Read the full transcript of Dr. Vishwanand Pattar’s talk titled “The Possibilities For Success Are Truly Limitless” at TEDxVCE 2024 conference.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
The Desire for Heaven
I would like to ask one question: Who wants to go to heaven? I see some hands are raising up. Next question: Who wants to die? I know I don’t see any hands raising up.
Let me tell you one story. There was a fisherman who, every time he caught a big fish, used to throw it back into the water. Every time he got a big fish, he used to get irritated and disappointed. He would throw it in the water and be happy with the small fishes; he used to keep the small fishes. An old man was observing this unusual behavior, wondering why this guy was throwing the big fishes in the water. He went and asked him, “Why are you throwing these away?” The fisherman said, “Sir, I have a small frying pan at my home.”
Most people in our life don’t make it because they are all carrying a small frying pan. That is called limited thinking.
Breaking Boundaries
We all create boundaries; we limit our success and our growth. So why do people have limited thinking? Because they fear competition, adversity, obstacles, hurdles, and sometimes self-doubt. Many things make people think in a limited way. When you eliminate these limitations, success is yours. You can eliminate the competition when you go the extra mile; you are always a mile ahead of others, right?
Going beyond limits is a powerful energy, a powerful force that leads us to innovation, discoveries, progress, growth, development, and great achievements.
The Three Keys to Success
The powerful energy comes from three things:
We should have a strong desire.
If you have a small desire, it will give small light and heat. If you have a big desire, it will give big light and big heat. The burning desire is very, very important. The desire to go beyond limits, to challenge the boundaries – that intrinsic desire will drive great feats.
Knowledge, what we call in Sanskrit, the Jnana Shakti. The first one is Isha Shakti (desire), the second is Jnana Shakti (knowledge).
Action, the Kriya Shakti. The desire of going to heaven – everybody has that desire, but nobody wants to die. We need to die hard; only then can we go to heaven. We need to work hard; we need to go the extra mile to be ahead of the competition.
Overcoming Limitations
People don’t get into action; that’s the problem. They always have limitations, set boundaries; we don’t want to go beyond the limits. We create a status quo and maintain it; that is called a comfort zone. We don’t want to go out of the comfort zone. To achieve great feats in life, we need to go beyond boundaries; we need to break the barriers.
Historical Examples of Going Beyond Limits
Let me give you an example, an historic, inspiring story: Vasco da Gama, in 1498, had a desire to explore uncharted geographies. This Portuguese explorer started from Europe, came to the tip of South Africa (Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope), then near Kenya, and from there he reached Calicut, the Kozhikode – from Europe to Africa, Africa to Asia. He took 10 months on this grueling sea journey, discovering new geographies.
Similarly, Thomas Alva Edison hardly had three months of formal education. His mother encouraged his curiosity; he was homeschooled by her. Out of curiosity and passion, he desired to do something beyond the limit, to achieve something great in life. You all know that he invented the electric bulb. He failed a thousand times, but you know what he said? “I haven’t failed. I have found out a thousand ways that won’t work.” So whenever you make a mistake, miss something, you should take a different step.
Perseverance and Positive Thinking
Failure should be taken as a stepping stone. When you do something, you may fail, but you should not fail to attempt. Most people, once they get rejected or dejected, stop trying. We need to have perseverance, continuously putting in effort until we reach success. We need to be positive, proactive, and competitive.
Breaking Mental Barriers
Roger Bannister was the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes, completing it in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. He was a doctor and an athlete from England, a neurophysician. Before that, nobody thought we could run a mile under 4 minutes. You know what he said? “It’s not the body that is a barrier; the mind is a barrier.” So, we need to change our mindset; we need to go beyond limits.
Defining “Going Beyond Limits”
Going beyond limits means:
Exceeding expectations
Pushing past perceived limitations
Achieving more than thought possible
Overcoming self-imposed restrictions
Realizing your full potential
Unlocking your hidden talent
Achieving great feats
Personal Journey of Going Beyond Limits
In my personal life, I was born and brought up in a very poor family. In those days, schooling and college were very expensive. Fifty rupees was the fee, which was very expensive for my family to afford. I studied in government schools and colleges. My mother always wanted me to become a doctor, but I couldn’t get a seat in medicine due to my rank. After graduation, to pursue my post-graduation, I wrote all the exams for MSc, MA, MCJ, but at the same time, because of my family situation, I wanted to work as well.
I got a job with a salary of 1000 rupees, while the college fees were also 1000 rupees for two years of MSc. I wanted to continue my studies and support myself and my family. There were many challenges, including conflicting exam and work schedules, but I persevered. I even took flights, which were very expensive at the time, to manage both my exams and work commitments.
The Journey to a PhD
I wanted to do my PhD, but faced many obstacles. I changed subjects and universities multiple times due to various circumstances. It took me 15 years to complete my PhD. The passion I had, like my mother wanting me to become a doctor – though I did not become a doctor of medicine, I became a doctor of philosophy. Unfortunately, my parents passed away before they could see me achieve this, but I feel their blessings are always with me.
Publishing a Book
I wanted to publish a book of stories and poetry I had written in college. I faced rejection from many publishers, but I didn’t give up. I created a mock-up of the book and finally convinced a publisher to take it on. I also managed to get media coverage for the book launch, including a half-page article in The Hindu newspaper.
Pursuing Music and Film
After 25 years, I published my music album with 30 songs, including English songs, folk songs, and devotional songs. I also ventured into filmmaking, learning everything from photography to direction. During the COVID time, I wrote a script and released a movie that was shown not only in India but also abroad.
Professional Achievements
In my professional life, I created a board game that combined all our company’s values and competencies. We won a global award for this, competing against entries from 140 countries.
Conclusion
Everyone has the capacity and ability to achieve great things. The world’s limitations are meant to be challenged; boundaries are meant to be broken. We need three things: desire, knowledge, and action. To go beyond limits, two more important things are needed: perseverance and resilience. The possibilities for growth and success are truly limitless. Just go beyond limits. Thank you.
