TO BE A CHAMPION, FIGHT ONE MORE ROUND

−Dr. Abhishek Srivastav (Author/Motivational Speaker/ Student Coach)

As a child, he could play the piano better than most adults and any percussionists. His father, a terrible drunkard, was more interested in the money he could make by exploiting him. But his mother was supportive. He was 17 when she died leaving two younger brothers under his care. The child soon grew to be recognized as a truly great musician. But misfortune struck when at the age of 28 he became deaf. Deafness for a musician is inexplicably cruel. But he overcame his disability with great courage and wrote some of his best music even after he had lost his ability to hear. At one time, he agreed to conduct an orchestra at Vienna. With his back towards the audience, he directed the music he himself could not hear. The audience was enthralled. When the recital was over, he kept standing with his back towards the audience, getting his things together. One of his companions understood what was happening and turned him around. Only then did he see that he was receiving a standing ovation. The audience, who saw that he could neither hear his own composition nor their standing ovation, was moved to tears by his exemplary courage. He was an internationally acclaimed musician Beethoven who was initially told that he had no talent for music, but he gave some of the best music to this world. Believe it or not, champions know adversity is the synonym to victory. They believe if you remove the adversity, you remove the victory. As a result, they tend to view adversity as a challenge through which learning and growing occurs. Their world view is evident in the way they describe the adversities they face. While average people choose the path of least resistance, a champion operates at a higher level of self-awareness. He understands that stress and struggle are the key factors in becoming mentally tough.

While average people watch television and hang out at happy hour, the great ones continue to push themselves mentally and physically to the point of exhaustion. Only then will you see them in rest and recovery situations. Adversity, to average people, equals pain. Adversity to champions is their mental training ground. It’s how they become mentally tough. It’s how they are committed. See, you can’t keep a committed person from success. Place stumbling blocks in his way and he takes them for stepping stones and on them he will climb to greatness. Take away his money and he makes spurs of his poverty to urge him on. The person who succeeds has a program; he fixes his course and adheres to it; he lays his plans and executes them; he goes straight to his goal. He is not pushed this side and that every time a difficulty, an adversity is thrust in his way. If he can’t get over it, he goes through it.

GET READY FOR THE REAL ACTION!

List the three most different adversities you have faced and five good things that happened to you as a result of each one. Train yourself to see the good in adversity, and your fear of future challenges will dissipate.