Great things start in a small way

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.

—– Vincent Van Gogh

The large trees with huge girth of trunk and holding up a canopy of large green foliage also had started from beneath the soil as a small green sapling. Nature’s simple laws are very apt in describing life’s myriad views. We are always told by our elders that if you dream then dream BIG. But the most practical suggestion is omitted here. That DREAM BIG WITH YOUR EYES OPEN. Since with our eyes open daydreams take firm root in our thoughts and we start thinking how to achieve that great dream with a minor start.

GOOGLE was started in the garage of Larry Page and Sergey Brin in March 1995 and since then from the inception of Google Inc, it celebrated its 18th birthday recently and is the world’s most coveted and innovative company. So, look where a research project of two PhD students has reached today and is one of the biggest corporate employers.

The same can be said about Apple started by a college dropout Steve Jobs who was later termed by his colleagues as an eccentric and hard task master. It was due to this eccentricity, determination and grit that the organisation has reached its present heights.

For these men, obstacles were never a deterrent, they never became road-blocks in the path to their dreams towards success and also did not let those weaken them, rather it was only due to those obstacles they got the strength to fight more in their way and finally achieve what they wanted to. The further more important thing is that never should anyone allow success to go over his head because it is very easy to miss out the fine line of difference between confidence and over-confidence. All the people who have reached their zenith of success had their heads upturned towards the sky but had their feet firmly anchored to the ground. Because in their hearts they all believed that in the small things lies their strength and so bound them together into a beautiful string of pearls.

Each and everyone walks on earth, but no one knew the reason why it happens so. Not before an apple fell on the head of Sir Issac Newton who discovered the force of gravity. Such an obvious and important theory triggered by such a small incident. Similarly e can never reach the top of a monument at once,we have to reach our destination by taking one step at a time. One small step is a start for a journey of thousand miles….

And I have miles and miles to go

Before I sleep.

——Robert Frost

This is probably the thought of each one who is already successful and all those who are aspiring to be successful. Because this journey is a never-ending one, taken in small steps one at a time. Very truly said by Marcel Proust that the real voyage of discovery consists of not seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. The quotation is a paraphrase of text “The Prisoner”. There the narrator for the first time to a work by composer Vinteuil he finds himself transported not to a physical location but to a wonderful strange land of the composer’s own creation. That is, it broadens the vision, to change the perspective, to elevate it, and see what we already know so well through new eyes. Most of the times we forget to notice the things that already exists in front of us. We do not think it necessary to exhibit gratitude to the Almighty for all we have already. How we do not understand that in these minor things lies the clues to the puzzle to do great things.

The Father of our Nation, Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi was a frail looking man of modest means and humble background but his path to reach the heights of greatness was based on a fairly simple principle of Non-violence. And even more important than that he practiced what he preached. He was truthful to himself and to those he served, the common people of our nation. He is a shining example of great lives with humble and small beginnings.

In order to achieve greatness in life it is essential to have the conviction in yourself that you are destined to greatness. Because in this world you can either become what the world makes of you or what you make of yourself. And therefore, belief in self is a must if anyone considers oneself capable of reaching great heights.

Carlyle stated that the history of the world is nothing but a biography of great men. And if we study the biography of great men then we shall find that none of them had led very easy lives, many of them were brutally murdered, were publicly ousted and humiliated from the society. They led very depressing lives indeed but still the world remembers them and not the ones who tortured them. Plato described Socrates as the gadfly of Athens who stings a horse(Greece) into action. This cost the philosopher his life and was condemned to death by drinking hemlock.

Similarly it is said correctly that if a man reaches great heights from humble beginnings then he will carry his umbrella at midnight. They are always on guard because he knows how fickle money and fame is and how easily tables can be turned. He can go from riches to rags in a matter of moments and the world has seen several examples of this. It is not easy to earn luxury but it is very easy to get used to it. But it is really tough to retain that luxury because one needs to add much more to his booty of success. Since finally at the end of the day nothing succeeds like success.

However great anyone becomes it is advisable not to forget the roots of the person because from the small things he used to get happiness might slowly get ignored and replaced by more materialistic pursuits. But again one day man remembers that he used to be happy in small things and greatness not only starts from small things but also lies in small things. The small things where he started his life dreaming of the success he one day ought to reach. History is indefinitely the best teacher one can have and what can teach someone better than his own experiences.

Concluding by quoting Bhagvad Geeta, “Honour and shame from no condition arise; act well on your part there all the honour lies.” Similarly the beginnings count only when the end good and great. Apart from that nothing else matters when hard work and determination is there to be great.