Winners' Podium: An invitation for essential and successful living

By Anchit Barnwal

The book offers elaborate guidelines for a balanced, successful and happy living. It tells how one can find his talent, attract ideas and be successful, both personally and professionally. It also talks of happiness and the steps to it. In fewer words, it's a wholesome book dealing with all the aspects of success. Just as a winning podium can accommodate anyone on it, each one of us is capable to be a winner, irrespective of our shortcomings and differences. Winners' Podium – Everyone Fits on it, attempts to do just that: make out a winner amongst each one of us.
This book offers elaborate guidelines for a balanced, successful and happy living. It tells how one can find his talent, attract ideas and be successful, both personally and professionally. It also talks of happiness and the steps to it. In fewer words, it's a wholesome book dealing with all the aspects of success.
Through stories, anecdotes, quotations, examples and day to day observations, this book can inspire you to not only attain that most desirable success, but also to hold on and grow both internally and externally with it. In total, it assures you a more balanced, fulfilled and an enriching life.
#v&spublishers

• Language: English
• Publisher: V&S Publishers
• Release date: Dec 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9789350573228

Book preview

Acknowledgements

Today, I am elated to present my work to you, but calling this book solely mine would be a gross injustice to the efforts and insights of those who have, directly or indirectly, been instrumental in making this book achieve its present form. This book is the result of collective effort of my friends, relatives, teachers and many more people who have, in one way or the other, facilitated the process of writing it.

I would also like to acknowledge the heterogeneous nature of people—mostly their individuality—which inadvertently led to sharpening of my observational skills beyond the normal and made me capable of seeing things differently from others.

At last, I humbly thank the folks at V&S publishers for helping this book see the light of day.

I have talked more through stories, quotations, illustrations and day to day observations than through words alone, so that everyone—young and old—finds this book an engaging read—so effortlessly.

Thank you!

Take a shot of the following Questions to make out whether you are in need of this book or not:

Do you intentionally or unintentionally think about your work while off duty? If yes, you might need this book.

Do you think money and money alone can take the pain off your life? If yes, you might need this book.

Do you think over the years your life has become more complicated? If yes, you might need this book.

Does the first thing you put to test, under pressure, is your health? If yes, you might need this book.

Are you able to hold onto the happiness which comes with an increase with your earnings? If no, you might need this book.

Are you clear with your individual definition of happiness? If no, you might need this book.

Do you think your work is your talent? If no, you might need this book.

Are you satisfied with your both personal and professional life? If no, you might need this book.

Does an increase in your earnings also make you rich in time? If no, you might need this book.

Does, profit, charity and pleasure go together in your life? If no, you might need this book.

When you fail, do you always make out the reasons behind your failures? If no, you might need this book.

Do you think ‘ideas’ click only to a few? If yes, you might need this book.

PREFACE

Our actions totally depend upon our thoughts and our thoughts are nothing but the sum total of our attitudes. This book attempts to infuse in each one of us the kind of attitude required to excel in all the spheres of life, be it personal or professional.

We always hear people complain of something missing from their lives, without being able to exactly pin-point that very ‘something’. This ‘something’ could be a spark, which we miss on our way to success; or could be the satisfaction post achievement of that success; or it could be anything to do with a pleasing personality, having a better attitude or a wish for a more balanced life. Or, simply it could be a lack of happiness in our lives. This book intends to tackle this very ‘something’; to surface that which we miss in our lives and the ways to fill that vacuum.

Success, satisfaction and happiness complement each other. They must go hand-in-hand in order to avoid a feeling of worthlessness or having led an unworthy life, which will pinch us more in our deathbed than any kind of tangible loss that we may have suffered during our life time. This book offers elaborate guidelines in terms of chapters for a balanced, successful and happy living.

Happiness was designed to be natural to us but with today’s fast-paced and ever busy life, we are steadily and gradually losing touch with it, and today it is one thing which is not natural to majority of us. Happiness has now become a subject of learning which everyone must master before taking his plunge into the so called ‘mad-world’.

Life is an art; you cannot learn to live it without actually living it. Earning more year by year doesn’t mean you have become wiser, for you were busy learning how to earn and not how to live. So, let’s start living by understanding the finer prints of this life and by actually doing rather than plan and postpone endlessly and die feeling sorry for a life full of regrets.

Satisfaction and willingness are the two pillars of life. If we are not willing, the easiest job will seem to be the toughest. And if we are not satisfied, no amount of wealth or comfort would be of our use.

Sometimes just a small change, a simple choice can let our life go from nowhere to somewhere and from somewhere to everywhere; just one incident can infuse that spark within us which not only let us glow but also let us glow others; which not only show us the way but also let us show the way to others. Remember, it was just a post-battle sight which led Ashoka change from a bloody warrior to a messenger of peace, and transform into ‘Ashoka the Great’.

This book could be your chance not only to attain that most awaited and desirable success but also to hold on and grow both internally and externally with it. In other words, this book is an earnest attempt to transform you into a complete individual.

To Whom is This Book Targeted?

This book is not for them who claim to be fully aware of their own self and the finer prints of this world and human life in general. This book makes an effort to make people realise their own self and co-relate their life with the various stories, facts, anecdotes and day to day practical examples and observations given in it.

