It is quite common to hear about impressive corporate turnarounds, spearheaded by a passionate individual who creates a thriving fortune out of a sinking enterprise. `When we read about such achievements, we hardly connect it to our own day to day circumstances. Naturally, because we think that challenge does not apply to our own life situation, neither do we see ourselves in such a powerful position to cause a change of that measure. The truth is that, our life is not less than any enterprise and we as individuals actually possess immense ability to cause a turnaround. Here is a simple question for you: Is there is any big disadvantage, short-coming, inability or inadequacy that you experience in your life` Does it play a role to deter you from living the life the way you would want to` Undoubtedly, we would all have some element either missing in our life, or blocking our way, or simply just not fashioned our way! We bring a short account of a great life, the life of Ray Charles. His life is an inspiration to live beyond our complaints, regrets and self-pity about what life has not given us. Musician, composer, singer and pianist, Ray Charles was born in Georgia, US, in 1930, to poor parents. Ray Charles was blind by the age of seven. He lost his father when he was ten years old and his mother when he was fifteen. His situation as a teenager, with nothing to fall back upon, and living a life bereft of sight is an unimaginable one. He received education in Classical Music in his school, Florida School of Deaf and Blind. He read his music in Braille, a slow and tedious process. How he coped with such a great challenge is an inspiring as well as humbling feat. On coping with his challenges, he said, `In Braille, you can only read so many bars of music at a time. You can`t read it and play it at the same time, so your memory and understanding expand.` He was the premier musician of the school he studied in. By age 12, he was adept in arranging big-band music and orchestral music. He did not consider being blind as a dis-advantage, as to him being deaf was truly unfortunate. As a musician, he left his mark through his explorations of various genres from jazz, blues, gospel, country, pop and rock and roll. His voice is uniquely recognizable, and his musical genius has received wide-spread acclaim including the most obvious ` 12 Grammy Awards. His life teaches us some basic things, which are yet so profound:
- His mother would always tell him that there are two ways of doing a thing. Since he was specially-abled, he must find the other way for himself. Like him, we are all `specially-abled` in some regard. We feel that is the reason why we cannot make it. Actually, we have to strive to find the other way.
- From a completely devastated situation, Ray Charles built a life for himself and left behind a legacy of music.` Wherever and whatever life puts us in, we still have a choice. We can choose how we respond to it. Human beings are known to be able to build the most beautiful things out of the most adverse situations.
- We do not need any resource, contacts or luck to bring a turnaround in our life. From what we see in Ray Charles` life, it is possibly his humble acceptance of what was happening to him, and yet keep doing what he was able to do, what he could do. The strength to cause a turnaround in our life is within all of us, no matter how alone or helpless we may consider ourselves to be.
Gift yourself the life which you truly want to live. The odds will always be there, but so is your own strength and determination. Instead of letting your hopes and aspirations sink, look for the other way which you can work on. There always is another way! Please view the link below to hear a masterpiece by Ray Charles.