What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – There is a familiar truth in the words, “A school teaches us lessons then tests us with an exam but life first tests us then leaves us to figure out the lesson behind it.” The reality of life is that it tests us all, pushing even the strongest to the brim of insanity. These wheels of reality never remain static for anyone whether they are young or old, rich or poor, happy or depressed etc.
The trick to surviving is letting go of your comfort and an obsession to never give up. After all, Gold doesn’t learn to shine until it passes through fire, beaten with hammers, melted and molded into a symbol of brilliance and excellence. Just how fire is the test of gold, adversity is the test of strong humans. Just like many others, I am still amidst the trials of my own life but how much I learn and progress from these harsh lessons, only time will tell. These are the times that remind me-
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,
Stand a little taller,
Doesn’t mean you’re lonely, when you are alone.
Exploring the golden years of my life
First and foremost, let me introduce the man trapped by the chains of only 26 alphabets in the prison of this article. The main character of this article is me – Abhishek Jain, born healthy in a small family of four, raised by parents with a lot of expectations. The onset of my academic journey was marked with gold medals repeatedly, surrounded by heartfelt praise of some and hidden envy of others. But soon this culture of awarding class toppers was replaced by a grading system with no clear distinction between various toppers. This lowered my upper limit for studies but introduced me to my other passions- public speaking, creative writing and theatre. You bet I did not let my studies suffer but day by day I felt I was not the best, soon realizing I may be good at studies but not the best anymore. As they say, “Those who have tasted the joy of flight, when forced to walk the earth will always look towards the clouds.”
Slowly my studies did not give me that daily dose of dopamine that I craved, thus I turned to my hobbies. Theatre blessed me with BEST ACTOR AWARD at state level twice in a row while public speaking drowned me in various school level BEST SPEAKER certificates and a trophy for BEST DELEGATE in my second MUN. However the biggest achievement of my life was the THIRD POSITION AT NATIONAL LEVEL in an essay writing competition which earned me my laptop and a cash prize. Yet all these achievements unknowingly pushed me further back in my studies which became evident when I scored 93.8% in my tenth board exams. This huge drop in my grades made me realize how I was the frog stuck at the bottom of a well of my own subconscious creation.
The Backstab Of Reality
Even though the realization came late, I was determined to redeem myself but I forgot that in the silence of our expectations , we find music of reality playing its truest and harshest notes. Determination to not be broken by any adversity helped me to sail through the tides of COVID-19 pandemic with only my studies in hand, not realizing it came with the cost of burying my interests deep within me. The only good thing that came out of this was that I scored 98% in my 12th board exams yet still not the topper of my class. And the worst that I was ignoring unintentionally was that I became extremely withdrawn and introvert. Of-course my parents did not complain about this change as they were more comfortable with this new version of me and a part of me accepted that studies are more important than any hobby which only turned me further to the roads of mediocrity.
The crash course of reality took away my uniqueness which became evident during the first trial of youth fest of our college. The stage which had always been lifelong counselor, started to make my heart beat faster and body shake uncontrollably. This was what clinicians described as a panic attack. My voice which was earlier described as loud and empowering was suddenly described as weak and crackling by our college’s theatre in-charge. Creative writing became a forgotten subject of my life. I felt as if I was caught in a downward spiral drowning me continuously in the darkest waters of abyss. A junior of mine from school who appeared to be born with midas touch kept excelling in every field he tried, driving another nail into my coffin. The boy who took pride in being everyone’s subject of jealousy, felt jealous of another for the first time but at the same time was taught the biggest lesson of his life to never limit himself to the standards of others.
We Shall Overcome
By the end of my first college year, it became evident to me that a part of me is gone or atrophied like an unused muscle and it needs to be built back after all, looking through rose-colored glasses would only further dampen my flair. My second college year started with accepting my faults without letting them change me any further. Listening to inspirational influencers or reading books of philosophies has never been my style because I believed to build my own philosophies, live by them and further evolve them.
I jumped into any elocution competition I got the chance to compete in, trying not to care about stuttering or forgetting in between as my main motive was to anyhow complete my speech. I participated in youth fest in theatre and finally won. Our team practiced day and night and secured first position in my third year and third position in my fourth year. My skills in elocution keep on improving till this day which became evident when I did not panic during my first clinical case conference. Of-course I am still aiming for a prize in my next clinical conference. I participated in creative writing competitions and won second position twice, still trying to discover what sets me apart from first place winners. I have also started writing my first fan-fiction online which is still waiting to be published. My studies are neither lagging behind my passions anymore. All these small steps are slowly and slowly building a staircase that will once again bring me to the skies I long for.
The lesson beyond the veil of words
It is evident that I have not yet reached where I wish to be but my journey has never been of instant success. It is and will be a journey of recovery that stretches over thousands of miles and I can proudly say I have taken my first step. All I need to remember is that NEVER BE SATISFIED WITH MEDIOCRITY AS IT IS NOT IN MY BLOOD TO SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN THE BEST.
Published as part of V Devi Foundation’s From Setback to Strength Article Writing Competition 2026. The reflections and experiences expressed are those of the author.