YOU DO HAVE POTENTIAL TO BE EXTRAORDINARY

                                                                                                 - By Milan K Sinha

          Jimmy Johnson, the renowned American Football Coach & Broadcaster asked the question & gave the reply too: "What is the difference between "Ordinary" and  "Extraordinary". It is that little "EXTRA". The example of Jamaican  sprinter, Usain Bolt who won 100 m,200m & 4X100m relay races in London 2012 Olympics is a case in point. Very proudly, Usain repeated his Beijing 2008 Olympic feat with improvements in running time in 100m & 4x100m relay events. He recorded his extra ordinary performance by putting the little extra which was the basic differentiating factor between him & other runners there. To say, in every field of life you find such achievers. May be you are one such performer in your own field in your own way. Not to emphasise much, these historical feats are outcome of the inner urge matched with sustained action, which is expressed in the following lines written by famous Urdu poet & thinker Allama Muhammad Iqbal:

                             खुदी को कर बुलंद इतना कि हर तकदीर से पहले 

                             खुदा बंदे से ये पूछे  बता  तेरी रजा क्या है .

    Take the case of a few persons who by virtue of their extra ordinary deeds made us all proud:

• Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: He was an indomitable fighter who also founded  Indian National Army while in exile to overthrow British Rule & put up fights accordingly.
• Dr. Rajendra Prasad : He was the first President of India. He was very simple & brilliant, for whom the examiner wrote in his college answer paper that 'examinee is better than examiner'.
• Lal Bahadur Shastri : The second Prime Minister of India, after Nehru, who gave the famous slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan. India won the war against  Pakistan in 1965 under his able leadership.
• Baba Amte : The great social worker & activist who worked tirelessly for empowerment & rehabilitation of poor masses suffering from leprosy.  

      They all & many others never allowed the constraints to come their way  and utilized every moment instead as an opportunity to do the very best by covering that extra mile which proved to be  their X-factor for excellence. The burning example in recent past was Steve Jobs, the founder of APPLE who despite being suffering from cancer, continued his Imovative works tirelessly( he coined this word Imovation which is:Imitation + Innovation). Even physical disabilities couldn't stop Stephen William Hawking - the British Theoretical Physicist, Ludwig Van Beethovan - one of the greatest composers in history or Helen Adams Keller - the famous American author & political activist, from becoming the legends in their own field. The following two lines of Dushyant Kumar are thought provoking & inspiring on this subject:

                        कैसे आकाश में सुराख़ नहीं हो सकता,
                        एक पत्थर तो तबीयत से उछालो यारो .  

        I do believe everyone of us has the  potential to do something extra ordinary at least in one's own area of core competence by following the right path in life. 
                        will meet again with Open Mind. All the Best.