#10. Think Big, Trust Yourself and Make it Happen

Situations in life differ and change with every day that passes. Sometimes we are excited and

feeling good about ourselves and sometimes we are on the opposite end of the spectrum. When we are feeling good, we feel in ourselves and our abilities and that draws out the best from us. But when you are in a negative zone, even though you have it in you, you feel defeated even before you start and your loss of self-confidence brings you down. At times like these, a small dose of motivation and a healthy push in the right direction, can work wonders for you and help you achieve results beyond what you could have ever imagined. Below, I am sharing with you a small anecdote to drive home this viewpoint.

There was a young boy named Bala who was very passionate about singing and had taken training for the same. He often used to sit beside the garden area in his house and practice singing. He used to enjoy that and could feel that he connects with plants very well. One day while doing his assignments online, he came across a singing competition, and without any second thoughts, he quickly registered himself for the same. After few days he received an email about the competition details, he was tensed as the date of the competition had come close and he had forgotten about the competition as he was tied up with his studies and assignments. He could practice somehow and it was the day of the competition today. He sang his favorite song and was excited about the results. The results were announced and he could not qualify for the competition. This news made him heartbroken. He was very upset, stopped talking to his friends and family, and preferred to be alone. His mother observed this behavior of Bala and thought of an idea to bring him out of this situation.

Bala loved his plants, his mother thought to bring him out of this situation the plants would be very helpful hence she stopped watering plants. Few days passed by and plants started drying up. When Bala saw his plants drying up, he went to his mother and asked her why is she not watering plants? The mother replied water was a need for the plants but they were happy & growing with your music my son. Bala understood the message behind his mother’s act. Without saying a word Bala went away. The next morning Bala told his mother that he would start the singing practice again and this time his mother would be by his side equally practicing with him and making him stay focused (she was also trained in music in her childhood days)

They both set a goal to win the competition this time and ensured they put in all the efforts to do the same. After a year again the competition was announced and Bala registered for the same. It was the day of the competition and Bala was on the stage to give his best with more confidence and positivity this time. The competition was over with few other participants performing. It was a really tough competition as many participants were trained and had come prepared. Finally, it was time for results and to everyone’s surprise, the winner was Bala. Bala was very happy hearing this, his happiness had no boundaries, and was feeling like on being the cloud. He shared that this victory was possible because of his dedication, practice, and the confidence given by his mother which made him win.

Don’t you think we all face situations like Bala in our life too? We are passionate about something but always need some driver (motivators) to push us hard and help us achieve our goals.

Here in this story, there are 2 important notes to take away one is goal setting and the other is identifying our drivers.

For any task we take up it is important for us to set a goal. A goal can be something that we wish to achieve over a period of time. The goal can be short-term or long-term. A goal statement with an appropriate action plan becomes a structured process. Here the way Bala was determined the 2nd time to win the competition with a clear goal and structured process of regular practice and feedback from his mother made him achieve his goal. It is important for all of us in our lives to identify our goals and make an action plan to achieve the same.

Another factor was the driver (motivation). There are internal and external factors that motivate a person and these factors are different from person to person and situation. One may feel motivated with some financial reward for his work or sometimes recognition can drive him to perform better. So it is important for us to identify what can drive us to perform better, gives us confidence, and make us positive. Once that is identified link the same to your goal and nothing would stop you from achieving the same.

In the end I would only say, “Think Big, Trust Yourself and Make it Happen.”