Never Give Up.....
-Prem Guragain, Anaheim, CA
Muhammad Yunus ,a Bangladeshi Banker, an Economist, founder of Grameen Bank and the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2006, has said, “Each of us has much more hidden inside us than we have had a chance to explore. Unless we create an environment that enables us to discover the limits of our potential, we will never know what we have inside of us.”
Since the day a baby is born, it is the responsibility of the parents, to mould the character and future of that child. No matter how we try to hide our behavior and activity at home, children can sense it, either it is positive or negative. The biography of great human beings who had contributed something in a positive way, had always been inspiration to many of us. It is by reading their trials and tribulations, we can all learn ‘what needs to be followed’ and ‘what needs to be eliminated’. When one is determined and is focused to accomplish something worthwhile, many obstacles and challenges will arise on the way. As long as the goal is crystal clear and mind is determined to get it done, nothing can stop him or her.
I had a privilege to read the books by world famous author Orison Swett Marden while I was a young college student in Nepal. I love all his books and one of my favorite quotes from one of his books is, “All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.” He had a very humble beginning even though he was born in America but with his hard work, passion, determination and by applying ‘never give up’ attitude, became a famous author and even today, his books are being read all over the world in many different languages.
Have we ever thought about the thing that makes us think ? That is our brain. I have always thought about it and want to know why people can not think, for something better in their life. Scientists have proved that our human brain does 20,000 trillion calculations per second. Why waste such a powerful machine, in doing mundane work and not being a dreamer (not just a daydreamer) and work hard as well as smart ? Even after all the tremendous blessings, why people still forget what they can do and instead, waste their most valuable life in so many unproductive activities. These questions always bother me when I see many talented young people with so much potential ahead of them in life, just waste their time and energy following the wrong crowd or doing the things that make no sense at the end. Many times, it could be not having the RIGHT EXAMPLE at home or not being able to find and follow a true mentor in life.
This is a very serious question and many of us always make a quick remark if it was ever asked, “I am so busy, I don’t have time to think. Life is crazy, so many bills to pay, health challenges, relationship challenges, bad economy and the list is endless.” Many of us already know about Thomas Alva Edison, who had invented more than 1,000 useful items and is the inventor of the electric light bulb. He had his famous quote, “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Edison never gave up on his dreams and goals.
Marie Curie is the first Scientist who had won two Nobel Prizes (In Physics and in Chemistry ) even though she had been through so much challenges at home, in her childhood, in college and even after finishing college and university. She never gave up on her dream and invented Radium, the element that was used to treat cancer, known as Curietherapy or Radiumtherapy. She had said, “Life is not easy for any of us. We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” She was told that girls could not continue their education and were just a housewife, taking care of the family and children. She knew her heart’s desire and never listened to those negative voices, either from outside sources or from inside. She knew what she wanted in the depth of her heart and was willing to pay the price as she never believed in overnight success or any kind of shortcuts to success. There is no other scientist who had received Noble Prize twice. Not only that, she had been such a great role model for her daughter Irène Joliot-Curie, who also received Nobel Prize.
We have the best example of ‘Never Giving Up’, in American History. One of the well-known, one of the most respected Presidents of the USA, Abraham Lincoln was ultimate example of ‘never giving up.’ Here is the list of his failures before he became the US President:
• Lost job, 1832
• Defeated for legislature, 1832
• Failed in business, 1833
• Elected to legislature, 1834
• Sweetheart (Ann Rutledge) died, 1835
• Had nervous breakdown, 1836
• Defeated for Speaker, 1838
• Defeated for nomination for Congress, 1843
• Elected to Congress, 1846
• Lost re-nomination, 1848
• Rejected for Land Officer, 1849
• Defeated for Senate, 1854
• Defeated for nomination for Vice-President, 1856
• Again defeated for Senate, 1858
• Elected President, 1860
Abraham Lincoln was told many times that he was nobody and could be nobody in life by the committee of ‘they’ (those critics whose names are not found in any history books). We have not yet seen or found the statues erected for the critics who see only the negative aspects of everything. It’s just the way people look into things with : optimism or pessimism. Abraham Lincoln believed in preparation before aiming anything BIG and did whatever it took to get the dream accomplished. It is recorded in history books that Abraham Lincoln would go to schools on weekend and would speak from the podium, assuming those empty chairs as occupied by real people because he was told that he needed to practice to speak in public. As Luck is defined as “Preparation meeting Opportunity”, many people are misled by having a good luck as: winning lottery, inheritance, lawsuits and going to Las Vegas to gamble.
