Of success and failure

It is better to play to win than to lose; it is better to wear out than to rust out. It is better to aim for excellence and not get lost in success. When one puts oneself on the track of excellence, it brings out inherent talents to light. It is said those who have never angered anyone is a failure in life. Similarly, a person who has never lost has never found the joy of winning. No doubt there is a joy in winning and pain in losing and if one does not accept both then it is like expecting the river to have one bank, the river is contained by two sides of the bank, is it not? Winning involves four important dimensions: Self-confidence, mental toughness, winning-oriented thinking and the ability to innovate.

Self-confidence stands on three important pillars: feeling good, taking responsibility and developing skills. One has to learn the art of feeling good even in moments of pressure. The quality of life is the quality of one’s consistent emotion. One has to master the art of keeping emotion in a state of well-being; search for such a state of consciousness. At moments of pressure, the mind tends to validate itself unconsciously on incidents where one is in pressure. In cricket, when wickets are falling, new players are under great pressure.



Past failures will influence present situations. So we are not living in the present but we are living in our past. In my interactions with cricket players I tell them that when they are under pressure, they should consciously recreate their future and not their past. How can one do that? That is the responsibly and discipline one should have. Create your future from the commitment to win and with the wisdom gained out of your past failure. Recollect in your mind incidents for example, in cricket when a particular player was under tremendous pressure and faced with failure and yet how the player has bounced back.

You should have these references ready and alive in you even before the match. One has to train one’s body to be in the peak state, one’s emotions to be in peak state and one’s spirit also to be in a peak state. In such a peak state, a different quality of energy emerges and will influence one’s action. Mind has to be tough for doing so. One has to teach and value a mind so as not to be disturbed. Once when you value it, action emerges from such an action. Your actions are an extension of your values.

At the end, one also has to understand that failures are fertilizers to success. In fact, failures are postponed success. Don’t fear failure but learn from failure. In failure there are recipes for success. By worrying and fearing, you miss learning. But observe and be unaffected by failure. With such a self-esteem one’s winning and losing will only enhance one’s talent and value. Cultivate interest in innovation for that is what will encourage and inspire you. Innovation will happen through focus, practice and inspiration.

All that one can do is to put in consistent best efforts consciously. Success and failure are two sides of the same coin; irrespective of the best effort one puts in, you will have to face both success and failure at different times. There is no need to get discouraged by failure or unduly elated by success, for the time will come when the successful face failure and those who have failed will taste success. 
By: Swami Sukhabodhananda

CHANTING HARE KRISHNA MAHA MANTRA

THE RIGHT ROAD TOWARDS SUCCESS