On A High

Comeback- a much needed ‘breather’ for anyone who has not tasted success for long, a reply from someone who has been quiet for sometime, a relief from a continual disappointment. It is not the normal crest phase that we undergo in the up-and-down games of our daily lives. It is rather one of those unusual crests which we cherish and draw inspiration from. It forces us to punch a fist in the air and say aloud, “Yes, I can….” To feel the rejuvenation involved in any comeback in its truest sense, one first needs to see through testing times which pose all sorts of challenges.

Be it a Sachin Tendulkar or a Shahrukh Khan or any damn star personality, everyone has been subjected to tough times and have made outstanding comebacks at some point or the other. These comebacks are one of those fabulous mentors in our lives whose teachings can never be overemphasized. They certainly load oodles of confidence in us but warn us not to be complacent or bask in their glory. They bring the best out of us, demand a high level of discipline and demonstrate our worth through an act of self-discovery.

A comeback underlines the fact that one is desperate to prove a point. It is utmost important to realize that the point is to be proven to no one but self at the very first instance, then to someone else. We often fail to do this, fall prey to over-confidence and lose our focus. Once that focus is gone, no matter how hard we try, we can’t get back to the mode of self-actualization and pursuit for excellence. Let me connect this with a simple example involving the game of cricket. An out-of-form batsman just having scored his century gets so much occupied in answering his critics and gesturing to the audience that he overlooks the benefit done to himself by lifting up his alarming career. At the very next moment, he sacrifices his prized wicket though he was well in shape to get a double or a triple hundred or may be even more than that.

A tough time is a pre-condition to a big comeback provided we back it up with commitment, optimism and sheer hard work. There are no short cuts to comeback. It doesn’t follow a set pattern or show results on applying a formula. Though, in corporate cultures, some ‘smart’ workers might claim fame without actually doing a piece of the job, it surely fails to infuse the real satisfaction of achievement in them. That is a short-sighted approach and can never be termed as a comeback. It is much like crossing a river by riding on someone’s back without fathoming its depth. Any comeback calls for involvement and willpower. The real test lies in sustaining the confidence gained through a comeback, and applying it during unfavorable situations. Once that falls in place, the hard times do not seem that much harsh. Also, that generates the hunger for frequent comebacks, which in turn only leads to continuous improvement and perfection.