Most of the times, we waver in purpose or action. We have least idea about the choices and situations that can push us into troubles. We might stagger and stumble without learning from our failures and mistakes. When we are saddled with difficulties, only few have amazing ingenuity and guts to find the solution. Only those few make an impact who observe, absorb, and act. They deserve to be heard, applauded and followed. They bring a ray of hope in us to reaffirm our beliefs. They give us a reason to challenge the limitations. Even far fetched dreams come true when we don’t give up on our purpose and stand firm and fearless. We shouldn’t falter but to our own self awakening find a purpose in all those inspiring stories which always retain a spark and never fail to inspire us.
One such story is the struggle of a downtown boy, Abid. He was born and brought up in Srinagar. Like all other local boys, he also witnessed the horror of nineties. They could never forget those sombre times, when walking across the streets of Nowhatta was like falling into a quagmire. In an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear, everyone was subjected to daily tortures and shameful frisking. There seemed no end to the violence. Mothers couldn’t stop wailing and crying the tears of blood as they were subjected to the frequent raids and humiliations. The dignity of women used to be at stake. The traders were fetching their breath in dry sobs. Not only their properties were vandalized but sometimes they were used as a shield when caught in an ambush.
There were no restraints and iron fist approach only made the situation more worse. The fearless youth became least bothered about their survival and safety. Abid Shah was also emotionally disturbed and distracted from his studies. He couldn’t bear what was said and seen around. He was burning inside. He was too young to take extreme step but he found stone pelting as a way to vent out his outrage. Within few months he became very addicted, aggressive and agile. He was the force to reckon with. No one could match his speed and skill. He became famous for his magical moves and effortless escapes. He was chased but they were always clueless to capture him.
In between the game of hide and seek, his parents persuaded him to take the board exams which he agreed to. During the 2nd last day of exams, while trying to copy, he saw the supervisor helping a Maisuma boy. He couldn’t control his anger and in a hot exchange of words and stares, he threw a pair of chairs on the irritating brag. The boy got severely injured. Abid, without caring about anyone proudly puffed out his 56″ chest and tailed across the scattered furniture.
He couldn’t seek refuge in the small corner of his own home. All the grief that his family suffered over the years moulded their faces into the masks of eternal sadness. But now he was shattered. He assured his family that they would no more suffer because of his actions. He paused for a long moment and for the first time in his life, understood what it was all about. Circumstances and compulsions were such, that he had no choice but to accept what his father decided for him. Least, he knew, what destiny had stored for him, but he moved on.
He embarked on a new journey. He left his old baggage of emotions and accepted a job offer in Sharjah. He was a school dropout but he was lucky to fetch a merchandiser job. He was assigned the night merchandising job at the two toughest carrefours of Dubai, Deira and Mall of Emirates. In UAE, driving license is the passport to prosperity. He survived on a limited budget and one ‘generous pathan’ offered him a bicycle for 25 Dirhams only. For a year he saved persistently out of his meagre salary to pursue his dream. The hostile work and weather conditions couldn’t discourage him to commute on a bicycle from Mirdiff to Marrour for attend the driving classes. His hard work paid him. In record period of 4 months, he passed the driving tests and received his license from the Sharjah police.
He was an extraordinary performer who always achieved his numbers and won many sales competitions. He was promoted to the position of Van Sales Executive on account of his consistent performance and excellent KPIs (Key performance indicators). He used to drive 3 ton truck for sales and distribution. It was an arduous task. He used to drive carefully but still got few fines. He was very helpful and amicable with others. His network grew and he could easily fetch a sales supervisor job at another renowned FMCG company.
He capitalized on the opportunity and felt the impulse of UAE market. He was a quick learner to understand the growing demand and rapid penetration of the Philippino products. He toiled very hard to grow and stand on his own feet. He never liked to get stuck and remain stagnated. So he decided to quit the job and start his own sales distribution. He imported highest selling Philippino products directly and within no time added more products to his distribution portfolio. He achieved the weighted sales coverage targets and profits which encouraged him to diversify and invest in supermarkets and real estate business.
Bottomline
Abid, neither had formal education nor family financial back up, but he changed and evolved himself. He has his dream and stayed goal oriented. He is now married with a highly educated London return Kashmiri girl. He keeps stirring the things back to his goal. He squashed the negativity and rose above the excuses. Today he is not only independent and successful but also rendering his help and guidance to many others as well. If he could make it, why cannot you also dare to dream big. But you need to break through, toil hard to find your passion and purpose. Leverage those scars to transform yourselves in positive and powerful ways.