In common parlance, ‘Faith’ is associated with religious beliefs and is very closely linked with prayers, Gods, and mythological beliefs. The importance of these beliefs can never be undermined and across geographies and cultures, this has sustained civilisations by bringing inner peace and strength to people in this ever challenging, stressful, and complex world.

Nonetheless, the point I want to make here is that ‘Faith’ is a much larger all encompassing concept and carries a much larger meaning beyond religious faith. Faith is the confidence or trust in a person or a thing or a belief, which is not based on any proof. It is the belief on our capabilities & competencies, our passion to succeed, the strength in our relationships & friendships, the confidence on our teams to achieve things seeming impossible. This, in turn, gives us the belief that despite the odds against us, we can accomplish our objectives and succeed in life. Having such faith and confidence brings positivity and an extra dose of energy into our lives.

Let us ponder on this subject with a few real examples. Let’s take the case of Nick Vujicic. Who would have thought Nick, born with a rare disorder characterised by the absence of all four limbs would grow up to be an evangelist and a motivational speaker. It would have been very easy for his parents to curse God for having given them a kid, who was supposedly considered as ‘incomplete’. The trauma that they would have gone through on his birth could have even led them to abandon him. Their faith, however, gave them the strength to raise Nick up as a normal child. Nick, as he writes in his books, received a tremendous amount of encouragement and confidence from his parents and siblings that it strengthened his faith to succeed in life. He firmly believed that he was different from the others because he was special and God wanted to get something different done through him. He succeeded despite the harassment and torment that he faced from his fellow students as he grew up. His faith and confidence on himself have made him what he is today. He plays golf and soccer, goes skydiving and surfing, which even many of us, so called ‘complete’ individuals can’t accomplish.

Another case in point is of Kailash Satyarthi, the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Kailash was born in a small town in Central India and having completed his education as an electrical engineer, worked in the engineering function, and then as a teacher as well. However, his faith on himself to accomplish something much larger in life made him give up his secure job and take head on the social evils of untouchability, slavery, and child labor. In a recent speech that he gave at Ted, he mentioned how after having eaten food cooked by a so-called ‘untouchable’, the so called ‘high caste people’ were ready to outcast him and his family from the society. They then agreed to pardon him if he traveled 600 miles to take a dip in the holy Ganges river, organized a feast to 101 priests, washed their feet with water, and then drank the same water. He got angry at the hypocrisy of society and refused to obey this. His strong faith and conviction at this stage gave him the strength and power to pursue something larger in life. Rather than being outcast himself, he chose to outcast the entire caste system. Surnames, in those days, were caste driven so he chose to drop his family name and adopted the surname of “Satyarthi” for himself, which means the seeker of truth. We all know what he has achieved in life that probably very few could even dare to venture in.

These are just a couple of examples. There are numerous such stories, many heard and many more than that unheard of people who have demonstrated exemplary faith and courage in life. Your own story may be unheard of today is a brilliant story just needing a little more push of faith, courage, and self confidence to take you to best in class. Many times, we feel weak in our faith because we are so much influenced by social approval that we start living our lives as per what others expect of us or we act to align ourselves to the opinion others carry of us. We forget to live our own lives and lose focus on what we should be actively pursuing. We leave our own brilliant stories incomplete. We forget to be ourselves. Always remember, your faith, your courage, and your passion has brought you to where you are today. Let that faith be alive and grow stronger ever and ever to take you to the next level.

I would like to leave you with a wonderful quote from Rabindranath Tagore,

“Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark.”

Happy reading!!!

– Nalin Chandna