of your journey would otherwise have brought you. So it is really important for all of us to define our destination and set a goal but to continue to work till we get there. Giving up will not help us attain happiness and success.   

From my mentor’s life and actions, I have learnt the enormous importance of trying to respect other people even when I might not like them very much. Earlier, I used to operate with very strong likes and dislikes -- a pattern that formed very early in my life and really obstructed my happiness and also success. So now I work very hard to not get into these likes and dislikes. I work harder at being more polite and more respectful towards people around me. Not only am I more comfortable, but I am happier and successful.  

When I study and observe people around me, when I read, I realise that the truly successful are not selfishly absorbed in the "I, me and myself". While working for themselves, they have a thought beyond just themselves and their immediate circle. They spare a thought for others, for making this world a better place to live in, they work for bettering society. And so success is not selfish.   

I conclude with a short poem from my mentor’s writings,  

"If you have no hope, create some.   
If the world around you is dark, 
Be the sun that illuminates all.   
Peace is NOT something far away
Peace is caring for and valuing a single individual
It is bringing joy, not suffering to our mother
It is reaching out to those who are different from us
It is having the wisdom to reconcile after an argument."