Page 43 - Failure to Triumph - Journey of A Student

whatever I am saying holds true in this specific context- You are a
student or you are preparing for an important examination and your
future depends on it or You are going through an extremely crucial

phase of your academic career or you are striving hard to achieve
your goal, whatever it maybe.

What is the biggest joy or happiness in life?

In my personal opinion, apart from having a healthy body, the
biggest happiness in life is to stand on one’s own feet and be self-
sufficient. You should be capable of taking care of yourself and look

after the needs of your family. There is no joy bigger than this,
because if a person is not self-dependent, if he does not earn his
own food then all other pleasures do not matter to him. And the
greatest joy in life is to see those you love, happy. For example,
many of you must be healthy, many of you must be blessed with

great parents and a fantastic bunch of friends. But do any of these
lessen the pain of being unemployed? There is this saying, “Good
things happen when you set your priorities straight.” Ask yourself:
What is your priority? Are you trying to accomplish the important
things? Mahatma Gandhi said, “Action expresses priorities.” Are you
acting in your desired way? What is it that you desire for NOW-
success, employment or falling in love? The American jurist Dallin H.

Oaks said, “Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our
choices, and choices determine our actions.”

If we consider the phase of life that you are going through now, the
only priority you should have is your career. Like Arjun’s aim for the
bird’s eye you should fix your target and aim at it with unwavering

focus. If you take your eyes off the target, your goal will slip out of
your hands. So now, can you afford to have any such love affairs
and romantic relationships in your life? Is it not better that you focus
all your energies into building a strong career and stay away from
getting into new relationships for a while? Can you not make this
small sacrifice?