Intro : In this inspiring autobiography, Dr Abdul Kalam shares his remarkable journey as a humble village boy to the President of India. He provides valuable lessons and motivational quotes that guide us all on our own paths.
1. “let not the thy winged days be spent in vain. When once gone, no gold can buy them back “ . Means the best days of our lives were now, when we were learning, and we had to make the most of this time. Once gone, the time would run like sand between our fingers and we would never get it back again.
2. Best learning happen, when we see how things worked around us, rather than learning about them only from books. So i also learnt to observe and question.
3. A good school lavishes upon its students - to correct when you are going wrong, to open new doors of knowledge and give experiences that we learn from all our lives.
4. I strongly believe that teachers need to tell students about great lives and make children understand their history and heritage. This is how children not only know what is good and what is evil but also learn to judge for themselves the distinction between the two. They then know the best way to behave in many situations. These lessons can form the moral code around which our personalities are formed - something that no one can take away from us however old we get.
5. This incident ( when he had to deliver a project in MIT) taught me to always put in my best and also to never underestimate the power of hard work. Even if a task seems impossible, if you grit your teeth and set your mind to completing it by shutting out the entire world, you are sure to achieve what you set out to do.
6. I realized that if something is at stake, the human mind gets ignited and the working capacity gets enhanced manifold. This is one of the techniques of building talent. It is important to work hard towards your choosen path - success is more a function of effort than anything else.
7. ( After getting rejected from Indian Air force, he met a swami ji) Swamiji said that a lot of what happens in our lives is predetermined and that the only way forward is to accept what has happened and to move on. Who knew, perhaps what destiny had in store would be better than what one is grieving over now.
8. I learnt that dreams should be those that keep us awake, they are ideas that become actions that lead to change. There are so many challenges that seem impossible at one time, but become a reality if we study them and figure out how to tackle them.
9. ( When Dr. Kalam became project director of SLV - 3) There would be many difficulties and obstacles in my way , and i had to find the resilience and imagination to overcome those while keeping the team motivated.
10. (While remembering his father) I said final goodbye to the man who taught me to pray, to have faith in something larger than myself and the one who showed me that the person who is rich in spirit can never be poor.
11. ( While Working on SLV - 3) Everyday I decided the goals and all of us worked towards achieving that. I learnt that patience and calmness can help you deal with all kinds of obstacles. To get the work done without becoming angry and frustrated but by setting achievable targets and ticking them off one by one was what we needed to do,
12. ( After failure of first launch of SLV - 3 , but later successfully launching it in 3rd attempt) There are two lessons that have remained with me from this episode : The first is about having the resilience and courage to get up after a setback and carry on with the task. and the second is about the role of a leader in managing failure. A leader should give credit of the success to the team members. But when failures comes, leaders should absorb the failures and protect the team members.
13. ( When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called him to congratulate him for SLV - 3 launch) I was dressed in an ordinary shirt and on my feet were an old pair of sandles! When i said so to professor Dhawan , what he replied has stayed with me always “ you are beautifully clothed in your success”.
14. My years at I.S.R.O and in the developing of SLV - 3 taught me so many things - that problems will come with any endeavor. your assignment could be to built a rocket or to do a school project, but the trick is to tell yourself that you are the captain of your problems and never let the problems become the captain, defeat the problem and succeed. Once you tell yourself : ‘i can solve this and i will do it well’, there is nothing that can stop you from doing so.
15. I had only one formula for my team to follow - goal -setting, positive thinking, visualizing and believing.
16. Prizes and awards are good to recieve, but they cannot be the measure of one’s success as a human being.
17. ( When Dr. Kalam first addressed the nation as President, he spoke on courage ) I have a message of courage for you : COURAGE TO GIVE , COURAGE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY , COURAGE TO INVENT, COURAGE TO DISCOVER THE IMPOSSIBLE, COURAGE TO TRAVEL ON AN UNEXPOLRED PATH, COURAGE TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE, COURAGE TO REMOVE PAIN, COURAGE TO REACH THE UNREACHED, COURAGE TO COMBACT PROBLEMS AND SUCCEED.
18. Dr. Kalam ended his Book by sharing some useful lessons for every young person which can be food for own thoughts as well
AIM IN LIFE : Having an aim in life gives purpose to every action and orientation to every result.
ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE : Having an aim in life is incomplete until you are able to acquire the right knowledge needed to accomplish that aim.
WORK HARD :Constant effort with application of proper knowledge can help overcome difficulties and to scale great heights.
MANAGING FAILURES : The test of a human being is in accepting the failures and going on trying until he or she succeeds. Managing failure is the essence of leadership.
TASK THAT LEADS TO BLISS: Take up whatever challenge that comes your way but also find that one task that gives you bliss. ( Dr. Kalam shares an experience where he helped polio affected children with low weight calipers from 4kg to 400gm and improved their quality of living. He says the removal of the pain and the freedom attained by the children gave me a stae of bliss, which i never experienced during any other achivement in my life)
READ GOOD BOOKS : Books guide us during our life journey and continue to provide guidance for many generations.
ASK YOURSELF, WHAT I WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR ? You have to evolve yourself and shape your life.