NEVER LOSE HOPE
ast week, we celebrated the festival of Easter that spreads the message of renewal and hope. It reminds us that we can always give purpose and a new direction to life. No matter what our circumstances are, we can always turn over a new leaf and start life afresh. Continuing with the same theme, I would like to share an inspirational story of a young woman.
A girl was born in Gloucestershire, England in a family with meagre income. She grew up to be an unhappy teenager. Her domestic life was also complicated because her mother suffered from multiple sclerosis and she had a strained relationship with her father.
She moved to London and worked in multiple jobs. Soon after, her mother, who was battling multiple sclerosis for many years, died at the age of 45. The young girl was full of grief. To escape her sadness, she took on the job of a teacher. She met a journalist and later got married to him. The marriage soon turned sour. Though she gave birth to a beautiful daughter, her marriage ended in a divorce. She suffered from depression and was burdened by the responsibility of bringing up a child as a single parent. The young woman was almost penniless and survived on social welfare. However, she decided to take all problems in her stride and directed her energy in doing something she loved — writing. She wrote a children’s fantasy book. After several publishers rejected her book, Bloomsbury, a small publishing house agreed to release it. This book was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the woman is none other than Joanne Kathleen Rowling. Within four years, she was awarded as the “Author of the Year”. She is now Britain’s 13th wealthiest woman, wealthier than even the Queen.
My dear readers, I wish that you take inspiration from the life of J.K. Rowling. Although her life story can be considered a “rags to riches” story, we cannot ignore the fact that she struggled very hard to achieve her success. Always remember that we need to believe in ourself. It doesn’t matter if we fall down, what matters is that we get up and get back on the saddle. If we do that, then life will always give us another chance.