“The fulfillment of life is in the making and manifesting of impossible dreams.” – Sri Chinmoy

I believe that fulfillment is both the moment of success and the journey that brought you to this destination. There are so many people who inspire me to live a fulfilling life — those who have taught me that my dream isn’t only a part of my sleep, that its thrill, magic and persistence will surely glow if I can truly hold on to it and never let anything stop me.

One of these people is J.K. Rowling. She shows that nothing is impossible; even in her darkest times, through her struggle she won success. It’s the whole of her life that inspires me to break records. It motivates me to do such unbelievable things, whatever life may throw at me, to stand right there and face it. Her story explains so beautifully that if the pit that we are stuck in is our struggle, and the thin ray of sunlight is the hope, then fulfillment is about holding onto the chance, however slight, of your getting out by continuing to cling to your ambition.

Then there is Gandhi ji who has left a legacy. I have learned so much from him: that victory alone is never success, that it is actually the obstacle that makes you strong, not the victory. You should never take away your own right to make mistakes on your way, it’s about having the honesty to accept them and learn from them and continue to have faith in yourself. I wish to someday truly understand the values Gandhi ji taught, because after all, they are going to be my destiny, as he said. After learning about him, I want to really experience true freedom on my journey to my destination and give meaning to it.

Lastly the one who teaches me to have the courage to dream and to strive to turn my dreams into reality: my mom, who plays the housewife, working woman, protector, extraordinary mother, gentle friend, obedient child and ambitious lady. Who learns from the past and lives and works today to reach her vision of the beautiful tomorrow. Whose struggles are greater than words can describe. The one who motivates me to lead a fulfilling life. Who helps me through each and every obstacle I face on a daily basis and teaches me that winning in the eyes of the world isn’t success, but achieving what truly matters to you is.

These are the three people who have majorly influenced my thoughts on a fulfilling life. I hope to keep these virtues alive in me throughout my journey. From all of them, there is one thing that I also understand, which is that, in the words of Dada Vaswani, “True success, true happiness lies in freedom and fulfillment.’’