"Don't Worry-The Truly Deserving and Worthy ones will Be Filtered!"
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“It was sheer dumb luck”. “That I had the same opportunities as him”. “I wish I had such parental support and a strong family background” and whatnot. We all have heard this voice once in our head. Accept it or not, we all compete with each other in daily life to WIN. And when the victory doesn’t choose us, we do know that we lacked somewhere, but there also comes another factor. The factor where we regard that the one who won had some sort of unfair advantage and if it was the case with us, we too would have surely succeeded! Yes, I completely believe that there are UNFAIR ADVANTAGES, and the LUCK that highly influences outcomes, but is that how LIFE WORKS? Is Life then JUST LUCK and UNFAIR ADVANTAGE, or is there some hidden system in Life that we overlook and understand it once we reach the other side? Curious?

THE FOUR-FOLD FILTER OF LIFE©️

From childhood, till the present self(and I am sure, for the next coming years of my life), I have been (and will be)a Highly Competitive Personality person. No matter if I am good at that thing, or I am intermediate, or even a Beginner; but if I am doing that against/with someone, and I feel that HEAT, I am always competing to better myself. This is the very reason I came across experiencing this Filter of life. Competing in several competitions and all, and not always winning, initially had put me in an Infuriated State of mind, which then channelled into the motivation to give in better and push the limits. It was during the past two years, while I was preparing for the Competitive Exams and all, that this idea struck me. Although I am unable to recall exactly how, but, I vividly remember telling this thing first time to my Mother, explaining the Fourfold Filter of Life-the filter that LIFE itself has created to filter out the ones who SUCCEED, and the ones who DON’T. 

So, this is how the Fourfold-Filter looks-

DEDICATION

The very first filter that life creates is to see dedication. In the raw form, it asks- “Do You Really Want it?”. This is the very first filter created by life itself. In the beginning phase, all agree to this and the answer is YES. As time passes on, and in most cases, as the fire starts to fade away, so does this answer start to change. With other problems and struggles of life, many people are unable to keep the fire burning for what they thought and this lack of their TRUE DEDICATION is the very first filter that life creates. Can’t grasp the idea? Hear me out and introspect- When was the last time you saw someone performing better than you in something, and you felt that you had to Equal or surpass him/her? And now, ask yourself-Do I still have the same fire to be better than him/her compared to that when it had just happened. 

The answer, for most of you, would be NO. But say, you have the dedication, what next?

DISCIPLINE

Although I have written a separate blog on WHAT DISCIPLINE IS, and MY PERCEPTION OF DISCIPLINE, I would still write it here. Discipline in short means- “Doing the things NOT BECAUSE OF YOU FEEL LIKE, but BECAUSE YOU ARE OBLIGED to do so”. Dedication is a good thing; probably the first thing that is needed to get things started.

Discipline is that force that keeps the vehicle moving. It is your discipline that will enable you to GET UP and WORK even when you don’t feel like working, even when you feel disheartened, but it will be your discipline that will drive you. 

While the ones who are driven by their moods and how they feel, they are the ones who will be de-tracked soon. Although they would be in the race because of their DEDICATION, what good is that Dedication that has no discipline- discipline to keep going every day, to show up every day so as to grow.

WORKING HARD TO PUSH YOUR LIMITS

So, till now, Dedication filters are the ones who want to be in the race, and Discipline Filters are the ones who MIGHT be competing for the victory. Then comes the HARD-WORK. Although you have the dedication for the chase, and the discipline to show up every day, but are you willing to push your limits? We all give our best and work hard, but there is always a time when we come across and realize that THIS IS MY LIMIT. Having and Knowing your Limits is not bad. In fact, it is a wise man who knows what his limits are; as only then do you know what you need to surpass. Knowing and Accepting your Limits can be called the first step of pushing it-just as accepting your failure over giving excuses is the start to improving on them*(because unless you know what and where you lack, and truly accept it; you won’t be able to work on to improve, as you feel THERE IS NOTHING TO IMPROVE!).* So, knowing your limits is good-but this is of no use if you don’t have the courage and the hunger to Push your Limits. It is as good as saying-I know I failed, and I acknowledged my mistakes, but I don’t want to Improve on those Shortcomings! The one who works hard, and has the hunger to push through his/her limits is the one who can reach the final stage-the last and the most difficult mile of this marathon. In this stage, it is made clear who all are ACTUALLY in the race; and beyond This stage, i.e., in the next stage, the HARDEST TEST of all is taken-the one that filters the Best of the Best!

PERSEVERANCE & PATIENCE

With all the rest of the things done, now comes the last and the final mile-the one where it all starts to break apart-the last mile where you hardly see anyone. Although people get the Discipline, and are ready to work hard, but when the results don’t show, it starts to break them. And the one who knows what PATIENCE actually is, the one who trusts in the process, the one who shows the UNIVERSE HOW BAD THEY WANT, it is they who succeed and emerge as the victor on the other side. You will have seen many a time that a person worked extremely hard, and gave it all, yet did not win. Now this is where the test lies. The one who wants it bad, will say- “I have travelled a long distance to come this far-I will try once again, and wait!” The next time he tries even harder, yet no success- “But you know what; I am gonna try once more!” And it is this attitude, the never giving up, rising every single time and being patient is that defines the actual success. You see, for most of my life, I thought that there were only the above three things, but it was last year when I realized this. My father had once told me, and I quote- “Remember, you are that individual to whom success is attained only when you have worked extremely hard, and when you have failed a lot! So hang in there-because the success wants to come to the best version of yours, and not someone who got it easily” He had told me this 3 or 4 years back, but its true meaning and all is what I understood recently! So yes, be hopeful, and have the patience and perseverance. Maybe you would be just one step away from winning. Hang in there!

CONCLUSION

The Four-Fold Filter of Life is an Idea-Idea that I developed not by listening to people on the internet or real life, but by actually LIVING MY LIFE. Living the thicks and thins of my life and learning something from it. And yes, although, for most of the time, I have found that this Filter works-there are, and will surely be, many instances where this doesn't even come close; for this is life. A Game where Unexpected should be Expected the most! 

To sum it up, The four-fold filter, in short, comprises these 4 things:-

1. Dedication

2. Discipline

3. Working Hard and Pushing Past Your Limits

4. Perseverance and Patience

These are not some big things that I found. You see, as we are living our lives(if you could call that as living), we are losing the CONNECTION with Life itself. Everything happening around you is done so as to teach you something. God(no matter in which form of the Supreme you worship), is giving you signs and all so as to make you aware before it is too late-but we are too “busy” to even LIVE THOSE MOMENTS, EXPERIENCE THEM, and TAKE LEARNINGS FROM THEM. All we care about is HOW GOOD THE FOOD LOOKS, HOW MANY LIKES WILL I GET ON THE RECENT POST, and whatnot. Busy, living a MADE-UP LIFE, so as to PLEASE and SEEK ACCEPTANCE from THOSE PEOPLE, WHO BARELY MEAN ANYTHING TO US! So yes, I hope you found this Blog useful and it added some meaning to you.

Will see you again soon-Till then, Keep Learning, Keep Growing!