Becoming Result Oriented - The Power of Perseverance (Iqbal)
Iqbal, released in 2005 tells the story of Iqbal, a deaf and mute boy, from a small village, who aspires to be a cricketer and realizes his dream in spite of facing many difficulties.
The story starts off with Iqbal, dreaming of becoming a part of Indian national cricket team. The hitch is that he has no support--his father, a farmer who finds it difficult to make ends meet despises cricket and considers Iqbal's daydreams a waste of time.
However, Iqbal manages to get an entry into a local cricket academy run by an influential former India captain-Guruji, who accepts Iqbal for his talent. However, before it is too long, Iqbal gets thrown out from the academy by his coach for competing with a boy (Kamal) who is the star of the academy.
Undeterred, Iqbal perseveres in his quest for achieving his dream and seeks help from the local farmhand, Mohit, who was once a great cricketer, and persuades Mohit to be his coach.
Mohit trains Iqbal and gets him a place on the Ranji Trophy team. When the final match of the season pits Iqbal against his rival, Kamal, Guruji tries to bribe Iqbal to bowl badly so that the national team scouts at the game would select Kamal for the national cricket team.
The last moments of the movie show Iqbal rejecting the offer and putting in a marvelous performance, winning the match for his team and winning himself a place in the national team.
Lessons on perseverance from Iqbal
Setbacks are no match for strong perseverance: Iqbal's journey towards his goal is wrought with obstacles-- the biggest obstacle was his father's lack of support. Also, due to their critical financial situation, Iqbal has no means or financial help to undergo formal training. The reason we give up on our goals is our fear of facing obstacles. Roadblocks do spring up but perseverance helps us cross each barrier and reach the winning post in the end.
Perseverance is about remaining focussed even in changed situations: Iqbal gets selected into a prestigious cricket academy but later gets thrown out for no fault of his. Though disheartened, he takes the changed situation in his stride and moves on, looking for alternatives. Work situations change, sometimes making result achievement all the more difficult. But perseverance is that constant that takes us to our goal irrespective of external factors.
Perseverance helps us make the most of available resources: Iqbal practices all alone in a nearby field with buffaloes as fielders! With no gadgets and no facilities, he learns the nuances of the game on his own. Sometimes in our quest for the desired result our only support and resource is our perseverance.
Difference between endurance and perseverance: After being expelled from the academy, instead of wallowing in self-pity, Iqbal actively identifies a new mentor and develops a support system-in the form of Mohit, a local farmhand, who was once a great cricketer- and persuades Mohit to be his coach. Perseverance is not about endurance--it is about being proactive--searching for ways and means to achieve your goals-even while being patient.
Perseverance is to constantly better the quality of output: Iqbal finally gets selected for the national team even without playing for a district or a club level match. He hones his skill for hours and days on end-and it is with this practice that he excels on the day of the grand finale. The key is to never allow oneself to give up until the task or the problem is addressed, completely and acceptably.
Har aandhi ko jhelenge...Haar nahi maani jab dil ne..Jeet ke baazi lelenge
(We'll face every difficulty but not accept defeat. We shall win)
-A motivational song from the movie Iqbal
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