Hard work as well as smart work, with positive goal in mind, definitely brings success in any area of life. Life is so good and beautiful. When we look around, there is so much peace, harmony, beauty in nature which should give us a happy heart to appreciate everything. When I pause for a moment and think about so many people wasting their life in unproductive activities, it gives me so much pain and I wish I could individually sit with that person and spend some time telling him/her how valuable life is. Sometimes I feel like shouting out loud from the tallest building and tell every human being, “You are the greatest miracle in the world. There is nothing that you can’t achieve in life if you believe in it and do not waste your valuable time in destructive things. You are a walking, talking miracle. Just sit for few minutes and start counting the blessings you already have in your life, starting with: being alive, having the eyes to look, nose to breathe, ears to hear, brain to think and the list goes on.”
Here is a beautiful story I had read about being remembered when one does not give up and accomplishes useful thing that would benefit humanity forever: One day, a teacher was teaching a lesson of never giving up to the class and the teacher was telling how history will remember those who never gave up. She asked the students: “Did Abraham Lincoln ever give up ?” All the students replied, “No”. She asked them again, “Did Edison ever give up ?” Again the students replied, “No.”. After mentioning couple of great heroes’ names, she finally asked them, “Did Joe Doe give up ?” On that, all the students replied, “Who is Joe Doe ?” She said, “You don’t know his name because he gave up.”
Before we think there is nothing we can achieve that is useful, let’s think twice, may be ten times, even hundred or thousand times and let’s always remember this, “NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP.”
-Prem Guragain, Anaheim, CA
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/124933
Muhammad Yunus ,a Bangladeshi Banker, an Economist, founder of Grameen Bank and the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2006, has said, “Each of us has much more hidden inside us than we have had a chance to explore. Unless we create an environment that enables us to discover the limits of our potential, we will never know what we have inside of us.”
Since the day a baby is born, it is the responsibility of the parents, to mould the character and future of that child. No matter how we try to hide our behavior and activity at home, children can sense it, either it is positive or negative. The biography of great human beings who had contributed something in a positive way, had always been inspiration to many of us. It is by reading their trials and tribulations, we can all learn ‘what needs to be followed’ and ‘what needs to be eliminated’. When one is determined and is focused to accomplish something worthwhile, many obstacles and challenges will arise on the way. As long as the goal is crystal clear and mind is determined to get it done, nothing can stop him or her.
I had a privilege to read the books by world famous author Orison Swett Marden while I was a young college student in Nepal. I love all his books and one of my favorite quotes from one of his books is, “All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.” He had a very humble beginning even though he was born in America but with his hard work, passion, determination and by applying ‘never give up’ attitude, became a famous author and even today, his books are being read all over the world in many different languages.
Have we ever thought about the thing that makes us think ? That is our brain. I have always thought about it and want to know why people can not think, for something better in their life. Scientists have proved that our human brain does 20,000 trillion calculations per second. Why waste such a powerful machine, in doing mundane work and not being a dreamer (not just a daydreamer) and work hard as well as smart ? Even after all the tremendous blessings, why people still forget what they can do and instead, waste their most valuable life in so many unproductive activities. These questions always bother me when I see many talented young people with so much potential ahead of them in life, just waste their time and energy following the wrong crowd or doing the things that make no sense at the end. Many times, it could be not having the RIGHT EXAMPLE at home or not being able to find and follow a true mentor in life.
This is a very serious question and many of us always make a quick remark if it was ever asked, “I am so busy, I don’t have time to think. Life is crazy, so many bills to pay, health challenges, relationship challenges, bad economy and the list is endless.” Many of us already know about Thomas Alva Edison, who had invented more than 1,000 useful items and is the inventor of the electric light bulb. He had his famous quote, “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Edison never gave up on his dreams and goals.
