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.
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.
First, they ignore you then they laugh at you: This is a typical response for anything people don’t agree with. This is the world we live in. New ideas are not always welcome, they will be met with resistance, challenge and sometimes even a fight. This is especially true if your ideas are in conflict with some set of thoughts or you challenge people in power.
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.
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.
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