In the fifth avenue of New York City, when Dr. Norman Vinsent Peale was invited as a guest to deliver a speech. One of his followers caught him and said “Dr. Peale, do help me in this crisis. I am not able to solve my problems. They are way more problematic and disturbing.”
On this statement of his follower, Dr. Peale replied “I am to deliver a speech, but if you will leave my path to speech now I will take you to the place where people don’t have any problems.”
The follower said, ” dear sir if you take me to that place, I am ready to offer you anything.”
Soon they left for the place. It was Forest Lawn graveyard. Looking at the graveyard, Dr. Peale said “see here there are 150000 people who have no problems.”
PROBLEMS ARE VALUABLE TREASURIES
The story mentioned above is one of my most favorite stories of Dr. Peale. This story reflects the reality of problems. If you are having problems that mean you are still alive and can find solutions to those problems. It is said that a person is always pointed out on the number of problems he has.
Most of us are under this influence that problems are bad and rigid. While some people have this mentality that no problem situation is an ideal state of life. Sometimes when you are the reason behind those problems your most of the time and energy are wasted in blaming yourself and your destiny. When you feel such then you are a person who is always negative. Negative in sense of all the things around. But positive-minded people take these situations as opportunities.
Let us take this situation in which the whole world is facing COVID-19. It is the worldwide problem since some jobholders, businessmen or students, etc. blame themselves and their destiny. They don’t realize or recognize that there are many sources available online to make money. They have time to learn new things and do something on their own.
The ones who have been in problems and solved them with whole courage may understand what I mean to say. We have many such examples of people who overcame their problems looking at them as opportunities.
MARK VICTOR HANSEN
Mark Hansen was a 26 years youngster residing in New York City. He was working in a company for 2 lakhs dollars per annum. In 1974, Arabs denied the supply of oil and petrol and this lead to a major problematic situation for him as most of the work depended on petrol.
Mark sir who was almost on the peak of success received a message from the majesty as ” Mark, you are declared as bankrupt.” When Mark sir appointed a lawyer for him, the asked Mark for 300 dollars. Mark was bankrupt and so it became difficult for him to offer his lawyer 300 dollars so he started reading books that would provide him education about how to fight the case of bankruptcy without a lawyer.
He was jobless for that time. He was such a rich person before that he had a Cadillac car but now he was driving a 400 dollars simple car.
He had reached a point where he lost all his hopes but this was a turning point of his life to achieve. It was a great opportunity for him to prove himself. He read many books and implemented various ideas. He concluded that no matter how worst the situation goes the person shouldn’t take his foot off, instead search for the solutions. There is a solution to every problem.
He read many books, started his life from being bankrupt, and made his world. He didn’t take any negative steps. Today, Mark sir has a beautiful wife and two cute daughters and a property in South California. He looks after big and reputed companies.
Though he was declared bankrupt, he didn’t take that problem as a problem but he made it his opportunity and made his life stable again.
VITTHAL VENKATESH KAMAT
Vitthal Kamat, a green hotelier, an environmentalist, an entrepreneur, an author is a versatile personality. He started his career from a small family restaurant to the chairman of the world’s highest award-winning, Asia’s First Five-star Ecotel ‘Orchid’.
During his journey to a five-star ecotel, he faced many such situations which lead him to commit suicide but fortunately, he took himself out of that situation. He too faced problems like brother-brother disputes, father’s anger, failures in restaurants, etc.
A situation came when he questioned himself whether to live or to die? this situation arose because of his sibling brother. Vitthal sir was in half bankruptcy when his own brother took ownership of one of his family restaurants with help of his chartered accountant. This conspiracy of his brother made sir’s father think of committing suicide and probably sir too thought same.
When he was thinking to commit he decided to meet his friend who was an owner of a company at Churchgate. Sir told him about his situation and declared that he is going to end his life. Sir’s friend suggested him to sit and think for a while and then end life. His friend went out of the cabin for work. The office was on the 22nd floor. He peeped out of the window while having a sip of coconut water. He saw the sun setting and as he rolled his eyes towards another side he saw a man who gave a turning point to sir’s life.
That man was confidently standing on bamboo sticks built out of a bank office on the 23rd-floor painting wall of it. That painter had a different and satisfactory expression of his face though he was taking so much risk. And sir felt shameful about himself and decided not to suicide, rather his suicide may create more problems in his family.
Sir got a rebirth and he started everything with whole dedication and passion. After that, he faced many problems too but he didn’t take aback. Sir set up his five-star ecotel and proved himself.
We do have many such examples and success stories of people who have overcome their problems and proved that “problems are always camouflaged as opportunities”