Grandfather’s timeless wisdom on overcoming doubts and staying focused
Once upon a time, a small girl from a wee village came to her grandfather. She had listened to every word he said because his wisdom and experience were beyond comparison. One day, the girl decided that probably asking her grandfather about a secret that would help her throughout her life was not a bad idea. “Grandfather,” she asked, “can you tell me a secret that will make my life easier and lead me to success?
She gives a gentle smile to her grandfather. His eyes glittered with love and wisdom. He spoke after a moment, “My dear, I will indeed teach one lesson that shall benefit you in all of life, but before that, you must grant a wish of mine.”
The girl was surprised and replied, “What shall I do, grandfather?” She was confused and failed to understand the motive of her grandfather asking her what she should do while she had turned to him for a question.
He then pulled out a shard of sparkling glass from his pocket and gave it to her with the instructions, “Take this shard of glass and present it to the villagers. Say that it fetches a high price and watch their reactions.
The little girl stared deep into the glass, in deep reflection of what it was meant to represent. She couldn’t doubt the words of her grandfather, knowing full well that with everything he said, there came a hidden lesson.
She came to several houses in the village, showing the piece of glass to everyone, and saying, “This is a very valuable thing, behold!” Some of them smiled and told her it was only a piece of worthless glass, good for nothing at all. Others were pleased, and said, “That’s pretty,” but several laughed jeeringly, saying it was good for nothing.
When she returned, the girl sounded disappointed. “Grandfather, people had very different opinions. Some said it was beautiful, others said it was worthless and others laughed at it. I don’t know what to believe.”
The grandfather took a deep breath and said, “This, my child, is the lesson for life. Whenever anything is given to the world or words about achievement are spoken of, people will say something about it. Some will appreciate it; some oppose it, while others may totally reject you. You should never be worried about what they say.
The girl asked her grandfather, “Grandfather, if people always try to stop us, how can we move on?
Smilingly, the grandfather said, “The secret of success is that one should always believe in oneself. People can try to stop your progress; but if you are determined to achieve your dream, none can stop you from succeeding.
He then related a story and said, “Some years ago, a young lad came to me wanting to go on further in life. He asked what the way to success was. I set him a task similar to the one that I have set you.”
Curious, the girl asked, “What task, grandfather?
He replied, “I asked him to take a rock and show it to the villagers and tell them that this was a precious rock. He did so and came back and told me that some people liked it while others did not. I told him what I am telling you: the opinions of others may not change your situation. Your success is in your hands.”
The little girl listened attentively and then said, “Grandfather, today I have learnt something important. We must learn to trust ourselves, much more than the opinions of others.”.
Later, the grandfather said, “In this world, when anybody achieves success, some people will applaud him; but most of them will overlook or belittle his achievement. On the other hand, when one confronts failure, the same people will be ready to comment on that failure and try to destroy one’s morale.”
Taken aback, the girl asked, “Then how should we refer to these people?”
The grandfather told him, “One needs to be more focused on one’s goals rather than being worried by what other people say. If you give in to them, then progress will not be possible. But if you disregard their views and move forward towards your goal, then success would definitely come.
He lifted the bevelled glass toward the sun and said, “Behold this glass, which to some people is nothing more than trash. See, when the sun shines through it, it casts all the colors of the rainbow. Likewise, some people may see you as a plain, insignificant thing, but if you make yourselves worthy through hard work and endurance, your accomplishment will shine forth in front of everyone, regardless of whether they acknowledge it or not.”
The girl thought about her grandfather’s words very deeply and said, “Grandfather, I finally understand that what others think can’t change anything about our reality.”
Smiling warmly, the grandfather said, “Exactly! Always remember that your success depends on your hard work and determination and not on people’s opinions.” Finally, the grandfather said, “Remember, my dear, not everyone in this world will help on your journey to success. Many people will try to stop you; however, you shall never listen to them. Keep trusting yourself and working hard because no one can then stop you from achieving success.” The girl followed the counsel of her grandfather and decided henceforth not to get swayed by anyone’s views but to bank upon faith in herself and hard work. Thenceforth, the girl decided to face any obstacle coming her way and not let the words said by people interfere in her road to success.
The writer is a Founder, Director, CEO at Rooh e Hayat Centre – roohehayat.com
By Mujahid Azimabadi