You are never a loser until you quit trying
By Gunjit Singh

What though the field be lost,
All’s not lost, the unconquerable will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate
And courage never to submit or yield."

THIS famous quote by John Milton emphasises the need to girdle your loins and stand up for yourself whenever the need to make your presence felt arises and your reservoir of courage seems to be depleted. The man who never loses courage is invincible, invulnerable and unconquerable.

The history of the world is nothing but the history of a few courageous people. All examples of success scream out in unison,"Never give in, never give up, never say die". These people are the ones who leave their mark in the history of mankind. With their courage of conviction, they shape the destiny of societies, nations and even the world.

A man’s grit, spirit and courage are the measures of his worth. If there is spirit in him then the world takes note of him; he is a builder, achiever and accomplisher, his life is worthwhile and is a contribution to civilisation. People with inexhaustible amounts of courage have accomplished all the things of lasting value in this world.

Courage mounts with occasion, it is no significant accomplishment to act courageous when success is visible and perhaps even evident. The true mettle of courage is tested only when you are facing defeat. That is the time when you can really prove your courage, the time when all hopes are lost and things seem to be dark. When you know defeat is inevitable and you still don’t stop trying that is when your courage wells up inside you like a raging river being blocked by a dam, and bursts out. This is when you will know that even though you are not a winner, that doesn’t make you a loser.

To lose heart in a small way when defeat comes near is human nature. If you have an invincible soul it doesn’t matter what the outcome is. It doesn’t affect the reality and truth of your being because that is divine, immovable and unassailable. Nobody wins all the time, just as nobody loses all the time and the only thing that can make you a permanent loser is if you throw away all your courage and fight on just for the heck of it, just because you’re supposed to. And the only thing that can make you lose courage is uncertainty about your nerves, and most importantly, uncertainty about your ability when it comes to the crunch. And when it does, courage often marks the thin borderline between victory and defeat.

Where there is lack of courage, there is excess of doubt; and where there is lack of confidence, there is excess of nervousness. A man who quits before he has lost is, in true sense, a loser. Wherever such a man may go, his extreme deficiency of conviction and determination will stand in the way of his success.

Life is nothing but a series of obstacles, some surmountable and some insurmountable. Courage is a tool for scaling both types of obstacles. A man who possesses this tool will never stop trying, no matter, how daunting the challenge, and he can never be a loser.