When browsing through my bookshelf from three years ago, I found Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's book, 'My Journey: Transforming Dreams Into Actions'.

The title was intriguing and I read the sample. This line in the introduction hooked me enough to go ahead and buy this book, I do hope you will also buy this book and read it.

"Dreams are not those that we see in our sleep; they should be the ones that never let us sleep."

In this book, Dr. Kalam recounts unique childhood experiences that shaped him and he shares an important lesson he learned - "One must keep dreaming at various phases of life and then work hard to realize those dreams."

Here are some key takeaways for me:

1. Facing setbacks and difficulties stoically - He learned a lot from the way his father carried himself and one such learning was even when they lost their boat (primary source of livelihood) that ferried tourists back and forth from Rameswaram to Dhanushkodi multiple times due to storm and cyclone, his father's ability to remain stoically calm and face challenges by looking within for strength was commendable.

2. A Working Boy at Eight - This story was a delightful read and it's about how young Kalam caught bundles of papers being thrown from a moving train and distributed them into Rameswaram town as the train didn't stop at the station anymore. He also shared the working day in the life of eight-year-old Kalam who woke up way before sunrise and slept at 9 p.m. tired but enthusiastic to contribute his earnings to his home.

3. He fondly recalls the remarkable people who appeared at critical times in his life who have molded and reoriented his thinking and changed the course of his life. Ahmed Jalalluddin is one of them. He encouraged Kalam to continue studying and helped him navigate through these years of staying away from his family by following his dream of a better education. His mentor brought about change and shaped his mind with the sheer power of his love, simplicity, and understanding.

4. Next he talks about failure when he was studying and when he applied to be a pilot and this short story talks about how every person who sets out with a goal faced unexpected obstacles and failure. And in these moments of despair and hopelessness, we rethink, gather resources and display grit, resilience that we never knew was there within us.

5. There are three lessons he shares from SLV-3 that really touched my heart: Lesson 1 - Lessons on collaboration between scientists and engineers and how we need all parts to work in tandem, just like the pieces of an orchestra.

Lesson 2 - Total commitment is not just hard work, it is total involvement. His mentor said, "Do not make rocketry your profession, your livelihood - make it your mission."

Lesson 3 - The ability to deal with setbacks and learn from them.

"It is only the values of humanity that will bring true succor" - to be able to be gentle and forgiving, compassionate and kind are finally all we need to be in times to come.

#writein30