One Day You will become a Successful Person
Tags: Road To Success, Life Lessons, Unfortunate Events, Success Story, Writers Life

Unless you get hit by a bus.

Photo by Ali Khalafi on Unsplash

In the last week of May 2019, I started writing my second book. It’s a fictional story taking place in the IT corporate world. It’s about a lonely bachelor, kind of like myself, who’s looking for love and some unexplained meaning in his workplace, i.e. the IT sector.

What’s so wonderful about writing this book was, and I like to share it with you; I had finished writing the first draft in 6 months, which was a major achievement for me because it took me almost 2 years to finish my first book.

Boy, I was so disciplined for the first time in my writing career that I was confident I would finish it and edit it by the end of Jan 2020. And then I’d start sending my manuscript to the top traditional publishing houses.

However, none of that happened.

Unfortunately.

‘Unfortunately’ is the right word to put the following described events in perspective.

On November 10th, 3 days after completing the draft of my 2nd book, I was riding in the cold night on the backseat of my friend’s motorcycle. We were going shopping. The actual winter was creeping in, and I needed winter clothes which I was short of.

But on the way to the shopping mall, I met an accident. A stupid accident, I want to call it. In the collision course between an autorickshaw and our bike, I had broken (shattered) both bones of my right forearm. My working arm!

A week I spent in the hospital suffering from 2 kinds of pain: the first one brought about by the broken arm, and the second one from the 4-hour surgery. When I woke up from the anesthesia, the doctor told me that I’ve two steel-titanium mix metal plates inside my stitched arm. They’re holding intact the broken bones letting them join and heal naturally.

It was a stupid accident that I never asked for. Throughout the entire journey of writing the first draft, I never wished bad luck to anyone or had ill thoughts anything. Then why did it happen to me?

My plans were set. I was supposed to complete the book — both editing and proofreading with my full efforts. Instead, I spent the entire month of December 2019 and January 2020 in bed with my working arm sealed from shoulder to the fingers enabling me to not function properly. Enabling me to not type the keyboard of my laptop.

I was optimistic and determined to finish my book within a short period of time, breaking my own previous record.

I was on the path of success…

I don’t know if life is short, but it’s definitely uncertain.

Kobe Bryant comes to my mind when I think how uncertain life can be no matter who owns it. For me it was the most shocking news at the start of this year. I couldn’t believe this tragedy happened to a famous and influential person like him.

If it could happen to him, it could happen to me.

Now, obviously I can’t compare Kobe’s demise with my mere accident, but what I’m trying to understand is:

All your living days you work hard, you mind your own business, you wish good fortune and good health not only to yourself but also to others. Even your enemies. But then some undesired misfortune strikes rendering your life as the most uncertain entity in front of your calm outlook.

And why do I stress so much on the uncertainty here is because that night I wasn’t wearing a helmet. I could’ve gone through a worse situation. But I was lucky. The uncertainty that took away from us one of the greatest athletes, the same uncertainty could have brought the worst to me and my family.

What to do when life throws a stupid curveball at you?

If the curveball isn’t stupid enough to kill you, I say you repair your wounds and get off your nursing bed and resume the amazing work you were doing before. Never stop.

Don’t stop. Keep going.

Although discomfort, from the pain and the stillness of my arm, came around and knocked my conscious time after time. Still, I tried my best to resume the work I was to complete. Even though my working arm was immobile, I still used my left arm to carefully, slowly and steadily make some edits in the first few chapters.

I have no choice but to finish what I started. Neither you.

There are certain things not in our control. Death and stupid accidents are two of those things.

But that shouldn’t demotivate you to not work harder than before. Life is uncertain, yes. But it’s also in your control.

Do not stop. Keep Going.

Finish writing that damn book!