Take What is Yours

Do you ever take the time to gaze up at the stars at night? I used to do that frequently with my family. During summer power cuts, we would often sleep on the roof. As a curious child, I often wondered about the limits of space. I asked this question multiple times during those nights, but no one had an answer for me. From our roof, we could easily spot the Ursa Major and sometimes the seven sisters constellation. I have fond memories of those nights, but that curiosity didn't had a significant impact on my future as I didn't end up pursuing Astrophysics or Cosmology in school.

My future was shaped by my perspective. Like many children, I once thought I was special. Although I was not religious, I thought a higher power would take care of me because of my perceived specialness. While I wasn't skilled in musical arts, I excelled in academics and sports. I attribute success and failure to a combination of genetics, effort, and luck. Our birthplace determines half of our fate and I was fortunate to have good genes. Studies and sports came naturally to me, and I was strong academically specially in subjects such as Math and Physics.

However, my belief in my specialness resulted in complacency. Despite receiving above-average grades and ranking third or fourth in sports, I lacked motivation to strive for more. I once ran a 100-meter dash and placed seventh among eight competitors, but I was apathetic. I disregarded the meaning of "competitive sport" and lacked the drive to win. I stopped putting in effort, but the competition never ceased. As a result, I became less than what I aspired to be and did not receive any supernatural help

The shift occurred abruptly, I can't recall if it was over a day, week, or year. But my mindset changed. Perhaps it was my travels - a 16-day motorbike trip across Nepal, a 18 mile hike in a single day up the Famous Ganges Glacier, or a six-month travel across in Malaysia. Maybe it was my increased reading about history, philosophy, war and peace, and the legendary figures from the past and present. Perhaps it was simply a matter of growing up.

I began putting in genuine effort. We're given this life to make the most of it, through trying new things, traveling, talking to strangers, or anything else. Give it your all, in the gym lift heavier than you think you can, and when cooking, do so as if for a VIP. Don't be passive, if you don't put in effort, someone else will, and they'll take what could have been yours. Don't rely on wishes, take action and make things happen. We often view ourselves as tourists in this world, but what if we aim to be the landmark instead? If we become the landmark, the world will become the tourist.