Some Nuggets of Wisdom

Metaphorically speaking, hope is strange person indeed! It is the best friend of the optimist and the fiercest enemy of the pessimist. Its presence has the effect of arming the optimists with the weapon of inner strength and peace! Its absence has the effect of disarming the pessimist of the weapons of confidence and positive action. Its presence gives the optimist a lot of reasons to look forward to and not abandon the cause half way through. Its absence causes the pessimist to take wings and fly off. I have faced several such situations when hope betrayed me and left me in a lurch. In those circumstances, I found myself clinging to the slipping hands of hopes in the desperate attempt of hoping to be pulled off the deep ditch of miserable circumstances. Surprisingly, those clinging attempts proved fruitful. Many a times, I was hoping against hope but well it did pay off and I was actually pulled out and many a times saved myself from falling into the abyss. Hope proved to be a kind mentor and an able guide indeed! This is for the simple reason that it not only pulled me off the desperate circumstances but also showed me the path of the future course of action. It was like a mother whose bosom I clung on to for the purpose of feeling comforted when I saw nothing but dark shadows all around! Like a mother, it not only succeeded in comforting me but also sufficiently equipped me to face my life heads on with full gusto!

You might be wondering what makes me pen my thoughts about hope at this juncture. Well, as a counselor, I see a lot of my students being under tremendous stress! It is the month of April and I see them wait expectantly for admits! They wait expectantly for kick-starting a new life! I see them running around and balancing a lot of stressful activities like a skillful juggler! Some of those who are working are forced to undertake a tight rope walk! In such stressful situations, in case they get a reject from a university instead of an admit, they feel as if the world has fallen apart! I see the slipping into the deep well of pessimism! A lot of students suffer from insomnia and suffer panic attacks. They suffer from a mistaken belief that a couple of rejects from certain universities is the beginning of the end for them! They feel as if rejection is nothing but the signal of death-knell of their hopes, their visions, their dreams and their future!

My dear students, I would like to assure you that you cannot be further from the truth! This thought process is extremely disillusioning and crippling! I trust your abilities and I want you all to trust yourself! Just because you get a couple of rejects doesn’t mean that you make the “state of misery” your constant companion! It is important to have hope! It is important to be full of optimism and confidence! If you cling on to hope and maintain a positive thought process, trust me and mark my words that situation will work out for you, either ways! There is no such thing as a “hopeless” situation! Be full of hope! Be full of life and face things heads on! And most importantly, do not forget that I am there for you whilst I am making every effort to ensure that I guide you well and make you realize your dream.

Again, this is the month of April and you might see many around you with multiple admits and this small write-up is just a small piece of advice for those who are still waiting to get a positive results! I am sure you will very soon… Hence, there is no reason to worry… SO BUCK UP AND RELAX!!!

Hope this helps many.

Hiren Rathod.