Talent Plus Hard Work - Our Success Formula

by Bala
(Mumbai)

On an EARLY, COLD, DECEMBER morning, the sun LIGHT trickled THROUGH

the gaps of the window of Sharma's bedroom in his HOUSE. There was a hint
of RAIN in the air.

He was not surprised to see his younger daughter Shanti already up and
busy studying her books in the hall. Her monthly examination was due next
week and as a bright and disciplined student she used to get up early every
morning and study for an hour or so before going to her SCHOOL.

She was always the first in the class in every exam, but in the last month's
exam she came second behind her best friend Radha and that too with a
small difference of marks only.

But she was very unhappy with this development. She was very possessive
with her status as the top student of her class and when she slipped from
this position for the first time, she was very upset, even though she lost her
position only to her best friend.

To all those who tried to console her on this aspect, she used to reply, 'When
there is a competition, there is no place for friendship, feelings or emotions.

Once you start yielding to such thoughts you will begin to make
compromises in your life and before you know it, your discipline would have
evaporated. You should never lose sight of your aim or target in life,
whatever they may be. Unless such determined focus is kept in your mind
and it is followed by positive action you will become a loser in life
eventually.

It only shows that I have some HIDDEN weakness in me and thats why this
has happened. Now I want to see that such a thing never repeats in future
and that the number one rank will never have a chance to ESCAPE from me'.

Her admirers used to wonder how she is able to be so serious in studies and
put in such hard work. But her detractors used to make nasty comments
about her saying, 'Is she appearing for the IAS exams or what? Why does she
make such a big fuss about it?'

But her class teacher Ms Mrinalini Shetty praised her attitude and compared
it with Roger Federer the great tennis champion.
When the journalists asked him : 'What is the secret of your success?' he
replied 'Talent plus hard work, one without the other is useless'.

Ms Shetty explained that Shanti has lots of talent. Unless she enhances it
with hard work she will not be able to achieve anything. So her attitude is
very correct for her to attain great heights in her career.

She should continue to maintain such attitude in her life for all her ambitions
whether it is just a class exam only or IAS exam itself. 'If you are not able to
do well in your class exam now how are you going to do well in IAS exam?'
she asked everyone.

Shanti's parents were really very proud of her determination and were sure
that she would always attain success in whichever field she would take part
in the future.

The End