We have moments where we feel great and fulfilled. When life seems such a wonderful process to live and we feel God has been kind. Look around and you have so many examples when success touched your feet and made you feel on top of the world

But life being what it is, there are times when suddenly, all seems to have fallen apart, everything seems lost and we begin to question the very basis of what we think was never there to begin with.  

ROLL BACK : 35 YEARS

I remember my first debate in school (I was in Std 8th) where I performed so good that I stood first and was given a prize. It seemed like I had conquered the world and I was made the house leader. Fellow boys saw me as inspiration.

 

But the feeling was not to last long. Within three months or so we had another debate – this time with another school. I was so confident that …. well I won’t detail how I lost miserably. I and my school had to face an embarrassment and quite expectedly all of it could be put on none other than me. When I looked at fellow boys in the eye – their expressions seemed to tell me that I never had any speaking abilities to begin with and the success at the first one was just a case of not enough competition or useless judges.  Again, I won’t repeat history … but another three months and a lot of mentoring by my house master …. I have never stood second in a debate – not just in school, but in college, in university and most significantly at work. Whether it was speaking in English, in Hindi or even in Urdu – I was always in the First slot.

Even today one of my most envied skills is the Presentation Skills. It’s a different matter that Speaking doesn’t monetarily make the best option for me.  The failure and the way my house master made me deal with it was the key to determine if my relationship with this passion will last or not. He did not ask me hide the shame of my performance but made me aware that that was also an incident just as the first one was. He told me, may be I had put too much hope in my second one without having all the elements that go into winning. He also clarified that not having much expectations about the future events is easier said than done. 

TODAY

Years later when I look back and try to ask what caused my failure in the second debate. No, it was not the over confidence from the first one. It was roller coaster that must happen in anything that has to last a life time.

 

 

Never Never Never Give Up ! No matter what….