CUP to College and 5C's

College is no school. This is where dreams are dreamt, destiny is decided, and you take your first halting steps on the path to glory. 

From college, you begin your journey of life. New duties, new responsibilities, and new plans await you. Be ready and eager to learn. There will be joys and sorrows, peaks and troughs. There are certain principles to be followed for success in life, and you should be ready to work on them. 

It's not going to be easy, but we were not born to do easy things. 

Take it up with courage and confidence. You must be enthusiastic, cheerful, and consistent. Always remember these five 'C's: 

1. Character 

2. Cheerfulness 

3. Courage 

4. Calmness 

5. Conviction. 

1. Character: Develop humility, integrity, and magnanimity. Wealth, influence, position, and power are of no value without character. 

Grandeur of character is moral principle in practice – Grenville Kleiser

There is one person who was an epitome of all these 5 traits, and we called him Mahatma Gandhi – Father of our Nation. 

2. Cheerfulness: Cheerfulness cost nothing, yet it is beyond price. The great young men of today, the leaders of tomorrow, are those who can blend cheerfulness with their brain. 

When Pyrrhus (318 -272 BC) was about to sail for Italy, Cineas, a wise and good man, asked him what his intentions and expectations were. 

‘To conquer Rome’, said Pyrrhus.

‘And after that?’

‘We will subdue Carthage, Macedonia, all Africa, and all Greece.’

‘And when we have conquered all we can, what shall we do?’

‘Do? Why, then we will sit down and spend our time in peace and comfort.’

‘Ah, my Lord’, said the wise Cineas, ‘what prevents our being in peace and comfort now?’

3. Courage: Courage is the ‘strength’ to bear joy and sorrows, to make love fruitful in service,  never to disown the poor or bend knees before insolent might, to raise mind high above daily trifles and to surrender strength to the will of almighty. 

Somebody did a golden deed,

Somebody proved a friend in need,

Somebody sang a beautiful song,

Somebody smiled the whole day long,

Somebody fought in a valiant fight,

Somebody lived to shield the right –

Was that somebody, YOU?

4. Calmness: The biggest problem of these trying in-between years is impatience. You’re far from being a child, but, on the other hand, you’re not ready to accept all the considerable responsibilities of being an adult either. You may want to rush, but may not succeed, and may jeopardize your chances for a wonderful tomorrow.

Consider the turtle – he doesn’t make any progress unless he sticks his neck out. 

5. Conviction: It is a strong persuasion or belief. Believe in yourself, and in the strength you have to shape your destiny, for nothing is impossible for a willing heart. 

There are many leaders who have shown these traits, as one cannot lead or succeed without conviction, but the example that is outset in the mind are the values of Truth and Non-violence that Gandhiji believed in. 

College life will provide you with many new teachings. Grab them with your hands.

Courage and Confidence are the most important traits to be a leader, without which no other trait would be useful.

And As you learn remember the CUP. Concentrate -) Understand -) Practice and you will succeed.