Real greatness doesn’t come from being able to do things perfectly and correctly. It comes from trying to do your best, owning up to your mistakes, being focused, being disciplined and most importantly keeping a smile on your face no matter how grave the circumstances are. If there is one thing I truly believe in, it is trusting your gut instincts. Nothing great has ever come out from playing safe!
Our reactions to the situations in our life most certainly decide their impact on us. We can chose to crib and grieve over something not in our control or chose to stand up to the problem and give it a fight. When I saw my entire house submerged under water in the 2005 floods, there was nothing I could do. I was a child and couldn’t help my parents to deal with the crisis. We have all seen it in the news but only the ones who have lived through the aftermath of it will be able to tell you how deeply their lives had been impacted. I remember there was so much loss that we lost count. We lost electronics, clothes, money, my books, the furniture and much more. The incident taught me one very important lesson. It was to keep going no matter what, because sometimes its all you can do.
A couple of years back my father faced a life-threatening brain fever. He was put up on the ventilator and the doctors had asked us to be prepared for the worst. The very thought of spending the life without my father, me and mother all by ourselves shook the ground beneath me. I had never been so scared before. At the same time, I saw me and my mother both gather enormous strength, the kind we never thought we had and kept going. Eventually the difficult times passed and I realized that I was braver than I thought.
If there is one thing that I have learned from facing challenges, it is that we don’t always have the power to control every situation. However, these situations actually mold us to become who we are today. We realize the importance of being kind, being disciplined, appreciating our loved ones and most importantly to keep moving forward. I have lived for a year in Kampala, Uganda. Although I was very young at the time, I remember poor kids there not being able to access clean and safe drinking water. The scene was so tragic that it is etched in my mind and every time I feel about how life is being unfair, the thought of those children reminds me to stop cribbing and start counting my blessings. Every-time we stop asking why me, it all starts falling into place!