“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts”. —Winston Churchill
“Fortune favours the brave” is a Latin proverb traditionally attributed to Terence. It was first used in play by Terence and in Latin the same is known as “Fortis Fortuns Adiuat”. The greatest heights in life are attained by those who are daring to get these. Success is not a free gift that falls into anyone’s lap if he/she just wishes for it. He/she must work hard and be courageous enough to face and overcome the danger if he/she wants to succeed. What we call fortune or good luck is nothing but a matter of persistence and hard work. The great discoverers of the world would never have succeeded, if they had not ventured forth into the unknown, regardless of any perils that had been confronted by them.
Bravery is not confined just to soldiers or defence personnel, but it is a dynamic quality within an individual, which decides nature and character of an individual. To remain in constant struggle for betterment of livelihood and for the overall progress and prosperity is also a great sign of bravery. For example, an artist faces the stage fright and nervousness during his first performance, but it is his bravery and unfaltering determination in those movements which bring him laurels and the popularity to go on and achieve great heights in life.
God gives life to every human being and every person has to live the same. If someone shows bravery in performing some great deed, then God showers grace on him and he hits the required targets. The perception and confidence in an individual are very essential things which help him in achieving his goals. Besides constant efforts, enthusiasm and objectivity towards life makes one climb the ladder of success and lead to one of the topmost positions in life.
It is a natural instinct in life that every human being wants to succeed and be a role model for others. But due to some factor individuals fail in the same. Now it is important to understand what success is and also why individuals strive for the same. Success is an ongoing attainment of desired results concerning actions, life, business, wealth etc. Success is the desire soaked with emotions, powered by passion, driven by destiny and forged with the fire of the heart.
The rewards that one gets in life are usually the result of one’s efforts. No man can hope to have an easy life and at the same time expect one’s life to be a successful and astonishing. Only intelligent efforts can achieve, when channelled in the right direction. Had success been easy, every individual would have achieved it. It is necessary to work hard and achieve success because there is no substitute for hard work. At the same time, there should be a noble goal guiding our efforts. We must have a clear cut idea about our aim in life and should strive constantly, work for the same and achieve it. To progress and prosper one has to be bold enough to cross the hurdles in the path of destination. Our brain can think and act about great missions but it is the boldness and decisions taken which play a key role in achieving success. It is rightly said for success a human being needs 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
The early attempts towards success are the hardest and difficult outcomes are expected in the same. During this phase, an individual must know how much to work, the manner in which same is done and also remember that nothing can do away with failure in life which helps him in achieving success. In the ordinary business of life, an individual can do anything which a genius can do. Being genius is nothing but continuously or consistently making efforts despite facing a thousand failures. There is no gain without taking the risk and courage is the backbone of ability and boldness which make an individual more inclined towards success. It acts like a catalyst which helps an individual towards reaping success in life.
Courageous attitude comes from the straight mind and is most crucial and significant tenet of an individual’s behaviour. It helps in tapping one’s own potential, thus enabling one to acquire desired results for the goals that have to be attained by him. If an individual courage is shallow or superficial, his morale and faith also will be lacking in firmness and depth.
Faith without courage is like a tree without fruits, which is barren, sterile and stagnant. If we have indomitable, unassailable and rock-like courage in ourselves, no one can stop us from attaining our desired goal in life. It is aptly said, “You can do anything and everything with courage, but without the same you cannot do anything in life”. Courage rules the world and thought of our life. It is our mind which moulds the destiny. The so-called mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts, which gradually acquires the form of faith depending on our power and psychology. In short, it can be said that courage makes failure a pillar of success.
If we look into lives of successful people, we can easily find out that their success is the result of their never-say- die attitude. Had it not been the ability of Mahatma Gandhi of combining the boldness and courage of the people of India, we would not have attained freedom from the imperial rule. Yuvraj Singh, the veteran cricketer, was diagnosed with a serious cancer tumour in his left lung. Had he gone weak, he would have lost his battle against this deadly disease. He had all the abilities of a good cricketer but this weakness would have separated him from the game forever. It was his boldness and courage that inspired him not only to fight against this disease but also become one of the leading voice against the cancer awareness. The above-mentioned example shows that courage is all about what you believe in.
There is an African saying : “If you want to go fast go alone; if you want to go far always go together”. The classic example in this regard was the successful team created by the software giant Infosys. It was a great team which was known for hard work and commitment and also stood as a leading example of how an individual should develop in life right from the scratch. Sometimes success is not just related to a single individual but to a group of people too and with the team effort led by a single leader has sometimes led to great fortunes. The classic examples in this regard were Michael Jordan winning the N.B.A. Championship and M.S. Dhoni winning the ICC Cricket World Cup for India.
Self-control, optimistic approach and openness to feeling all are the forms of valour and courage. To lead somebody in the right path, to raise the standard of people surrounding you to and present a moral example — are all the forms of bravery. These features not only make a person shine as a star but also ensures that others may be led by way of perfect example. To learn from the mistakes is the most significant virtue which saves a person from fault and failure. Thus improving “thyself” is the philosophy and key to success. One must not forget that victory comes by cultivating within oneself all the required traits of success and it is also an act of bravery.
The concepts of Green Revolution, Industrial Revolution, and other economic, social revolutions are all the result of bravery and have had great results for the society at large. Today, we live in an era of globalisation but it is millions of courageous and innovative steps which have helped it materialise. In the present-day situation the legislature, the executive and the judiciary have also added to the faith of people and preserved harmony in the society by taking courageous and bold steps which are greatly helpful for the society at large.
To conclude, fortune always favours the brave. The key in this regard lies in the journey made by an individual or group of people towards achieving a goal. As it has been said, a boat cannot reach the shore if it surrenders in the middle, and a student also cannot pass the examination without writing anything in the answer paper. Similarly, with hard work, dedication, perseverance, the destiny can be well achieved by an individual and it should also ensure that guidance is also received in a proper way which helps an individual to achieve desired results. Learning from mistakes is also a key which shapes the character of an individual, group of people or organisation. No doubt that road to success is a difficult path and the same cannot be achieved easily, but the same is also not possible. The surest way is to turn your destiny according to your wish; to determine an aim and work hard sincerely with courage to attain it.