LIFE TEACHES US AT EVERY STEP; DUTY IS OURS, TO LOOK BEYOND THE HORIZON.

I have always believed in learning from the experiences of others rather than facing them all by myself. We are surrounded by all sorts of people - some try new things while others don't, some prefer taking risks while others don't, some succeed in their work while others don't, some feel satisfied with their ongoing life while others don't, some maintain their relationships quite well while others don't, some learn from their failures while others don't, some learn from their break-ups while others don't, and a long list of such examples can be quoted wherein similar instances are taken differently by different people just because of different mindsets and how they take things coming in life. There is so much in life that we learn, and more of it that we do not understand and realize later when it is gone. All of us face a number of situations which teach us tons of new things, it depends on us whether we are open to learn from them or let them go unnoticed.

Do you remember the first time when you ever heard about someone falling into relationship or breaking up with their partner? As far as I can recall, I was around 15 years old when I first saw a friend upset because of break-up. In that immature age, we don't generally analyse and learn from situations but some impact is definitely left on our mind. It was that moment which taught me to avoid relationships in that growing and vulnerable age. Moving on, more of such talks and rumors started becoming common, break-ups and patch-ups were seen and heard more often, increasing complexities in the lives of people involved and mental pressure to carry on with their personal commitments which, in that age and those days, was an extremely tough task. Not just the break-ups, but also small and big disputes between friends on rather minor issues showed multiple sides of friendships. How some teachers dealt with students strictly and how others responded patiently in similar situations bestowed two sides of the same coin too. How some students gave up after putting some efforts and how others worked harder to succeed made all the difference. How some students wished every teacher and how others ignored them revealed a lot about their etiquette. How teachers motivated all the students to do better every day is something worth remembering and learning forever. How peer-pressure forced us to ask for a better cycle or bike or car from our parents was an altogether irresistible situation for all. The situations are never-ending, just like the learning process. School-life lays the foundation of what we become after passing out and facing the global exposure.

Then, college welcomes us with its own memorable moments, hardships and teachings. By this time, we are more mature and get far more exposure as compared to school-life. We get to meet people from different regions and states. We get to learn a lot from their cultures and languages. We make new friends along with studying new subjects from totally new teachers. Accompanied with all this, are the lessons which are taught to us in harder ways which can never be taught by books or by any individual personally or directly. We learn to understand our subjects better rather than just cramming them. We study subjects which are based more on practicals than theory. Outside the class, we face more groupism and politics which hardly exist in schools. Although such situations bring up arguments and fights at times, but this also leads to creating strong leaders out of the blue. Tougher opponents are faced in extra-curricular activities such as sports, dancing/singing competitions, youth festivals, etc. There are many who quit in such situations while others strive until they emerge victorious. At times, students go on strike against a burning issue which teaches us to raise our voice against the wrong. Because of more number of people around and more exposure, we get to deal with such situations more often wherein we can help someone in their tough times, or see someone helping others perhaps, which teaches us to be humble and helpful in life. Most of the youngsters try many new things for the first time in college-life, which includes drinks and parties and harmful drugs as well. Such fresh experiments, in that vulnerable age, lead to different kinds of consequences for different people, which are not always positive and not always negative as well. There are so many of such situations that penning down all of them is not possible at all; every day brings new situations teaching us to remain strong and motivated in new ways.

Moving on from student-life into professional life, the learning takes a completely new turn when friends are replaced by colleagues, peer-pressure is replaced by work-pressure and enjoyment is replaced by responsibilities. The level of politics is very different from that faced in college or university and survival at our workplace requires a large number of compromises and sacrifices, whether it is a startup with a few employees or a conglomerate with thousands of employees. The very thought of being a responsible bread-earner for our family transforms us into an extremely mature family member who is not considered just a youngster any more but a pillar of the family instead. Professional life teaches us to be selfless when it comes to the needs of our family, we give up on our own desires in order to fulfill those of our family members and such acts make us happier than fulfilling our own wishes. The goal of establishing ourselves as a reputed employee or starting something of our own to be a successful entrepreneur encourages us to do better everyday, as is attempted by our teachers since the very beginning of our schooling and learning.

Rather than being in similar situations myself, I learnt a lot from those facing and handling them. I remember many who were capable of achieving their goals but didn't, I remember many who were not considered capable enough but they won over all the hurdles and achieved what they desired. Both scenarios left a prominent impression on my mind - that what is bound to happen cannot be changed, doesn't matter whether we feel pressurized or positive, the only thing that is in our hands is to give our best and put in all sorts of efforts to fulfill our goals irrespective of the outcomes. The lessons taught by life every day are beyond our potential to understand to the core, what we can do best is to try and understand at least some part of them and learn from them and make sure not to repeat the mistakes and shortcomings of the past. Eventually, our efforts start giving us more contentment than the results of those efforts.

Do good, be with good people, feel their good vibes, inherit their good habits, absorb their good values, be good, and make others feel they are with a good human being when they are with you. Follow a positive and soulful approach to life, not a materialistic one, that's what defines the real you and that's how you extract the most out of life's teachings.