It was the cold month of January, and I was posted at Amritsar in Punjab . The temperature started falling to 2°C. While performing duties, we used to wear winter camouflage jackets. But, after reaching home, the general attitude was to get into a quilt or a sleeping bag to keep ourselves warm.
My preliminary exam was to be held in the month of April, and I was running short of time. I was getting demoralised as it was getting tough to sit and study in the cold environment. But there was no other go. I had no option but to study. It was my last chance to achieve my dream goal.
Though demoralized, I forced myself to sit and study. But the progress was very, very slow, and it added to my demoralization.
While so, one day, when I was going through a competitive magazine, I saw an article about Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Mount Everest. There was a big picture of him, with the Himalayas in the background. There was also a quote which was,
“Motivation is the single most important factor in any sort of success.”
His picture and the quote made a tremendous impact on me. Here is an example before me, who conquered Mount Everest, despite the extreme temperature. I imagined how slow his progress would have been. It may be a few metres in a day. But he moved forward, even though the progress seemed slow. Thus, he reached the top with determination.
This poster gave me a new strength.
I went to a photostat shop and made an enlarged copy of the poster. I pasted it on the wall. Whenever my eyes fell on the poster, I felt like I got a new power to move forward.
Whenever I was demoralised that my progress was slow due to the extreme cold climate, I thought of Edmond Hillory and his inch-by-inch progress. I immediately wrapped a ‘kambal’ or quilt around me and sat on the chair to study. I also bought a 500-watt bulb and hung it below the table to get the heat. Often, I would take my open palm near the bulb to feel the heat, and it made me comfortable.
Thus, for the next few months, which were very cold, I did not face any issues studying for exams and my mind started focusing on the task at hand, instead of the external conditions.
Image courtesy:(Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tenzing_and_Hillary.jpg
