The Secret of Success

the Mughal period which are preserved on tablets in the museum at the Red Fort in Delhi. For a period of ten years, Ustad Yousuf used to visit the Red Fort daily to study these masterpieces. Each day, he would memorize one couplet and then try writing it in an identical style when he came back home. The next day, he would take his work to the Red Fort, compare it with the original and then, if necessary, correct his mistakes. In this way, his work was refined and perfected, without a teacher and without money having to change hands. There is a lesson in this for anyone who aspires to perfection in any chosen field. Even without money, other kinds of resources or guidance, a person can achieve success, provided his desire to do so is keen enough, and his diligence matches his determination. Beyond Road Blocks When a road is under repair, a notice bearing the words ‘Road Closed' is put up to warn unwary travelers. But this does not mean that the path to one's destination is irrevocably barred. There are always other highways and byways—it is just a question of looking around for them. Sometimes one can reach one's destination just as well by zig-zagging through narrow lanes and alleyways. The only difference is that this takes somewhat longer, and one has to keep one's wits about one to negotiate narrower roadways and sharper turnings. But arrive one finally does. Life's journey is very often like this. One would like to proceed by broad straight routes, moving fast and reaching one's goal in the most direct possible way. But, so often such roads are blocked, and achieving success begins to seem a very difficult matter. But for every major route which is