Abdul Kalam Inspirational Quotes: I’ve always loved the words of inspiration from Abdul Kalam. They have a sense of unbridled optimism in them. There’s a force that says, I will brave all the odds and reach my destiny. It not only fills me with hope but also inspires me to get out of the self-pity and do something about my situation.
Champions are different. They are different because they do something beyond what others will. It is not just the physical aspect of doing something. What’s more powerful is the internal aspect – the mind which travels well beyond what others do. Everyone goes to the gym – but the champions are those who do this, but also something beyond that takes them to the next level.
If you refused to be afraid: This is such a powerful quote by Mahatma Gandhi. It talks about the power of control we exert on our fears. When we are so scared, it feels like we have no choice and the immediate response is to hide. But the response to fear also is a choice – if we stand tall against this fear, there’s a different response that our minds will create. It will bring up the other aspects of our personality such as resilience, fighting spirit, desire to move beyond fear etc. It doesn’t suggest us to deny fear, but act on it with diligence and from a position of power.
Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment: Success and failure is all about the results – this is what most of us are taught to believe. I can see the logic in this because success comes with results and accolades that help us recognise a victory. This quote by Mahatma Gandhi talks about the effort involved in achieving success. Some of our successes can sometimes be fluke events. Although they give us the results, the satisfaction derived from them is small and in some cases disappointing. This quote brings the focus back to the effort involved and the satisfaction derived from this effort.
Suffering is the essence of success: I’m conflicted about this quote. Although I appreciate what Abdul Kalam says about suffering i.e. hard work, perseverance and facing disappointments, I’m also against suffering as a precondition for success. Our journey should be fun because it isn’t the results that matter in the end. It is about the journey we take and how we feel about it in the long run. Let’s read on more to talk about this inspirational quote from Abdul Kalam
To be a great champion, you must believe you are the best: It all starts from a thread of belief. Unless we believe in ourselves, there’s very little chance of success in life. And even if we succeed without belief, we won’t be able to enjoy it because we end up attributing success to factors such as luck etc. Being a champion is a mindset. We all have unique abilities- let’s call that our leverage. If we compare ourselves to anyone, there will be areas of strength and weakness. The beauty is when we can use these strengths or leverage to create a path of victory for ourselves.
The future belongs to the ones who dream: Our dreams are constantly shattered by the limitations of reality. I’ve always been an ardent fan of thoughts on dreams. They make us think beyond what we have and engage, inspire a desire to do something better. In a way, these dreams get us out of our limitations and move to a world beyond these where things are possible. Such is the beauty of dreams. Another inspiring aspect of these dreams is that they don’t stop. They find a way to pester us until we do something about it. As Eleanor Roosevelt says, reality keeps us grounded in the world as is. But the future belongs to the people who show the courage to dream. For, it is these dreams that create a version of the reality for tomorrow.
Happiness is not by chance: I’ve heard so many definitions of happiness, but none of them seem to make a lot of sense. Some of these quotes talk about taking control of happiness. The other types talk about the importance of letting things be and being a spectator in life. I can see the value in both types of conversations. But the ultimate reality is to find peace in our life and find a way to live with ourselves right? This quote in particular talks about creating happiness and ensuring that we create the circumstances necessary to be happy.
Where your fear is there is your task: Fear is powerful. It can either debilitate us completely and sometimes even paralyse us. But the beauty of fear is that even though it’s got that capability, it can vanish into the thin air. Even more beautiful is the point that you and I can do this by refocusing our energies and listening, leaning into what this fear is telling us.
Happiness is not a goal: I think we have it the wrong way around when we say happiness is a goal in life. If you look long enough, you realise that happiness is elusive. We have better luck finding joy. So, I’d argue that this chase of happiness is not only elusive but a foolish pursuit. We find joy in the things we do, face them in the moment and create memories and narratives around them. In other words, what we face as joy in the current moment ends up being a definition of happiness in some cases. In this case, the quote from Eleanor Roosevelt makes us pause and ask a question about happiness. Is happiness truly the goal of life and if so how do we realise it?