Zeal is the Best
8th July 2024
#ZealIsTheBest
Utsaha is the supreme strength. No other trait is equivalent to ‘utsaha’. Nothing is difficult in this world for one who is enterprising under all the situations - Valmiki Ramayan 4.1.121
Zeal is the mother of all the positive traits. One possessing zeal will easily acquire every other positive trait. Enthusiasm and success go hand in hand, but enthusiasm comes first. Enthusiasm inspires confidence, raises morale, builds loyalty and is priceless. Enthusiasm is contagious. You can feel enthusiasm by the way a person talks, walks or shakes hands. Enthusiasm is a habit that one can acquire and practice.
Imagine working for someone who keeps all the time complaining & cribbing with a poker face, what a hell would it be? Would you be fascinated by a mighty roaring ocean or a still pond? I enjoy spending hours together watching and hearing the enthusiastic waves.
People normally associate high energy to enthusiasm. Utsaha is much more than high energy levels. Utsaha is the combination of energy, action, cheerfulness, positive thoughts and enterprises. But utsaha will be totally lost during grief. Lord Ram was by default enthusiastic but forgot enthusiasm when struck by extreme grief of losing dear wife.
How did Lakshman manage to pull Ram out of extreme grief to enthusiasm? When we remain enthusiastic even in the face of difficulty, it is a sign of our inner strength. If we can pull the mind away from outer situations and focus instead on what is in front of us, we preserve our enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is evidence of our ability to focus the mind. It is also evidence of a clean mind, an unadulterated mind. When our thoughts are unadulterated, they have the power and manifest as enthusiasm. In this state, we do not allow weak thoughts to emerge.
Enthusiasm enables us to overcome disappointments and setbacks so we can be positive, optimistic and keep up our interest and zeal, even when things are tough and harsh!
A man dies for the first time the day he loses his enthusiasm – Honore De Balzac
#PatheticApathy
The opposite of enthusiasm is apathy. Apathy means that instead of being eager and interested, one remains indifferent and unconcerned. Apathetic people ignore the needs of those around them.
American essayist, lecturer, philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
#EnthusiasmInBible
The Bible has a good amount to say about enthusiasm: Ecclesiastes 9:10 instructs, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."
Corinthians 9:24, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."
#MillionDollarAbility
#CharlesMSchwab was an American steel magnate. Under his leadership, Bethlehem Steel became the second-largest steel maker in the United States, and one of the most important heavy manufacturers in the world. Charles Schwab, who was earning more than a million dollars a year, was asked if he was being paid such a high salary because of his exceptional ability to produce steel.
Charles Schwab replied, "I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among the men the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement."
#UtsahaGita
Bhagavad Gita has many references on Utsaham. After all, the primary objective of Krishna rendering eighteen chapters of Bhagavad Gita is to bring Arjun out of his precarious state of confusion and apathy to that of clarity and utsaham. This one in the eighteenth chapter is interesting.
मुक्तसङ्गोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित: | सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते || Bhagavad Gita 18.26||
One who is freed from attachment, is non-egotistic, is unaffected by success and failure, is endued with firmness and enthusiasm, is called Sattvic, person of goodness
#StoryOfNarayanAstra
There is an interesting story on positive attitude and zeal. That is the story of #NarayanAstra in Mahabharat. What is Narayan Astra and where does this astra appear in the war and how does this relate to positive thoughts and zeal? I will do my favourite act of storytelling but space for this interesting story only in the next episode of #MondayMusings. Wait for a week to find out about the Narayan Astra which has incidentally become the precursor to the famous Harry Potter’s dementors.
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#PositiveNewsPage
#ParisOlympics2024 is the next sporting event everyone is looking forward to. This week’s positive news is the inspiring story of a refugee getting ready to participate and win in Paris Olympics.
#Mahboubeh, aged 32, hails from the port city of Bandar Anzali in the north of Iran, where her childhood was marked by political repression and street violence. Perhaps it was these challenging circumstances that drove her to seek refuge in judo, a discipline she began as a teenager on her mother's recommendation. "At that time, I realised judo had the power to give me a purpose in life," says Mahboubeh, recalling how this motivation propelled her forward from the beginning, competition after competition, until she eventually joined the Iranian national team and fulfilled one of her dreams: representing her country internationally. The social instability in Iran grew increasingly intense. Sports were no exception; women faced prohibitions, both in terms of attire and access to facilities.
Faced with this bleak outlook and little hope of change from the state, Mahboubeh was forced to flee Iran in 2018. By then, she was already a single mother to a daughter, and this, combined with her desire to continue evolving as a judoka, made it clear that seeking protection in another country was the best decision. Germany was her chosen destination, where she sought asylum that later enabled her to reach the pinnacle of her career.
Once in Europe, Mahboubeh joined a training camp organised by the International Judo Federation (IJF), always balancing motherhood with the demands of elite sports. She also had to navigate linguistic and cultural barriers in a new country, as well as the emotional aftermath of her traumatic experience as a refugee. Her effort and discipline have earned her participation in numerous competitions and several significant milestones in her career. Notably, last year she competed in the Judo World Championships, becoming the first Iranian woman to compete in the discipline without the hijab mandated by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Additionally, this season she has climbed to 170th place in the world rankings, undoubtedly contributing to her inclusion in the Refugee Olympic Team.
Mahboubeh's dedication to sport extends beyond judo; she is also active in bodybuilding, swimming, and athletics. A third dan black belt in judo, she has taken on roles as a judge and coach in the sport. As a single mother, refugee, and woman, Mahboubeh hopes to inspire others to pursue their goals. Her daughter remains her greatest source of motivation.
Mahboubeh had Utsaha and thus could endure every other difficulty.
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Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly newsletter of inspirational (only) messages every Monday in LinkedIn by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com). Only objective of #MondayMusings newsletter, published, consistently for the last 269 weeks without missing a single Monday is #SpreadPositivity. Like, Share, Comment, and help to spread the movement #SpreadPositivity.