What bring out the best in you?

Bournvita !! ha ha !!! Not literally. I mean Did you watch their series of Sports ads ? It was always a pure GOLD & I don’t find a better example to answer this question without mentioning them. They nailed it with a Crisp, Loud and Perfect Message in every 2 minute ad. Sport - Racing Tagline - ‘Success demands inculcation of a habit of Winning.’ What brings out the best in people? - A Regular Habit Sport - Basket Ball. Tagline - ‘The Value of Practice should never be Underestimated.’ Sport - Swimming. Tagline - ‘Courage is not always shown, when the situations are easy.’ What brings out the best in people? - Difficult Situations. Sport - Boxing. Tagline - ‘In life, tussle won’t always be fought with the one on a same level’ What brings out the best in people? - Value Addition

Sport - Gymnastics. Tagline - ‘If falling is inevitable, then why do we fear falling’ What brings out the best in people? - Constant Failures What brings out the best in people? - Practice. Practice, Difficult Situations, Regular habit, Value Addition and Constant Failure brings the best in you.’ What was so special about this ad that I liked is that In a Cricket Crazy nation they chose these sports and still managed to Convey such Spine Chilling Messages about other sports as well?

A do or die situation. Last attempt in an entrance exam. Day before the exam. Family. A supportive romantic partner. A motivating teacher. An ambitious best friend. Past series of academic/financial/personal failures. Will to survive. Will to rebel. Will to prove yourself. Will to change what you can. Will to do better. Will to not stop. Past mistakes and things you've learned out of them. Tough times and the fact that you overcame them. The picture you always stare at when you feel low.The picture who keep in your wallet, gallery or office desk. Their smile and you being your own savior

Competition brings the best in people. Competition also brings the worst in people. Don’t be surprised by this fact that competition is the cause of all the best and the worst things in the world. In this world, the good and evil always come together as package. You can’t have good without evil. You can’t have evil without good. Some of you may be familiar of the story of Samudra manthan (churning of the ocean) in Hindu mythology which appears in the Bhagavatam Purana, the Mahabharata and the Vishnu Purana, and explains the origin of amrita (elixir) and also vish ( poison).

There were many taker of elixir coming out of ocean, but none wanted the poison. Finally, the poison was drunk by Lord Shiva but his consort, Parvati, grabbed Shiva's throat in an effort to prevent the most deadly poison from affecting the universes inside Lord Shiva. As a result, Shiva's throat turned blue. For this reason, Lord Shiva is also called Neel kantha (the blue-throated one). When we drink the elixir of competition gleefully, who has to consume the poison, which is nothing but a byproduct of the elixir? People often pray God to drink the poison while they gleeful enjoy the elixir of life.

If there is no competition, the world would stagnate as people would stop striving to give their best. However, people also follow all types of unfair means and shortcuts to succeed in competition, which often destroys the spirit of humanity. Students work hard to study due to competition, but they resort to rote learning instead of acquiring knowledge. People work hard to acquire wealth in competitive business world, but they also evade taxes and follow unfair means to maximize their profits. Sportsman work day and night to improve their skills in game, but they also take drugs to improve their performance. Competition is a necessary evil in this world because it brings the best out of people, but it also leads to all the conflicts between human beings. Only by balancing competition with compassion, we can balance our life.

Compassion may not give you much success in the world, but it gives you joy, love and peace to live your life beautifully. I am currently unemployed and it has been over a month that I have been at home. Initially, I cried. I cried a lot. I felt worthless. I started to think that I am incapable of achieving any good. I was devastated. Totally lost. Today, on 25th day I am a lot better. It has been for 2 years now and finally started writing yesterday. I was hesitant to write and afraid of being judged. In addition to this, I have started my own blog and also have started working on my idea which I was thinking to work on from a long time. I have become more humble and more empathetic towards people. I have learnt to be happy when the times get worst. I have come out stronger. I realized my love for writing. The best in me has started to come out and very soon I will be there.

So, I guess bad times bring out the best in us. Initially we do get frustrated but gradually we start learning from it. We become courageous. That feeling of helplessness and worthlessness makes you want to do something about your life and yourself. You begin to look for that one unique quality or talent in you. You begin soul searching. You do the impossible and you succeed. Tough times bring out the best in us! Cheers!