Dr.C.S.Raju
Born to taste Success -14
You would have certainly seen and wondered by the fact that well grown huge elephants are being held by only a thin rope tied to their front leg. There are no chains and cages. It is obvious that the elephants can, at anytime, break away from the ropes they are tied to but for some reason, they do not. A tamer who was also a trainer of elephants was once asked “How is that, these beautiful, magnificent animals just stand there and make no attempt to get away. He said, “When they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break the rope and free themselves.” These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?
Here is a true story.
Years ago, a young boy who studied Aeronautical Engineering nurtured the dream of reaching high. As the flight of the birds fascinated him, he thought he could achieve many things in life. He applied for a job and was called for test/interview. He was very confident that he would be selected. But he was disappointed when he was not selected. He was ranked nineteen. But the job vacancies were only eighteen. His first attempt failed and he felt shattered. He felt that his future was dark.
His interview was at Dehradun in the picturesque mountains. While coming down to the plains at Rishikesh he saw the river Ganges flowing so fresh. He took bath but his mind was turbulent. He saw Swamy Shivananda’s Ashram on the banks of the river and by impulse he went inside. He sat down and closed the eyes along with others. The youngster could not recover from the sorrow and it was clearly visible on his face. At the end of the meditation, Swamiji called him and asked the reason. He narrated the story of his not getting selected for the job. The Swamiji told him
“I will tell you something and it is up to you to take or leave. Give sorrow to sorrow; then you won’t be afraid of tomorrow”.
Swamiji’s kindness made deep impressions in the youngster’s mind. He favourably responded and a new courage emerged from within. He had faith in Swamiji’s words and deeply felt the power behind the wisdom words. His lifestyles, thinking, and attitude underwent changes and later in life he reached great heights, which he never ever dreamt.
He is none other than our late but beloved President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam whom millions of hearts still love. For the youth he is a powerful role model.
So understand that your thoughts are the keys for understanding and then by strengthening your strengths you will grow high in life.
