Becoming a winner, the hard way!
It was a last minute decision to feature P.V. Sindhu on our cover, this month, though we had featured her on the cover barely two years ago. The reason behind the decision was not merely because Sindhu placed India on top of the Badminton world, but more because she has proved herself to be a role model for young people, all the way.
Determination to be a winner: Sindhu had many hurdles to cross, and many failures to face, before reaching her dream to be on top of the Badminton world. No failures could hamper her determination. Her eyes were clearly fixed on the one dream: to reach the final glory in badminton. She took failures as necessary hurdles to be crossed before reaching the zenith.
Readiness to work hard: She practices six to seven hours, daily. This is her advice to young people, “be prepared to work hard. There is a price to be paid for anything that we want to achieve in life, and that price is hard work.’
Love for the sport, and being passionate about it. She loved tennis most, and was literally passionate about it. She was prepared to forgo many things, face undue criticisms, all for the sake of the game that she loved. She gave her 100% to badminton, all the way. Sindhu says: “Every round, not merely the final round, was important for me, and I gave my very best to it.”
She is also clearly focussed on the goal she has to achieve: “My immediate target is to do well in the forthcoming tournaments: in China and Korea, as this is the qualifying year for the quadrennial extravaganza. But, winning a medal in Olympics is topmost in my priority list.”
Confidence in her ability to win: Sindhu strongly believed in herself, and her ability to win, to reach the zenith of the Badminton world, and she did reach there, mostly because of her confidence in herself. She says her final victory is a fitting reply to those who kept blaming her for not reaching the top in previous major events. She won, she says, because she wanted to win!
We have a lot to learn from the “Badminton queen” not only to be a winner in the Badminton court, but in our personal lives, too. Three cheers to you, Sindhu, THE TEENAGER TODAY, and the young people of the country are really proud of you!
Alfonso Elengikal, SSP, has the unique distinction of being the longest-serving editor of The Teenager Today, an office he held for over 17 years. He is the bestselling author of You Can Make A Difference, You Are Destined For The Skies, Let The Real You Stand Up! and Discover The Hero Within You published by Better Yourself Books.