Write your own script means, you are asked to plan those factors which enable you to go from the place where you are in to the place where you want to go.
A simple example is, if I want to go from Vizag to Hyderabad, the first thing I do is, I move from my living place and proceed to the railway station (or to the airport as the case may be ).
What happens if I remain unmoved? I cannot go to Hyderabad. I remain forever in Vizag.
Underneath this simple example there lies a big life lesson. The lesson is “You are what you do.” But people who do not realize this will attribute such failures to their luck. To their destiny. Such people are satisfied with what they have and never aim to the higher aims in life. They say, ‘Destiny has defined my life. Whatever destiny has stored for me only that I get. None can defy the destiny.’
How far such statements are acceptable? Is there a thing called destiny? Is destiny irreversible?
Seeing the history of achievers, one can come to a definite conclusion that destiny is a fig of imagination that exists only in the minds and lexicons of non- performers.
What makes people to throw the blame on destiny?
People who impose self limits on themselves will use often words like, “Oh, its not for people like me. Its meant for a select blessed. People are born with super powers. They are all together a different proposition.“ so on and so forth. These are back stabbing themselves by imposing self limits.
In contrast to this, people with limitless thoughts are ever ebullient and ever enthusiastic to find new avenues of growth and development. Their weapon is their immense self confidence.
I’m thinking, therefore I exist.
The above quote of René Descartes is well known. Thinking is the test of existence. A dead man cannot think. So is a man with self imposed limitations. An unshackled thinking alone makes one to explore and dive in to the depths of knowledge and succeeds in pocketing a handful of pearls. A loitering person on the sands of the sea at the most can pocket a handful of sand.
Remember, the moment you succumb to the thought that you are limited by your own limits created by you, your progress and development will come to a grinding halt.
What’s the panacea?
Allow your will to think wildly. Don’t rein them. It’s only due to free thinking, that’s free from shackles.many inventions took place.
Just think had Newton kept himself aloof after seeing the fallen apple. The world wouldn't have seen the laws of gravitation.
Newton just simply did not say to himself, “ What’s so strange about ‘Falling down of an apple ?’ But he asked himself. ‘why it has fallen on the ground, why it hasn't gone up ?’
This is how a man with free will think. He ‘asked “. And that question made him to explore. Whereas it’s not possible for a man with self imposed limits.
“Why and what”, the two questions that open the flood gates to the world of knowledge.
When you ask a question, it shows that you are thinking and also it shows you are enthusiastic to know more to widen your knowledge base. And it’s this intention that makes your knowledge base strong. And realize that this is the foundation that guides you all along your life. Above all, this very knowledge base makes you keep a control on your thoughts.
What’s the prerequisite for having a thought ?
The first and foremost criteria is to get rid of those shackles of self imposed limits. Unless one throws away self imposed limits, a person cannot have beliefs of his own. Persons sans belief of their own lack confidence in themselves.
So in a nutshell, for a person who wishes to achieve his goals, the starting point is belief and confidence. And how this belief leads to thoughts. And how these thoughts help in making your destiny can be understood from the following famous quote of Mahatma Gandhi.
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
Now coming back to the heading of the topic, “Write your own script”, we will see how some of the legendary business Gurus, scientists and thinkers, inventors, public figures, movie world luminaries, writers and artists, musicians and athletes written their own script and made a niche in the pages of history.
The 4 Ds.
The common thread that binds all the achievers is “ 4 Ds.” These 4 Ds are their staple food. Success is a chain made of four links. They are dedication, determination, discipline and desire. Those who succeeded in life know well that all the links in the chain must be strong and solid. One weak link is enough to make the entire chain weak and make the chain snap. After all any chain is as strong as its weak link. The achievers are on the lookout if there are weak links. If there are, they work on that weak link and make it strong.
Business magnates.
The name Henry Ford makes us remind a successful business Guru. We also think that he met success after success from the very beginning of his life without tasting ever the taste of failure. This is a wrong thinking. Before he founded the successful Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford a series of setbacks and failures. And today his name is associated with the world famous ‘innovative assembly line and American – made cars.
Another name that flashes in to our mind is the inventor of the ‘department stores’ concept, R.H Macy. After failing miserably in seven businesses, Macy has tasted the taste of success.
Soichiro Honda, owner of multibillion dollar business was refused a job by Toyota Motor Corporation. He was without a Job. Then came the idea of starting his own scooter making business. And that finally shaped in to a gigantic company with the time.
