"You may lose everything in your life, but your enthusiasm
And you will gain it all back again
But that person who has lost his inspiration,
Now, he is truly bankrupt!"
This quote by Henry David Thoreau is so accurate. In this rollercoaster of life, we are often presented with situations that seem impossible to overcome, but inspiration is the secret ingredient that empowers us to deal with them successfully. Inspiration is the fuel that keeps the fire burning within to achieve our goals. With enthusiasm, one can scale even the highest of mountains, but the slightest of work feels arduous without inspiration.
Once, a man went for an interview. When he reached, there were already 20 people ahead of him. However, he did not lose his zeal. He immediately wrote a letter to the interviewer and sent it across through the peon. When the manager opened the message, it read, 'Sir, I am the 21st candidate in the line. Do not decide anything until you meet me.' The manager was impressed by this gesture. He said, "This man is inspired to achieve anything in life. He is selected!" Situations will always be against us, but our inner enthusiasm will keep us going. As someone said,
"Great people do not do different things, but they do things differently."
Arunima Sinha's Inspiring Journey: Conquering Mount Everest Against All Odds
An example of this is the first physically challenged mountaineer to reach the top of Mt. Everest – Arunima Sinha. She was once travelling in a train when a group of dacoits got hold of her, and when she tried to push them away, they threw her out of the running train! She lay there on the track when another train passed, cutting off one of her legs. She lay there helplessly all night, bearing the extreme pain and agony. A few villagers found her in the morning, and she was air-transported to the hospital. Her leg was amputated, and she now bore an artificial leg.
Despite all the difficulties, she did not lose her enthusiasm. She said to herself that this incident would create history. And sure enough, it did! She became the first physically challenged woman mountaineer to reach the Mt. Everest! In one of her interviews, she described that her artificial leg came off while travelling up the mountain. She sat there in the midst of cold and shivering. The others asked her for a way, and she quietly moved aside. Then, with all her composure, she fixed her leg and scaled the mountain. Mountaineering in itself is a nerve-wracking sport, and to pursue it with one leg in itself is marvellous. What was it that kept her going? What was it that she did not lose hope in the worst of worst situations? It was her inspiration.
Three Types of People at Work: Which One Will You Be?
The Ramayan describes three kinds of people at work – The first category is those who talk a lot but do nothing. The second set is those who do what they say. The third category of people is those who speak less and act vigilantly. They deliver way more excellence than what was assigned to them. Shree Ram then explains to Hanuman that the first two kinds of people can easily be found, but the third kind is the rarest. Now, it is up to us who we wish to be!
The Power of Internal Inspiration: Achieving Great Success Beyond Limitations
Inspiration is that magical quality that enables us to surpass our physical limitations. It is this virtue that shall allow us the key to achieving not just success but great success. Today, we see so many entrepreneurs at the peak of their careers. We often perceive them as overnight successes, but that is untrue. Be it Soichiro Honda or Steve Jobs, everyone achieved success, embraced failures, and continued to establish a series of victories. However, one crucial question is – Is this inspiration internal or external? Am I aiming for something just for a name, fame, money, prestige, and position, or is it something else that my heart truly desires? Is this the goal that I will pursue even if I do not get the money? This introspection is essential because external motivation will keep us going only briefly. But that person who is internally motivated will keep going no matter what.
The Ink of Internal Motivation: Nurturing the Path to Success
Often, people turn to the spiritual path with an incomplete understanding of renunciation. However, when faced with problems, they also turn their backs and start running away from there. However, saints such as Meerabai, Kabir, and Tulsidas were all inspired internally. Meerabai was bestowed with poison for engaging in devotion, and instead of turning away from devotion, she turned the poison into nectar. Tulsidas was beaten up in the middle of the road, and his Ramcharit Manas was stolen, yet he continued his journey. The story of every successful person, be it spiritual or material, has been written with the ink of internal motivation and enthusiasm alone. So, let us nurture this beautiful inspiration quality and move on our road to success.
