*Success brings with it a sense of satisfaction for having done your work well. It gives you happiness. But it should never be allowed to go your head. Be humble and modest in your success.

 Everyone wants to be successful. A student wants to be successful in his examination. A doctor wants to be successful in his treatment of disease. An engineer wants to be successful in his designing and building activities. An artist wants to be successful in his creative works. Success brings with it a sense of satisfaction for having done your work well. It gives you happiness. It increases your confidence in your abilities. You feel a sense of pride.

 But success can also work as opium. It can intoxicate. It can go right into your head. It can make you blind to reality. This is one of the reasons for the downfall of many great men and women. They became vain and their overconfidence led them to committing serious mistakes. The kick they experienced out of their success made them blind to the wisdom of those living around.

 Ferdinand de Lesseps was the engineer who designed and built the Suez Canal. It was a great engineer feat. The canal bridged the gap between Europe and the East. He was showed with parses and honors. He was also flood with new offers.

 Ferdinand was asked to construct the Panama Canal between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. He thought he could easily do it. The success in building the Suez Canal had gone to his head. He refused to take advice from others. His junior engineers advised him to build the Canal with a system of gates and locks. He thought only he knew what was right. He refused to heed to their advice. He went ahead with his plans. But he miserably failed. He had to return home bankrupt.

 It was indeed surprising that Ferdinand, a man who could successfully build the Suez Canal, failed to build the Panama Canal. First of all he refused to listen to the advice of others. Then he failed to adapt his method of work to a new situation. He was overconfident. He thought since his plans for the Suez Canal met with immense success, the same could work for the Panama Canal. He ignored the truth. Each situation demands a new approach. If the success in building the Suez Canal had not gone to his head, he would have certainly succeeded in building the Panama Canal.

 An unexpected honor can sometimes change people. They easily forget their roots. Your friend, with whom you freely interacted till the other day, finds himself appointed leader of your class. He no more mingles with you. He no more shares his problems with you. The air of freedom is no more. He tries to lord over you. He goes around bullying everybody in the class. Instead of being a source of strength for the students, he becomes their enemy.

 It is very difficult to remain modest in success because bring in a lot of praise and attention from others. This can even sweep you off your feet. It is here modest is required. Learn to accept their praise gracefully. Do not allow the praise to go to your head. When someone says you are the best in something or the other, do not get carried away. There are certainly many others who are better than you in that particular field. The praise should motivate you to perform better. It should add value to your life.

 Suppose you are –the best with others lagging behind you. Instead of allowing all praise and appreciation to go to your head, try to practice and improve yourself. Otherwise at any time others can overtake you. Remember the story of the hare and the tortoise. The hare was overconfidence. He took his win for granted. But the result turned out to be different. The tortoise won the race, putting him to shame and disgrace.

 Whenever mother Teresa walked out of the comforts of her convent life in the forties, she had nothing but her absolute trust in God. She settled down in Calcutta to improve the plight of the millions of poor people living around. She picked up abandoned babies from the gutters and tried to nurse them back to health. She built homes for abandoned children, homes for the old and the handicapped and homes for the lepers. She became a messiah for the poor and the hopeless.

 She was awarded the noble Prize for peace in 1979. She said she was unworthy of such a great honor. Accepting the award in the name of the `unwanted, unloved and uncared for,’ mother Teresa wore the same founded the Missionaries of Charity. It was to identify wit the poor. She said not allow success and honor to go to her head.

 Learn to be humble and modest in your success. Do not be overconfident. Try to listen to the advice of others. Remember every situation requires a new approach. Try to adapt your ways and techniques to meet new challenges.

 

 

 

*Know your worth. Make constant efforts to increase it. The more is the knowledge of your worth; the grater is the chance of your success in life.  God created man. While creating him, God took care of every aspect. After completing his work, God looked of him. `Excellent!’ he said. God was very pleased with his work. He was proud of his creation.  Unlike any other creation, man is special. He is not only beautiful but also talented. He can do so many things. He is so powerful that he has the whole earth under his control. He as also established his control on heavenly bodies like moon and the mars. Tomorrow it will be something else. He is very powerful.  Hence is necessary that each person should become aware of his strength. Strength does not consist of just physical abilities. It also means moral and intellectual qualities. Moral strength is much more important than physical and intellectual strength. And this forms his self-worth.  It is his self-worth that commands esteem in society, it is usefulness to people living around that matters. It is his importance in society that is worth cherishing. We live in society. We relate to people every moment of our life. What is important is how much a person is useful to others living around. Usefulness to others, to society and to the whole world is what makes is self-worth.  Mother Teresa was just on ordinary nun. She worked in a school in West Bengal. She could have continued to teach till her retirement. She could have a very comfortable life. But, then how many would have known her. Like thousands of nuns who are in the teaching mission, she could have been just one among them.  But one bold step changed everything. It was challenging. It was risky. It was beyond human. She walked into the midst of the poorest of the poor, the abandoned and the dying. She carried them in her arms and looked after them like her own. She gave them a new life. Her fame spread beyond the boundaries. Her institutions came up in every part if the world. Whenever the poor lived, she was there. She became a household name not just in India but also all over the world. That was her self-worth.  A tree is judges by the fruits it gives. If the fruits are good, the tree is naturally good. If the fruits are bad, the tree is naturally bad. If the fruits are bad, the tree is not wanted. It is cut down and burnt. Similarly it is the deeds of a person that sow his worth. His worth lies in his deeds. His character is also equality important. Since character is the sum total of all his moral qualities, it shows the worth of his person.  Dr. BR. Ambedkar was held in high esteem. He was a person of great importance. For the poor and the oppressed, he was a messiah. He came from a humble background. He was born of poor parents. He worked hard to restore the poor their self-respect. He was one of the main architects responsible for the Constitution of India. He played a major role in molding and shaping the destiny of the country. His humble origin and poverty did not come in the way of showing his self-worth.  Men and women who became great knew their worth. It was this knowledge that gave them self-confidence to achieve their goals. Knowledge of self-worth and determination to reach the set targets will lead to success.  We should never our self-worth to remain stagnant. To increase our self-worth, we should acquire more knowledge, learn more skills and specialize in any useful field. This will not only bring more respect from others but also lead to having more self-worth.  

