No door is closed

After finishing high school, the late R.K. Laxman (b. 1921), one of India’s best-known cartoonists, applied to the J. J. School of Art, Bombay, hoping to concentrate on his lifelong interest in drawing and painting. But the dean of the school wrote to him that his drawings lacked, “the kind of talent to qualify for enrolment in our institution as a student”, and refused him admission.
This was indeed a sad experience for Laxman, but he did not lose heart. He decided to try again and finally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mysore. He then started his career as a cartoonist and later joined The Times of India, beginning a successful career spanning over fifty years.
This incident teaches a great lesson. It means that a man may be born with a great talent, but may not at an early age be recognized as being talented. So he must adopt the maxim: ‘Try, try, try again.’ It is quite possible that he will eventually achieve a position that according to others was unthinkable for him while he was still very young.
The fact is that all men and women are born with great potential, but this potential remains hidden. Only with sincere effort can one unfold one’s potential. This is a law of nature, and one should rely on the law of nature rather than on what others have to say about one. Almost all great achievers have at some time or another been underestimated by others – even by their own selves.
There are many such examples where one was rejected by others at an early age, but never lost courage, and continued his struggle till he finally reached the top. There are many who suffer this kind of rejection at an early age. The only difference is that some successfully unfold their potential, and rise as super-achievers, while others, who do not even recognize their own potential, end up as failures.
Success and failure in this world are in one’s own hands. Everyone is a born achiever, even those who are said to be disabled. And the so-called disabled are not really disabled. They are simply differently-abled.
Success is not the outcome of destiny: it is the outcome of effort. Pre-destination is a fact, not in terms of fate, but in terms of inborn qualities. Everyone is born with different qualities and it is up to each individual to discover the distinctive qualities with which he has been endowed by providence. Once he discovers them, he will be successful. But if he fails to do so, he can expect nothing but failure.
The fact is that the amount of scope for success is greater than the incidence of failure. No amount of failure can diminish this scope. Every failure is only a stepping stone to a further broadening of scope. Discover this fact of life and you will never be disappointed; you will never feel that you have reached a blind alley where there is no way to go ahead. According to the law of nature, every evening brings with it the silent message that very soon there will be a new dawn. This fact is true not only for the material world, but also – even more so – for human life.
Success is fifty per cent the outcome of one’s struggle and fifty per cent the outcome of the discovery of one’s potential. When you ultimately realize the full extent of your talents, you are well on the way to success.
The term ‘closed door’ can be found only in the dictionary – not in real life. Both success and failure are the products of one’s own intellectual awareness.

Authored by: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan