You Can Win - Abstract

I happened to read YOU CAN WIN by Shiv Khera sometime back and believe me, it has had a tremendous influence on me. I was familiar with Shiv Khera and was well aware of his reputation as a good trainer, philosopher and guide. Yet, the book was much beyond my expectations. The title itself is catchy- YOU CAN WIN( Incidentally, is there a person who does not want to win). Having caught your attention with the first glance, the punch line steps in, which says-Winners don’t do different things, they do things differently. And that my friends, is enough to start on a self realization journey and become a WINNER!

Shiv Khera is not a preacher. He does not give you a moral code of conduct or lay down rules to be followed to become a winner. The entire philosophy of the book is based on self realization. The simple truth is that winners are not different, there is a winner in everyone. Winners are not born, they evolve through the right attitude and aptitude and the author just gives us the guidelines to develop the right attitude to have the right aptitude.

The entire philosophy of becoming a WINNER has been explained through beautiful examples and anecdotes which immediately strike a chord. The very first anecdote that he narrates is that of a balloon. When an inquisitive child asks the balloon seller whether a black coloured balloon can fly, the seller replies, “ it is not the colour of the balloon but it is what is inside that which makes it fly”.What a simple example to explore the inner self and rise! There are a number of similar anecdotes which inspire us to realize our potential. I liked the example of the eaglet which was placed in a hen’s nest at birth and happened to waste its entire life without realizing its potential to fly. It was born to win but conditioned to lose!

There is another anecdote that highlights the dignity of labour over providence. It goes like this- A priest stops by a well developed farm to appreciate its beauty. He is then approached by...