How far can you go with your stars?

 

            Akshat Mathur
              14ECU115

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” 

-Thomas Jefferson

I like to read about people who started small but made it to the top. These narratives often make me think: Why couldn’t they start big? Did they require time to develop their talent? Is talent developed over time? Or is it something bigger behind the shadows of performance that most people miss? Usain Bolt belongs to a genetically stronger race, but so are many other athletes of his race and colour. So, why does Usain Bolt run at lightening fast speed and they do not? Where do they lag? The answer lies in the power of ambition. Along with skills, the ambition to be world’s fastest man drives Usain Bolt to run an extra mile in practice when his competitors sit down to relax.

While it is uncommon to find an ambitious person who did not succeed in life, finding unsuccessful people with immense talent is easy. My father often asks his students, “You are talented, kudos, how far will you go?” Talent can overcome the friction to start your car, but ambition is the fuel that will keep it running. People who are just talented are like a misaimed gun-they have the potential but they are not going to hit the mark. But, when you provide the gun with a red dot, the combination will be a spot on.

I feel that talent is not a guaranteed companion and that it can be wasted. Even those with very little or no talent can create opportunities for themselves if they are ambitious.

In conclusion, I would leave the readers with a question: Would mankind have survived had we solely depended on talented people and suppressed the ambitious folks who wanted to bring a change?

Do give it a thought.