Overcoming Hurdles In Life

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A Guest Post By Aditya Sheaker

 

“I don’t care how tough you are but life will beat you down to your knees and keep you there if you let it”. This famous dialogue from the movie ‘Rocky Balboa’ symbolises life for all of us. We all come across hurdles and adversities in life which often push us down and we find it very hard to get back up on our feet. However, the latter half of the same quote goes something like this- “But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward”. The key here is to keep moving forward. Even the slightest of progress is a sign that you’re moving ahead in life. Be it simple tasks such as waking up on time or following your daily schedule, its all still progress. If life hits you hard, every small step you take is like hitting back at life and eventually all those small blows will outweigh the one blow or blows dealt to you. “That is how winning is done” Winning isn’t necessary getting a gold medal at the olympics or being conferred the nobel prize. It’s about achieving your own personal goals, milestones and in doing so, overcoming the hurdles thrown at you.

 

Lets look at some examples here.

Its December 18th, 2006, a chilly winter morning in Delhi, when a young lad by the name Virat Kohli walks out. Delhi have already lost 5 wickets in a mammoth chase and the last recognised pair is batting. They see out the day and are to continue the next morning to save the match. The next morning Virat does not immediately walk out and the teams are told he won’t be coming. Delhi slide further until Kohli walks back out in full cricketing gear, much to the shock of the teams and saves the match by batting almost 250 balls. Not many knew the incident that took place the night before. He had lost his father, Prem Kohli and he was just 18. Delhi may not have won that match but Virat Kohli had certainly won at life. The determination and courage he showed that day is a reminder to everyone out there to keep pushing hard and never ever give up, however big of a setback you face.

 

Another example is of the famous band, ‘The Beatles’. On New Years eve of 1961, they drove amidst a snowstorm from Liverpool to London, hired a studio and instantly made about 15 tracks in an few hours and showcased it to the record label publisher who rejected them and famously said “Guitar groups are on their way out”. Fast forward five months and they signed with another publisher, George Martin, and the rest was history- Multiple Grammy awards, The Grammy lifetime achievement award and the world music award among many others. The Key lesson to learn here is that despite their setbacks and hurdles, they continued doing what they loved. Just because someone did not appreciate their work, they didnt stop doing what they were the best at. They followed their heart. Never stop doing what you love because of what others think. Its irrelevant what they think.

 

 

Coming to a rather personal example- This was back in grade 9 when I was just about 14. It was my final exams and I had studied hard for them when suddenly I collapsed after an exam. I woke up only to find myself in the ICU of a hospital without control over my speech or my neurological system.  I was diagnosed with a rare case of migraine, a Hemiplegic migraine. My parents were told that I may never regain my memory and find it hard to speak in the future. Luckily, I did come out of it after some gruelling procedures and months at the hospital. I was told my studies will get severely affected and I may not speak properly ever again. The normal way of thinking about it would be to tell myself “Aditya, you may never be the same again and things will change for the worse”. However, the way you should think about it and the positive approach would be to say “Aditya, a problem has risen, but lets face it head on and think about what steps I can take to overcome it”. I did just that and now I’m much better and back to normal. Always face the hurdles head on. However intimidating or difficult it may look or sound, tackle it head on and you will always come out on top and overcome them. That is when you truly excel and win at life.

 

To conclude, I would like to emphasise on a term referred to as ‘belief’. As common as the word may sound, it is the single greatest weapon in overcoming hurdles in life. Believing in yourself and knowing that you will make it through the tough times is half the battle won. No one can steal that belief from you because your belief only exists within you, no one else. Look at the hurdles as a challenge thrown at you and look at conquering them as a factor that makes life meaningful and worth living. Lastly, always focus on the positive aspects in everything. Think of how it will change you as a person, think of the experience you will gain out if it and think of how much happiness you will get by overcoming it. The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it– Moliere

 

Aditya Sheaker can be contacted at https://www.facebook.com/asheaker

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