Winning makes you feel like an extraordinary individual! -By Avinash Daryani from AMSoM

“The sun was bright, so was my heart, The odds were hard, like an arrow to dart.” “Next finalist is Avinash, come ahead and introduce yourself”, the host said. Well, here is my journey from an ordinary to an extraordinary individual.

December 23, 2014: Yes, the dream which I have been carrying in my mind since I was in 7th standard, finally came true. Awarded with the prestigious title of “Master Xavier”, the moment was as precious as an elixir for me.

My feelings and experiences

The hard work, struggle, dedication, hardships, and failures were worth a fight. The results were declared with tears running down on my face. All these moments I observed one thing that I made my parents proud. Hereby I am sharing my feelings and experiences below:

“The first bencher mediocre,
Books were important, from hectares to acre.
Never accomplished anything, had a dream in mind,
To do something, new and refined."

The most awaited competition

November 2010: The 12-year-old inquisitive child decided to be a participant of the most awaited competition, Jewel of Xaviers. Being brought up in a competitive environment I realized that the real-life outside the books and algebra wasn’t something that will be remembered by the people. I pulled up my socks and started preparing for it. I didn’t even qualify in the general knowledge round.

“Lost my hope, became weak,
Strangled by defeat, my mind irk.
Still, need an edge, my heart accepted,
The sword must be sharp, my personality needs to be sculpted.”

The next morning I realized that there is a long way to go. I started participating in many competitions to remove my stage fear. Initially, I lost it. I didn’t give up. Many supported and many bullied. However, one thing that I understood was “I have a long way to go and the world will never end”. I have always had the treasure of support from my family, friends, and teachers.

“Knock knock? Who’s there?
Wake up, morning is here.
Get ready, prepare the speech,
Nervous mind, with dancing devils and witch."

When my efforts came to fruition and made me an extraordinary individual

December 2012: This time, my efforts came to fruition and I was selected in semifinals. I gave my best shot by speaking my heart out. I still hoped to be selected for the finale. But, my stars were not aligned that way. I didn’t qualify for the most important round of finale. I literally lost all my senses and cried like a baby. Moreover, my grandma supported me at my zenith.

After that point, my life took an unexpected turn. I stopped crying and gave myself space to do what I have always wanted to do. I participated in a competition called Tableau, where I played the character of Draupadi. Well, it was a commendable performance. Some shouted, “Wait, he is a guy, isn’t he?”. Moreover, everyone was quiet after our group secured first place. The principal, staff members, and teachers praised our daring performance. Also, my main motto was to leave my own mark as an extraordinary individual from my class. By then, everyone knew who I was.

“The curtains fell, the mic rose,
Adjusted my blazer, cleared my throat,
Five finalists, one winner,
The Gods were kind, for this conqueror."

Hardships made me an extraordinary individual 

December 23, 2014: Finally the day came for which I have been waiting for months. With an optimistic attitude, I participated once again. This was my last chance to compete. I took the name of almighty God and walked there. All those failures and winnings flashed in front of my eyes like a slideshow. Without any distraction, I performed and tackled all the rounds. Finally, I heard people hooting for the first time in my life for me. Moreover, everyone in the audience supported me but I was looking at my mother and grandma.

One thing I realized and spoke, “Don’t think of becoming something. Think of doing something.”

The journey after that moment was more like a roller coaster ride. After entering college, I utilized my strengths which I cherished in my school. I also bagged an award of ‘Mr. Banker 2017’ and ‘Best student of GLS University’. The hardships in school, as‌ ‌well‌ ‌as in the ‌college, made me stronger and stronger. I believed that no matter what, your efforts won’t get wasted. All you have to do is trust yourself no matter how many people try to bring you down. Some may hate, some may love, some may show you the right side but you are not aware of what goes in the someone’s mind. Also, it is better you get your heads up, chest out, walk like a warrior and always have the trust in God.

This article was submitted as an entry to Become an Author with Dare2Compete.