I have been presented with several obstacles in my life, some big and some small. These obstacles have had a defining purpose and my response to them are indicative of the values I have inculcated. Life has tried to put me down time and again but I have always chosen to get back up, to fight against the odds, to face the most difficult situations with resilience.
The biggest ordeal that came my way was Asthma. At a very tender age, I was diagnosed with Aasthma. A year later, I had to join a boarding school. Things were only getting more difficult. It was a new place with new people and I was someone who would need special care to remain at par with the others. Added to that, I was an overweight child. All of this, put me at a serious disadvantage vis-à-vis the other kids. As a result, I was benched from playing sports and found myself repeatedly in the infirmary due to medical conditions. My condition was growing more severe and one unfortunate day, I had a minor stroke at the dead of night. The medical assistant and the warden were immediately rushed in to tend to me. They were able to stabilise me and ended up spending the entire night by my side.
I was determined that things could not continue like this. Through slow and steady steps, I began to put myself out of my comfort zone. With the unwavering assistance of my teachers, I slowly began playing some sports such as cricket which did not require a lot of intense effort. Within a year of diving into these activities, my body began to get attuned to this schedule and started building the resistance needed to survive in the hills.
Within five years, I had risen above these problems and was actively representing the school in various sports teams such as cricket and football. My condition improved to the extent that I actually participated in a 4 km marathon. Looking back, this change was not only affected by my physical condition but rather a mental block that I had to overcome.
I have seen what the lows can be, hence I am not afraid of being put in an uncomfortable situation because I also hold to map to navigating myself out of such a problem. This attitude has been my guiding force, that no matter how difficult the odds may be, how unfairly they may be stacked against your favour, what matters is whether you decide to rise above them or be bogged down by them.