Marie Curie is the first Scientist who had won two Nobel Prizes (In Physics and in Chemistry ) even though she had been through so much challenges at home, in her childhood, in college and even after finishing college and university. She never gave up on her dream and invented Radium, the element that was used to treat cancer, known as Curietherapy or Radiumtherapy. She had said, “Life is not easy for any of us. We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” She was told that girls could not continue their education and were just a housewife, taking care of the family and children. She knew her heart’s desire and never listened to those negative voices, either from outside sources or from inside. She knew what she wanted in the depth of her heart and was willing to pay the price as she never believed in overnight success or any kind of shortcuts to success. There is no other scientist who had received Noble Prize twice. Not only that, she had been such a great role model for her daughter Irène Joliot-Curie, who also received Nobel Prize.
We have the best example of ‘Never Giving Up’, in American History. One of the well-known, one of the most respected Presidents of the USA, Abraham Lincoln was ultimate example of ‘never giving up.’ Here is the list of his failures before he became the US President:
• Lost job, 1832
• Defeated for legislature, 1832
• Failed in business, 1833
• Elected to legislature, 1834
• Sweetheart (Ann Rutledge) died, 1835
• Had nervous breakdown, 1836
• Defeated for Speaker, 1838
• Defeated for nomination for Congress, 1843
• Elected to Congress, 1846
• Lost re-nomination, 1848
• Rejected for Land Officer, 1849
• Defeated for Senate, 1854
• Defeated for nomination for Vice-President, 1856
• Again defeated for Senate, 1858
• Elected President, 1860
Abraham Lincoln was told many times that he was nobody and could be nobody in life by the committee of ‘they’ (those critics whose names are not found in any history books). We have not yet seen or found the statues erected for the critics who see only the negative aspects of everything. It’s just the way people look into things with : optimism or pessimism. Abraham Lincoln believed in preparation before aiming anything BIG and did whatever it took to get the dream accomplished. It is recorded in history books that Abraham Lincoln would go to schools on weekend and would speak from the podium, assuming those empty chairs as occupied by real people because he was told that he needed to practice to speak in public. As Luck is defined as “Preparation meeting Opportunity”, many people are misled by having a good luck as: winning lottery, inheritance, lawsuits and going to Las Vegas to gamble.
Hard work as well as smart work, with positive goal in mind, definitely brings success in any area of life. Life is so good and beautiful. When we look around, there is so much peace, harmony, beauty in nature which should give us a happy heart to appreciate everything. When I pause for a moment and think about so many people wasting their life in unproductive activities, it gives me so much pain and I wish I could individually sit with that person and spend some time telling him/her how valuable life is. Sometimes I feel like shouting out loud from the tallest building and tell every human being, “You are the greatest miracle in the world. There is nothing that you can’t achieve in life if you believe in it and do not waste your valuable time in destructive things. You are a walking, talking miracle. Just sit for few minutes and start counting the blessings you already have in your life, starting with: being alive, having the eyes to look, nose to breathe, ears to hear, brain to think and the list goes on.”
Here is a beautiful story I had read about being remembered when one does not give up and accomplishes useful thing that would benefit humanity forever: One day, a teacher was teaching a lesson of never giving up to the class and the teacher was telling how history will remember those who never gave up. She asked the students: “Did Abraham Lincoln ever give up ?” All the students replied, “No”. She asked them again, “Did Edison ever give up ?” Again the students replied, “No.”. After mentioning couple of great heroes’ names, she finally asked them, “Did Joe Doe give up ?” On that, all the students replied, “Who is Joe Doe ?” She said, “You don’t know his name because he gave up.”
Before we think there is nothing we can achieve that is useful, let’s think twice, may be ten times, even hundred or thousand times and let’s always remember this, “NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP.”
-Prem Guragain, Anaheim, CA
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/124933
posted by Prem Guragain at
2:18 PM
|
1 Comments
