Don’t Miss the Opportunity

The secret to success in life is that a person should always be ready for the next opportunity. This idea was beautifully captured by Disraeli, who once said:

“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.”

Real success lies in being able to recognise the moment—and immediately act on it. The one who fails to act at the right time is the one who falls behind in the race of life.

Once, in a city street, I noticed that an electric bulb was glowing during the day. But in daylight, its glow was barely visible—you could hardly tell it was on. However, when night fell, the same bulb lit up its surroundings, as if a small sun had appeared.

At that moment, a thought came to my mind: The glow of the bulb is simply a result of taking advantage of the opportunity provided by darkness.

A lamp is only useful in the dark. When the sun is shining, the lamp’s light becomes invisible. So, darkness, often seen as a negative, actually presents an opportunity—but only for those who are ready to shine.

People usually complain when they face dark times. But the truth is: darkness can be the best chance for someone to glow—provided they have light inside them.

Because if someone is darkness themselves, they can never use darkness as an opportunity—they’ll only make it worse.

French writer Chamfort once said: “To lose an opportunity is to lose success.”

Imagine you’re a traveller at a railway station. If you’re not alert, the train may come, pause, whistle, and leave without you—while you stand on the platform, unaware.

This is how life works.

The world constantly sends you opportunities. If your mind is not awake, you may not even recognise them. And later, you’ll complain that “life didn’t give you a chance”—when in reality, you just weren’t ready.

In this world, opportunities come and go. But there is one opportunity that never leaves—the opportunity to strive for excellence.

The truth is: Distinction in anything is the greatest opportunity.

Many other chances may come and go—but the opportunity to do your best, to stand out—is always present.

That’s why Daniel Webster once said: “There is always room at the top.”

No matter how crowded the world is, there’s always space for excellence.

This is the one chance that never ends—for anyone.

Don’t Get Angry

Someone once said, “Anger spoils a person’s face.”

To see the truth of this, just look at a dog barking in rage at another dog—It appears wild, even terrifying. On the other hand, look at a flower—Even if you say harsh words to it, its beauty remains unchanged.

Why? Because the flower doesn’t react. It doesn’t let your bitterness enter it.

That’s why a wise person said, “A person looks most beautiful when they don’t get angry at a provoking statement. And most ugly when they do.”

Another saying goes: “Anger always begins in foolishness and ends in regret.”

This is seen in real life again and again.

Anger often arises when someone doesn’t know a better way to respond.

Once, a boy made a mistake at home. His father, lacking understanding, got furious. He pushed the boy. The boy’s head hit the wall, and a vein was seriously damaged. He lost his memory forever. Though he looked the same, he could no longer retain any information.

He became completely dependent.

The father acted in a moment of rage. And for the rest of his life, he regretted that moment.

If only he had controlled himself, he could have saved his child—and himself—from a lifelong tragedy.

Data Ganj Bakhsh said, “Anger eats up action.”

Tulsidas said, “Where there is anger, there is destruction.”

Both statements express the same truth: Anger ruins the mind, the body, and the spirit.

According to medical and psychological experts, anger causes the muscles to tighten, depletes the body’s energy, and leads to fatigue. These physical and emotional effects reduce a person’s ability to think clearly and act effectively.

Another doctor, J. S. Chandler, added that anger causes the intestines to tighten, the heartbeat to rise, and blood pressure to increase.

In extreme cases, it can even burst a blood vessel in the brain, leading to sudden death.

Chesterfield gave a profound warning: “If a person cannot control their anger, they can’t achieve anything in the world. Because success requires controlling the world—and if you cannot control yourself, how can you control the world?”

All India Radio, New Delhi, on 8-9 July 1984.