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Greatness isn't always apparent and may not be discerned until much later
by Joseph Earnest September 20, 2011
Newscast Media HOUSTON, Texas -- As candidates embark on campaign trails during this election cycle, many will rely on polls as a gauge to determine how well they are doing, and what needs to be adjusted in their campaign strategies to attract more voters. Yet winners aren't always obvious and throughout history, we've seen and read about those who were disregarded in their day as incapable, only to turn out to be the opposite.
Winning also requires having a strong self-image that is not dependant on how others view and define someone, but on how one defines and views oneself. The mind also plays a great role, because one has to be able to think one's future into existence.
A person's future is defined by that person's thoughts and friends. If a person thinks he or she will never amount to anything, chances are he or she will never amount to anything. If that person believes he or she will never be good at a certain subject because some school teacher said so, then the odds are, that person will always have problems with that particular subject.
The same applies to friends. One's closest friends are a determinant to what that person will become in the future. There are some who succeed in life because they have surrounded themselves with people who are successful in one area or another, and there are those who fail to accomplish their goals and dreams because they have chosen to surround themselves with people who lack ambition, drive and vision. Left to one's own devices, it is easy to see how one can self-destruct.
Some people are self-motivated and are able to rise above the odds by their own inner-strength, regardless of the kind of people they surround themselves with. These people are few and far between, and tend to be extremely resilient, or some might refer to it as having will power.
A wise man once said, "If you have the will to live, you can even overcome death when it stares you in the eyes, but if you lose your will to live, your last hope is gone."
The point is the will is so strong that there are some who were inflicted with terminal illnesses and were told they had a few months to live, yet those very same people are still alive despite being handed a death warrant by their doctors. Some people even joke that they "cheated death" and lived to tell their tale. With all joking aside, these people simply refused to succumb to their infirmities or illnesses because their will to live outweighed their spirit of surrender.
In marriages, many are still married despite having faced crisis after crisis, but it's because these couples too have refused to give in to the spirit of surrender. Many people falsely believe if they lose the loving feeling for a spouse, it must be a sign that the marriage is coming to an end, and inevitably think their futures into existence. To be married to someone doesn't mean one will always have cold chills running up the spine and hot flashes. A person chooses to love another, and when a marriage or relationship ends, it is because one spouse has chosen to stop loving and decided to become indifferent toward the other. There is no such thing as "falling out of love". All this boils down to the will to succeed.
When Brahms, the classical composer created his works, he was ridiculed by Tchaikovsky and called a talentless bastard. Another contemporary said, "I knew Brahms' music was bad, but I didn't realize it was worse than I thought, until I actually played it." Yet Brahms is regarded and hailed as the last greatest classical composers, and his name completes the three Bs,-- Beethoven, Bach and Brahms.
Vivaldi's music enjoyed a modest level of success, yet upon his death, people ceased to notice the genius it took for Vivaldi to create it. His musical compositions lay dormant for over two centuries. It wasn't until the 1920s that his music was revived, and to date Vivaldi is considered one of the greatest Baroque composers of classical music, with his The Four Seasons being the most popular.
As for Handel, his family discouraged him from pursuing a musical career because they failed to discern his talent. His father wanted him to serve in the navy, which he did. As fortune would have it, a family friend, noticing Handel's musical genius, hired him as an inspector of the naval band. Handel took advantage of this opportunity and created compositions suitable for choral music. We now remember Handel for his Messiah, and to date, it remains the most popular oratorical musical pieces in the classical genre.
With the above illustrations, we can see how enduring the human spirit is, when one sets one's mind on accomplishing one's goals. To succeed in any area, including politics, the same kind of resolve is necessary, however, in regard to politics, it should be done for the public good to bring about meaningful and lasting change. Add Comments>>
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