Sunday, December 13, 2009

Ordinary people, extra-ordinary achievements...

This past weekend I was flipping channels on TV. There was nothing interesting on, so I started watching CNN-Heroes. These were stories of ordinary people who had dedicated their lives to help others selflessly, and in doing so achieved extra-ordinary things. Each story was inspiring. I was in awe of these people and what they had accomplished.

There was a veteran who took homeless veterans into his own home -- a Filipino young man who went back to the slums from which he survived with books & a message of education -- another twenty-year old young man, who lost his legs at 16 in a freak accident and now ran a foundation that helps children to get prosthetics for lost limbs -- and so many others. So what turns ordinary people into extra-ordinary achievers? I guess its circumstances, situations and having a "Can do" attitude.

These special individuals put others before themselves and wanted to help people, and did not want or expect anything in return. In each of their endeavors, they just kept plugging away. Spectacular achievements are often preceded by very unspectacular preparation. To have a "Can do" attitude, I think one has to be an optimist. You have to believe that things will go well. Both pessimists and optimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane, the pessimist the parachute!

Perseverance is the key to success in almost everything. With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, almost anything is attainable. Circumstances are often blamed for anything that does not go well. Those who are successful are the people who get up and look for circumstances they want; and if they can't find them, make them.


"There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream."

.