*Everyone welcomes a courteous person. They are liked wherever they go Courtesy begets courtesy.  It was a busy morning as usual. There were many people going up and coming down a big business complex in Bangalore. A young man parked his car outside and entered the building. He straightaway went to the lift man and ordered. `Take me to the fifth floor.’ The lift man was not pleased with his order. He demanded that the young man say `Pleas’. But the man refused to say `Please’ and again ordered him. `Take me to the fifth floor.’ The lift man lost his cool. He grabbed the young man by his collar and threw him out.  The Young man straightaway went to police station and filed a complaint against the lift man. The lift man was certainly punished for throwing the man out of the lift. All this could have been avoided if the young man was polite enough to say `please.’ `Please’ and `thank you’ is some of the expressions that make it easy for us to communicate with others.  We live in society. We have to interact with others necessarily. If interaction with others has to be sooth, we need to be courteous. Courtesy is the good grace of behavior that respects people. It is like a cushion that takes all the pushes and frictions and absorbs all hats is rough and irritating. It is like the air in the tube id a wheel. It takes all the bumps and jerks and makes riding smooth.  We should learn to be polite. If we are courteous, we can see the effect on others. If you went to ask someone for something, ask for it very politely. Few people can refuse us when we say `please’. Moreover they will feel very happy when they hear polite expressions like 1please’ and 1thank you’. When someone asks us for help, if we cannot do so, we should be polite in communicating the same. Others will take it in the right spirit.  We make friends or enemies by the way we speak. A person who is polite will make many friends. Such a person will be liked and admired. We can comfort a sad person by speaking to him with care and love. On the other hand, a person who is rude and impolite will make enemies. Learn to control yourself and make things pleasant through courtesy.  As students, learn the art of being courteous right from your first day in school. If you want a book, try to say `please give me you book.’ If you want a doubt clarified, say, `kindly tell me if this is true.’ The person will be happy to help you.  Courtesies sweeten life. AG Gardiner, a writer of international repute, says courtesies are like lubricants, lubricants make the machine run smoothly. Courtesies make our life a smooth affair. Learn to speak to people gently and courteously. Be polite to your parents, teachers, friends and even strangers. Everyone will be polite to you in return. Courtesies make you world a happier one.  

*Life poses so many bumps. You have to face a lot of inconveniences, troubles and difficulties to reach your goal. The natural reaction is to avoid all those bumps. But once you start to face them, you find your will power become strong. You become a person of determination. These bumps will make your will power steel-like ready to meet all difficulties and trails in your life.

 As teenagers, you are by now aware of the simple truth that life is full of challenges. If often does not work the way you plan. Unexpected things happen to derail your journey. It does not mean that you should stop your journey and retreat. Then life loses its shine. It loses even its grip.

 Challenges never come with a prior warning. They always come unannounced. You should be on the alert. You should not be caught sleeping. Your education has to prepare you for this task. If that does not happen, education has no meaning.

 Sir Isaac Newton had a pet dog named Diamond. One day a sudden movement by the dog caused a burning candle to fall on the pile of manuscripts. It was reduced to ashes in no time. The manuscripts were the only record of his twenty years of painstaking research. All that Newton did was to stroke the dog gently and say, `Oh Diamond, you do not know what mischief you have done me!’ the setback did not deter him from going ahead with his work. On the other hand, he worked with more zeal to reach his goal.

 Great men and women were determined to face whatever lay ahead of them. They worked hard to achieve their goals. They faced misfortunes and failure on the way but they refused to give up. Whatever came their way, they took it as a challenge Newton did not give up when twenty years of his work was reduced to ashes. On the other hand, he continued to work with renewed vigor.

 A responsible person is one who is bold enough to say in the face of all odds and difficulties.’ I can! I will!’ he moves ahead in spite of failures. Difficulties and failures should be treated as challenges. It is through failures a person learns, improves and finally succeeds. You should not be discouraged by failures. On the other hand you should make a renewed effort to overcome you mistakes. You should turn your obstacles into a stepping –stone to success.

 Ramesh returned home late one evening. He saw a note at the door signed by his great friend Ravi, who had been away for many years. His friend lived in a village eleven kilometers away. Ramesh was keen to meet him. He took out his bicycle but there was very little air its tyre. The sky was dark. There were not even stars.

 As Ramesh proceeded, he felt the bumps. He was almost thrown off the road many times. He had to pedal very carefully. At times the movement was at a snail’s pace. He was not even sure he would be able to meet his friend. With great difficulty he negotiated all the potholes and stones and reached the village. His friend was waiting for him even without sleep. It was a reunion between Ramesh and his –lost friend Ravi. All the difficulties he had to face were worth this meeting.

 Life also poses so many bumps. You have to face a lot of inconveniences, troubles and difficulties to reach your goal. The natural reaction is to avoid all these bumps. But once you start to face them, you find your will power become strong. You become a person of determination. These bumps will make your will power steel-like, ready to meet all difficulties and trials in your life.

 Never let obstacles and failures discourage you. Keep doing your work and success will be yours. Be prepared for the unexpected. If you are a person of will power and determination, nothing can defeat you. Be thankful for the obstacles that come your way, for they prepare you for the bigger unavoidable obstacles you will meet in your life.