This book is for people who want to unleash their true potential; are in search of their talent and a success—which is satisfying. This book is also for them who have a brush with success and wish to hold on and grow with that success. And finally, this book is for people who want to lead a wholesome life—a life worth living.

In total, this book assures a more balanced, oriented, fulfilled and enriching life to everyone who decides to take a plunge into its pages. Notwithstanding, I welcome you all for a joyful experience ahead.

Throughout the book, I have used masculine gender, only to facilitate the reading experience. All the principles apply to both the genders.

TALENT

Finding your niche

A king once wanted to shorten the length of all coming years, so that he could celebrate his daughter’s birthday, every year more frequently. In order to decide which month to delete, he called all the months and asked them to prove their worth or risk facing a burial into the pages of history The bemused months asked for a week’s time to defend themselves.

A week later all the months, in order, lined up in front of king. January, being the first defended himself by saying, Your majesty I am the beginning, without me people would be deprived of a new year

The next in line, February said, Children cry less in my presence as I have the least number of days, besides I give people a chance to come closer and celebrate love on my 14th day

March defended himself by saying, I bring in the season of spring, giving a sense of freshness to the atmosphere

April squealed, Only I am traditionally authorised to have a specific day for people to play fool on one another, if I am gone, people would miss the opportunity to make themselves and others laugh

May put, Flowers begin to blossom during my presence.

June said, People are always eager to choose me as their wedding month, if I am gone, people would fret for having lost the opportunity to get married in my presence.

July and August echoed in equal voice, We are the only months to be bundled together with 31 days; deleting one would mean breaking our association and uniqueness

September reminded the king, It’s during my presence that most crops get harvested

October was comfortable to put, Your daughter loves me most. I am her birthday’s month!

November eagerly said, The universal children’s day is celebrated in my presence, if I am removed, many countries would be in dilemma to celebrate their children’s day.

Finally December defended himself by saying, If I get deleted, people would be confused of the ending of a year, and would also be deprived of a Christmas each year

In this way all the months, one after another, defended themselves for a survival. The king, who had been patient with everyone, noticed that they all had a valid point in their favour. Eventually, he announced, Though you all are different from each other, yet all of you are equally worth in your own right and none can face an execution; you all are safe

So we see, the months who were ignorant of their own self, discovered and made out their worth when the situation demanded of them. Similarly, we humans, like animals, birds and even trees— which are positively unique among themselves—have something special within us, only waiting to be tapped. This ‘something’ can take us higher, stretch us longer and make us stronger and faster. This ‘something’ is our talent.

Your Strength Lies Within You

I never met a man so unknowledgeable. I could not learn something from him.

–Galileo Galilei

Humming bird is the smallest bird but has the distinction to fly backward too. Kangaroos can run fast but cannot go far. Tortoise cannot run but can go far.

Penguins and Kiwis are the birds which cannot fly, but they are also the birds who are blessed with something which is restricted to them only. For instance, Penguins can jump as high as six feet in the air and can also move faster than a submarine, while Kiwis have the distinction to hunt with their sense of smell.

Birds can differentiate between colours, they use this ability to choose their food, whereas animals are colour blind, they have a better sense of smell.

We humans are no different if one falls short in one field; he of course has something other special ability which is limited to him only. We all have that seed within us, which awaits our attention and which has the potential to blossom into a full-fledged plant one day.

Even a weak is capable

A king once wanted to get his only daughter married. Unable to decide on the person, he got the two rooms of his palace filled with the gold bars of equal weight and size. He made an announcement, Whoever succeeds in getting the most number of gold bars from the two rooms of my palace, would marry my daughter. The only condition is, no one is allowed to enter the palace twice.

People from many different fields came forward to take part in the offer. Everyone, in his own way, tried to walk out with as many bars with him as he could. Some even tried to tie the bars around their body in order to increase the numbers. Some professional weightlifters had also tried and had managed to get a decent number of bars with them. This way, one after another, everyone tried their best to defeat each other at numbers.

The king, after the competition, realised that there was not much difference among the numbers each participant had obtained. Unsatisfied with the score, the king let the offer remain open.

A few days later, a skinny person came to the palace and participated in the competition and later it was known that he managed to come out with all the gold bars, leaving not a single bar in any of the two rooms. Everyone was curious to know about his strength.

The king asked, How could you do what no one else succeeded in doing? He replied, Your majesty, had this competition been of checking one’s physical strength alone, one could have easily won by this time. The competition required one to prove his both physical and mental ability. I just brought all the bars to the exit gate before throwing them out. I stepped out only when I had thrown the last bar I had brought to the exit gate! Listening this, the king happily made his intentions clear of marrying his daughter with him.

So we see, even a weak person has the skills to take on the heaviest. If slender people can fall with a lesser force, they are also blessed with the ability to get up faster than plump people.

It is said that everyone is gifted with at least one special distinguishing characteristic, but not many in their lifetime succeed in deciphering it. We slide into the rut of life so easily and comfortably that we hardly give space and time for our talent to show up. We start concentrating on routine and trivial issues so much so