Mir Iqbal Hussain Chattergami
Yesterday, while going through some inspirational material, I came across a quote attributed to Reba McEntire: to succeed in life, one needs a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone. The quote made me stop and think. The more I reflected on it, the more I felt that these three simple words could carry a useful message for students. Almost every student enters education with a dream. One dreams of becoming a doctor, another an engineer, teacher, scientist, officer, entrepreneur or something else. Behind every classroom desk there is often a young person with a hope for the future. But not everyone’s dream comes true.
Some work hard but do not get the opportunity they hoped for. Some face difficult circumstances. Some fail despite their efforts. Others eventually realise that the career they once dreamed about was not the right path for them. Circumstances, opportunities, competition and sometimes luck also influence where we finally reach. But should that make us stop dreaming? I don’t think so. Perhaps what we need is to keep three imaginary bones strong. Wishbone . The Strength to Dream. The wishbone represents our dreams, hopes and aspirations.
A strong wishbone gives a student the confidence to say, “I have a goal, and I believe I can achieve it.” It keeps hope alive and gives a direction to hard work.
Dreaming is not simply wishing for something. It is believing in a goal and being prepared to work for it. It also means not allowing the doubts of others to become our own doubts. A student with a strong wishbone may face many obstacles, but the dream keeps pulling them forward.
Backbone |The Strength To Stand: The backbone represents courage, determination and resilience. A student needs a strong backbone to face criticism, rejection, pressure and difficult situations. Marks may not always be what we expect. Someone may question our ability. An opportunity may slip away. Such moments can hurt. But a strong backbone says, “I may have been disappointed, but I am not defeated.” It gives us the strength to stand firm, accept criticism when it is justified, learn from our mistakes and continue working towards our goal.
“Failure is not final; maintain the hope to dream, the strength to stand, and the humor to recover so you can keep seeking new opportunities.”
Funny Bone| The Strength To Recover: Then there is the funny bone.
This may sound like the least serious of the three, but I think it has an important place in the journey of a student. Failure can bring frustration and disappointment. When something we have worked hard for does not happen, it is natural to feel bad. But there is a point when thinking about the setback again and again only increases the pressure. Sometimes, we simply need to smile.
Laugh. Sing. Talk to friends. Enjoy a little. Take a break. Humour and a light-hearted attitude can help us come out of the disappointment and regain our balance. It does not mean making fun of failure or running away from responsibility. It means not allowing one setback to take away our confidence and happiness. Once the mind becomes lighter, we can look at the situation again. Maybe the first door has closed. Look for another. May be the first option has failed. Try another. The destination may remain the same even when the route changes. For me, that is what makes the three bones such an interesting way of looking at success. The wishbone helps us dream and believe. The backbone helps us face criticism and adversity.
The funny bone helps us deal with disappointment, regain our spirit and try another way. We cannot promise every student that the dream with which they enter education will become reality. But we can teach them not to consider one failure the final verdict on their life. Sometimes we achieve the dream we started with. Sometimes we discover another dream along the way. And sometimes we reach somewhere different from where we originally planned, but still find success and satisfaction there. What matters is that a setback should not stop us from looking for the next opportunity. So, to every student with a dream, my message is simple: keep your wishbone strong enough to dream, your backbone strong enough to stand, and your funny bone strong enough to smile and recover. Dream, Stand, Smile. Try again. One failure may close a door, but it should never stop you from looking for another.
(The author is a teacher and Environmental Science researcher pursuing a PhD in Environmental Science. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
