Opinion | The Power of Not Giving Up

‘Intelligence can open the first door, but mental toughness carries people along the long road’

“Girte hain shehsawaar hi maidaan-e-jang mein, woh tifl kya gire jo ghutnon ke bal chale”

In every classroom there are kids that are strong that you might not know because they are not on top. They are not always the ones who are talking the most. They have something powerful inside called as mental toughness. It’s pushing through when things seem heavy, uncertain and unfair, when every bit of you wants to stop. I’ve seen enough struggle around me to know that mental toughness is more valuable than intelligence.

Mental toughness is not built overnight, you build it daily under pressure. A student who comes from a joint family learns the ability to study in a noisy environment. Similarly, the student from small family learns a value of silence and the ability to study when things are quiet. A student who has no money to buy more materials will instead concentrate on mastering the basics as for me with great resources comes more distraction which results in weak foundation. These do not look like difficult circumstances. However, these conditions increase the ability to adapt.

Most of them will come from families with a culture of education, even though their parents are not necessarily well educated. The families save money for their children’s education, and when a family of low income spends so much money on tuition, on books and uniforms, on transportation, the child realizes the sacrifice.

I have observed that children from less income families have a different concept of time. They appreciate time. Wasting time is equivalent to wasting sacrifice. They listen to their teachers in class. They review the same day. They ask questions without fear because they know that they cannot afford confusion. They manage their time well. This concept of time is not established in them out of fear. It is fuelled by purpose. When your purpose is connected to your family’s destiny, you cannot afford to procrastinate.

Failure is also a crucial element in building mental toughness. Failures are very common among young students. Failure can be a source of deep disappointment for some students. For others, especially those who have experienced hardship before, failure is data, not defeat. They introspect their mistakes, they change their approach and they go back to work. They know from experience that pain is only temporary. This is a huge advantage.

Mental toughness is closely tied to the regulation of emotions. Students feel the pain of anxiety, comparison, and self-doubt. Social media has worsened this issue by creating a never-ending feed of success stories. It is okay to feel like you are falling behind and you are not good enough. Tough students regulate these emotions. They ignore unnecessary comparison. They focus on their own growth and their goals.

Another important factor is having a clear sense of purpose. Students who understand why they are in school are stronger. They have a reason to continue. Some students want to raise their families out of poverty. Some want to help support younger siblings. Some want to prove that background does not determine destiny. Having a purpose is a source of strength. Motivation may fluctuate but dedication remains constant and it sticks you to your goals.

A lack of comfort and discipline is another place where students can build resilience. Not all students have the best learning environment, fast internet, and modern technology. Many students learn in a resource-poor environment. They combine their resources. They help each other out. They make do with what they have. This environment teaches students to be strong together. Students learn to build a support system among themselves

Mental toughness involves self-confidence also. A student may not possess the best skills, but if they believe that they can improve, they will continue. This confidence does not arise from arrogance. It arises from the fact that they see every day that hard work results in improvement. If a student understands that improvement results from hard work, their confidence rises automatically. Confidence gives rise to hard work.

But society should also know that resilience should not be celebrated as suffering. Young people require a supportive environment. They require equal opportunities. But when faced with difficulties, the ability to handle them constructively becomes the need of the hour. Mental toughness does not involve ignoring emotions. It involves channelizing them. It involves accepting reality and attempting to change it for the better.

Nowadays, students are under pressure. Academic pressures rise constantly. Families require stability and mobility. Friends compete for limited resources. Social networking sites compare achievements every day. In this situation, mere knowledge is not enough. Emotional resilience, tolerance, and toughness are the key determinants. The student who can deliver under pressure for a period of months and years has a clear advantage.

Resilience builds character in ways that extend beyond academics. A mentally tough student is a more responsible person. They build understanding because they understand struggle. They build gratitude because they understand sacrifice. They build humbleness because they know how difficult it is to make progress. These qualities teach them not how to succeed in their chosen profession, but how to succeed in life.

When we evaluate young students, we are prone to examine the surface level. Grades. Rankings. Awards. But beneath these, there is a deeper quality. The quality of being able to get out of bed after failure. The power to move forward in the face of uncertainty. The resilience to work when no one is watching. These qualities shape futures in the background.

Mental toughness means that whatever happens, the student will definitely move forward. Moving ahead is the biggest promise of success. It is the student who will not give up but will come out better than the student who has all the talent in the world. Mental toughness is achieved by repetition, responsibility, and reflection.

In every generation, there are young students who rise not because life has been easy on them, but because they have learned to stand strong in the face of adversity. Their strength is their greatest asset. Their strength is not loud. It is steady. And in a world that is constantly testing the patience and confidence of students, it is steady strength that will move them forward.

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