We often mistake a win to be about the rewards of victory, but in actual fact, what we win in the process of working for victory is far greater than any rewards you could reap from the result.
Now, I’m not a big-time cricket watcher, but last night’s Cricket World Cup game had lessons for everyone. In case you missed it, this is what happened: Chasing Afghanistan’s 293 in the soul-sapping heat and humidity of Mumbai, the mighty Australia were down on their knees at 91 for 7, when Glenn Maxwell walked in. Australia still needed over 200 runs, and the game was assumed to be over. One stat said their chance of winning the match was a laughable 1%. But Maxwell thought otherwise.
Surviving a couple of close shaves, he kept at it to reach his hundred. That was still far from jailbreaking, and by the time he reached his 140s, he was severely beset by a wave of cramps. Soon, he could barely walk, let alone run! So he was faced with the prospect of having to pull off the highest chase ever at the Wankhede with just fours and sixes – pretty much a hopeless task. But spoiler alert: he did, and how!
Playing outrageous shots that the world realised were possible for the first time, without even moving his feet, and generating incredible power with just his core and arms, he belted the ball all over the ground, finishing with an unbeaten double century, the first by any player chasing, a heroic and herculean effort that was termed by many a veteran of the game as the best ODI knock ever seen!
Maxwell could’ve easily retired hurt, or got out with a desperate shot. But he didn’t. Just how did he carry on in such pain and with an appalling handicap? Because he didn’t want to quit. He just wasn’t ready to accept defeat and give up. Virat Kohli has said somewhere, “If you can keep a positive mindset in a negative situation, you win.” That’s exactly what Maxwell did. He dispelled the darkness in his mind with a light of his own.
Which is exactly what the festival coming this month is about – a festival called Diwali! It’s a reminder that the future, by being uncertain, may be dark, but we can illuminate it by glowing with the fire of determination, and motor on to see our dreams come true in that light. Diwali is about finding that light within, and that’s what not quitting gets you.
Have a winsome and luminous month and a Happy Diwali!