Walt Disney had to hear the bitter remark by a news paper editor. “You lack imagination and you are devoid of good ideas worth mentioning” , when he presented his works for consideration for a job. After that Walt Disney faced several failures in businesses he started. Then, he stuck to the golden rule of 4 Ds and became what he is today.
Scientists and thinkers.
The Noble laureate Albert Einstein who stands as the epitome of genius of the highest order, has never showed even a remote trace of ordinary intelligence, leave alone the quality of genius in his childhood. Einstein could not speak until he was four. He was unable to read until he was seven. All the teachers and his parents came to the conclusion that he would end up as a mentally handicapped. He had to face expulsion from the school. He was denied admission in Zurich polytechnic school.
And the entire world has seen how he has overcome all his deficiencies by his dedicated work to strengthen his weak links and emerged as the Noble laureate, who stood as the lone star on the horizon of modern physics.
"I was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect." Recollects Charles Darwin, Theory of evolution fame. He has given up a medical career in his early days. Frequent warnings, rebukes and reprimands from his peers made Darwin more determined to prove his worth.
Inventors.
From his early days. Thomas Edison earned the tag, “Too stupid to learn anything “ from his teachers. Even in his Jobs, he was fired twice. The invention of electric bulb that has catapulted him to the peaks of glory was not an immediate success. He could achieve the success only after 1000 attempts. So, here is another example of a successful person who was nether disheartened nor dejected by his long string of failures. Every mistake taught him a lesson and Edison learned from his mistakes only through constant perseverance and grit.
Orville and Wilbur Wright.
Famously known as Wright brothers who invented air planes after several unsuccessful attempts and scores of family problems. Against all odds Wright brothers started a bicycle shop that would enable them to conduct various experiments related to flights.
Public Figures.
After facing a series of failures in his younger days Abraham Lincoln. In a letter to his friend lamented that he was the most miserable man on the earth. He faced only failures and nothing but failures in his life. How he was crippled by failures can be imagined from this. “If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth."
From such a dreadful state Abraham Lincoln has risen to the lofty status to be remembered by the world as the greatest American President in the history of America.
Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest TV personality today was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She had a very rough and traumatic childhood. She had innumerable setbacks in the initial stage of her career. Things she wanted and wanted to possess in her life did not fall in her lap without any effort. The present craze of the TV world was once an unwanted and refused by TV companies. She was fired from her job. The reason for being refused was the companies did not find her adequate for working as a reporter.
Movie luminaries.
Indian movie celebrity Dharmendra was rejected by all most all the producers saying the Jat was looking like a football player sans sophistication and histrionic talents. Perseverance paid him rich dividends after a prolonged struggle. Even the legendary Bollywood director Bimal roy accepted him in his movies.
Sydney Poitier, the winner of coveted Oscar award, years ago when he appeared for an audition, the casting director advised him to try his luck as a dishwasher. But the undaunted spirit of Sydney Poitier was not dampened and went on to become one of the greatest actors of Hollywood.
Jeanne Moreau, a young French actress who stepped in to Hollywood with dreams in her eyes to become an actress. A casting director seeing her ambition said that she was simply not pretty enough to make it in films. But it has not taken much time for the casting director that he was wrong. Moreau went on to become as the star of 100 films and won innumerable awards.
Writers and Artists
Vincent Van Gogh painted more than 800 works during his lifetime, but,Van Gogh sold only one painting, for a pittance to his friend. Vincent Van Gogh’s life was spent in poverty all along struggling. But he never gave up hope. The artist who was never a success during his life time, has become the most celebrated artist that the world has ever known. Now his paintings fetch millions of dollars.
J.K. Rowling conjures up the legendary Harry potter series to the readers all over the world. But, if you see her beginnings, you will be astonished to know that she was penniless in the beginning of her writing days. Now, Rowling has become a legendary figure just in a span of five years. She never yielded to the adversities that crippled her. She got up and went on to become one of the richest woman in the world by her sheer hard work and determination.
Monet, when he started a new style of painting known as ‘impressionism’, was mocked, ridiculed and heckled by the elite by the artistic elite of the Paris Salon. But he was unperturbed. He proceeded ahead. He simply followed his heart and with the immense faith in his abilities, never stopped. And today. Monet’s paintings are the synonyms for ‘Impressionism’. And they fetch millions of dollars.
All the above success sagas have one thing in common. They never believed that the destiny can’t be changed. They Have rewritten their destinies to become what they wanted to become.