From failure to success

"It always seems impossible until its done"     

-Nelson Mandela          

It was his birthday,13th March 2015, when one of the presents that he got took all of his attention. That was his basketball kit! He immediately wanted the basket to be hanged and start playing. Like any other kid he started spending most of his time playing his latest passion -basketball. He even started watching basketball matches on TV. We were delighted to see him taking interest in this game.

One day I came to know about a good basketball coaching in our neighborhood. As my son had always shown his interest in this game, I thought that he should join it. Hearing about it, he too got excited. On his first day of class he met few of his friends there and so was even happier. Then he and his ball were together all the time like best friends. At times, I used to get irritated with thap thap of the ball inside the house, but he was least bothered. He wanted to practice more and more, to pass the levels at the classes.

He regularly went to the classes and completed one year. However, somehow he was not able to pass the levels as required in the class. While most of his friends were getting promoted to the next levels, he had passed only one level. He was disheartened and depressed. We tried to motivate him by telling the importance of sport as a good exercise, for building stamina and tried to make him hopeful and positive. However, he decided to stop going for the classes. Although not very happy with his decision, we agreed.

Even though he had stopped going to the classes, he had not given up the game. He used to play in school, in his physical education period, about which we were not aware. One day his sports teacher noticed him playing basketball, and asked him if he is willing to join the basketball practice session in morning at 6 a.m. He got super excited and immediately said "yes".

He came home with a very big smile on his face. After knowing the reason of the smile we asked him "are you serious? You really want to join this game again?" He confidently said "yes". We said "it’s too early and your school is too far.  Will you be able to wake up so early?" His answer was yes again. His willingness made us very happy. Next morning, he woke up at 4.45 a.m. and went to school with his dad. After few days we received a circular that he is selected for the school basketball team for the upcoming tournament. He was on cloud nine. He played extremely well in the tournament and their team won.


                                          

We could easily see the new confidence in him. He wanted to join the classes again for his regular practice. We were proud of his decision and self-motivation. Regular practice and dedication had given him a place in his team. There was a time when he had lost his confidence, but the best part was he never stopped playing the game even though success seemed far from him. I feel moving away from that depressing field that time was a right decision. Doing so, did not let the sportsman spirit in him fade. Every child needs motivation and when motivation is not there they start losing interest in that area. It is always better to take them away from that area.  Once they are charged with positivity they can do that activity with more energy.

     Writer:  Loveleen Bhandari