Laddu used to live in a small house in a village. He belonged to a low-income family. Due to COVID, the finances were the worst hit for him. In making both ends meet, he consumed all his reserve wealth. He had to sell his cattle as well as a little bit of savings that he had managed in the previous few years.
One morning, a cyclone hit their place. The thatched roof ‘store room’ got ransacked in the storm. As the winds slowed down, amid the hue and cry spread all around, Laddu’s son came running to him. His eyes were shining with joy. He asked his father, “Dad, do you recall the gold ring which was lost a year back?” Laddu replied in affirmation. That gold ring was a treasure he had saved for rainy days. Unfortunately, it was lost a year back.
Laddu’s son said, “Father, this storm did some good to us. When I went to the storeroom to assess the situation, I found this jewel box. See, the gold ring is inside this box which was thrown on the floor by the wind.” Dad, this storm is very lucky for us. We may have never searched for this gold ring at this place but for this hurricane!
Friends, I repeat – Not all storms come to disturb you. Some are destined to transform your journey.
A student appeared twice for the All India Medical Entrance Examination (viz. NEET). Unfortunately, he could not qualify to get admission in both his attempts. He decided to get a graduation degree in science. Later he went ahead and pursued Post Graduation in Hotel Management. He has now joined a big brand hospital as General Manager. Today, this fellow has a great career vision. In his words, ‘Sir, I am learning the operational insights about this industry. Once I get handsome experience, we plan to start with a mobile hospital. It will be a unique startup.’
Not being successful in a competitive examination must never be considered a setback. On the contrary, such temporary setbacks must be viewed as the most empowered phase of life. During such emotionally turbulent times, a person’s decisions can put them into a make-or-break situation.
I know of a student who attempted UPSE three times. He was desirous of getting into a government job. Failure in the consequent third attempt made him feel devastated. He thought the world would mock him. He could not tolerate the agony and fell into the trap of suicidal thoughts. He even attempted to kill himself. Somehow, he was saved.
Time passed, and years went by. The story after two decades is entirely different. Today this person runs a retail business. He has three big stores and a turnover of more than 100 crores. In retrospection, it can be easily deciphered that the storm of failure was not supposed to distress him. On the contrary, such disruptions yield some outstanding achievements most of the time.
The story of ‘sticky notes’ branded as ‘Post It’ is fascinating enough. It was first manufactured to be used as wallpaper. However, the paper had less glue content and would fall out of the wall in some time. Customers refused to buy that useless product. However, the company had invested a significant amount in that product. The unit owner decided not to consider the situation as a tragedy. He said to himself, “Let me search for the silver lining in this phase of dark clouds.” He asked his people to cut the enormous wallpaper into small square boxes. Eventually, these small papers were introduced as ‘Post It’, and it became a top-rated product in the corporate world. Today, sticky notes can be found on the table of almost every professional!
Friends, a breakdown on your way must not always be considered harmful. Who knows, there could be a breakthrough transformation beyond it! Keep your hopes high and always have your eyes glued to your vision. There is much more to achieve on the road ahead.
This blog was originally posted on Times of India by Author.