“Qatar basks in glory of perfect 10 in Incheon” … I am sure that most of you must have read this news which appeared in the local newspapers. Yes…..Qatar with a population of less than 3 million won 10 gold medals in the recently concluded Asian games in South Korea. It is more than double what they won in the previous games. For me, the hero of heroes was the 23 year old record breaking high jumper MutazEssaBarshim. The discipline, dedication and determination of this youngster is amazing. His enthusiasm and the fire within him to reach the top is mind blowing. He says that “for me every millimeter counts…I don’t want to put a limit for myself. I want to push myself as high as possible. I don’t know how high I can jump in future but I want to make sure to push myself to that limit”. A few years back I was the best student of my class. Teachers loved me… friends admired me…..my parents were proud of me….I was very happy and felt on the top of the world. Paradoxically, laziness sneaked into me like a snake…..I was over confident and got a feeling that even if I don’t work hard I will still be the best in my class. However, that didn’t happen…. my academic graph plummeted like a shot down fighter jet….I was on a slide, the only difference this was no joy ride. I got low marks in almost all subjects and everyone were shocked. I myself was shocked….I felt like a boxer in the ring trying to recover from the jabs of the opponent. I was no more admired or loved. Fortunately my parents were there to support me and make me understand my folly. I understood that the only substitute for hard work…..was hard work. I started working hard again with the objective of reaching the top. The journey was difficult but with discipline and dedication I was able to regain my lost ground and once again have the wonderful view from the top. I learnt the lesson….that in life there is no way around hard work. If you truly want to achieve anything in life then you are going to have to work hard for it. And honestly that’s the way it is with everything in life. NO PAIN NO GAIN!. Great people like Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin have proved that the universe has a way of bending itself to the people who are serious about what they want. The latest addition to the list is our own Barshim. I am inspired by these people to do my best…. and I will. Yes, It’s easier to go down a hill than up it, but the view is much better at the top.