One Step at a Time

A young man on his way to the city met an old man and asked him, “How far is it to the city? Can I get there before sunset?” The old man replied, “If you walk slowly, you will reach by evening.” The young man was surprised at the answer and thought to himself, Usually everyone would say, ‘hurry up’. Thinking that the old man was making fun of him, he hurried on his way to the city. After a while, he slipped and fell. Forgetting the pain of his bruises, he started limping and saw another traveller struggling to walk. They spoke to each other. The new traveller said, “This was my situation yesterday. Neither of us understood what the old man had said. The road is humpy-bumpy and slippery. Maybe he meant that one should walk slowly, carefully, but with determination.”

On your journey towards your goals, the path with its ups and downs, twists and turns, may not be smooth and clear to you. But what is important is to take every step with care and determination. Martin Luther King Jr said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Every step you take on your journey provides an opportunity to learn and grow. Embrace the lessons you learn with each success and failure, and be willing to adapt your strategies accordingly as you progress. Albert Einstein has wisely said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

India’s recent T-20 World Cup victory against South Africa, featured as the cover story in this issue of TTT, conveys a strong message to us: success is not an accident or a stroke of luck; it is the result of taking the right steps with determination, strict discipline, hard work, perseverance, and teamwork. Each one of the players had begun with small steps from their humble backgrounds and reached the peak of success by recognizing, nurturing, and persevering with their unique talents. It teaches us that those who stand in the limelight today have often endured hard times to get there.

Success may not be visible in the beginning, but it is the courage that will help you to continue that matters. Take one step after another that will launch you on the path to success. It is about pushing forward, no matter how many times you fall. When the going gets tough, the tough ones keep going. Bruce Lee has wisely noted, “I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times.” This illustrates the power of discipline and focus in mastering any skill.

Besides the T-20 World Cup success, we have also featured the daring stories of people like Akansha Jagga (a 16-year-old student from Delhi), IPS officer N. Ambika, and Ritesh Agarwal (Founder of OYO) to inspire and motivate you!