SPORTS

The man was Jim Hines and the year was 1968. His vision was to be the fastest man in the world, and run the 100 meter dash in under 10 seconds.

 

The general belief prevailing at that time was that running at that speed would burst the heart of a person and kill him.

 

A lot of sportspeople dreamt of breaking the 10 second barrier but for years no sportsperson was able to. Jim Hines decided one day that it was this very belief that was holding people back from achieving this goal. People laughed at him and a lot of “friends” thought he had probably gone crazy. It would have been easy to let go of the 10 second goal, and be content being the fastest man in the world. But, Jim Hines was made of different stuff. And he put all his energy behind achieving the goal.

 

Outcome: 1968 Olympics, Mexico City. Jim Hines became the first man to break the 10 second barrier. After Jim Hines showed that the impossible was possible, countless men have broken the 10 second barrier.

 

Learning: One man’s passionate belief in something becomes a way of life for everyone else.

 

EXPLORERS & VOYAGES

In an era when it wasn’t sure whether a man would come back alive from a brief visit to an adjoining city, there were men who took it upon themselves to go out in the world and explore new continents; men like Marco Polo & Christopher Columbus who changed the way the world was.

 

If Marco Polo had decided to go along with what the rest of his generation were busy and satisfied with, he would never have been able to bring back to Europe details of some of the oldest civilizations in the world. A lifetime (21 years) spent in Central Asia and China founds its way into writings that have since 1292 fashioned the manner in which Europeans view Asia.

 

Marco Polo inspired Christopher Columbus. If Columbus had taken the easier route of listening to his detractors, America would perhaps still have been a barbaric nation, hidden away from civilization. But four voyages taken up between 1492 & 1503 opened up the Americas to the world, and paved the way for several more voyages that have possibly shaped the world as we see it today.

In both cases (Marco Polo & Christopher Columbus), had the courage to move away from what the common person believed (that there was no other world outside their own) and what the general public feared (fear of the unknown). Having the courage to go against the tide, enabled discoveries and insights that have been invaluable to generations.

 

CIVILIZATIONS, NATIONS & RACES

In 480 BC, Xerxes, King of Persia, the most powerful kingdom in the world at that time, decided to conquer Greece. A small band of warriors under the command of King Leonidas (King of Sparta) took upon themselves to delay the entry of the Persian army into Sparta, and Greece. At that time, most of Greece had given up hope of holding up against the Persian’s might. Leonidas and a few other handful of people believed that the Persian invasion could be stopped. What followed was the battle of Thermopylae; 300 Spartans led by Leonidas, against a million of the Persian allied forces. Leonidas wasn’t looking at winning; he knew they couldn’t win. He was looking at changing a thought process; a belief system (the belief that most Greeks had that the Persians could conquer Greece). 300 warriors held back a million Persian soldiers for 3 days, before they were all killed. Xerxes didn’t realize it, but Persia’s victory of Thermopylae was Persia’s greatest defeat. What Greece saw was that 300 people had been able to keep a million Persians at bay for 3 days. This was the start of the Greece pushing the Persians back. The battles of Salamis & Plataea saw the Greece decisively defeating and pushing back the Persians. One man’s (Leonidas) belief & vision against that of an entire nation (Greece) changed the political balance between Greece & Persia forever.

 

Closer home, one man (Mahatma Gandhi) had a belief that was contrary to all other freedom fighters as well as the Indian oppressors (The British rulers) that freedom could be won through non-violence. Initially, some of the older statesmen laughed at him, and the younger lot scorned him. But Gandhi was not one to be deterred by other people’s views. He was one of those people who are able to march ahead with the strength of their belief, and automatically have people follow him. The belief of one person (freedom through non violence) over time became a belief system that was subsequently chorused across the world by other freedom fighters, including Martin Luther King & Nelson Mandela.

When it comes to perseverance and the persistence to go ahead with an idea that one believes in, the Dutch cannot be ignored. While it is said that God created the world, they say the Dutch created Holland. Two thirds of this nation is under sea level. Yet, year on year, the Dutch have been trying to reclaim land from the sea. And this is a daily activity for them. As with most things in life, there were enough skeptics and naysayers here too. But the Dutch people persisted with the idea of reclaiming land from sea. Today, other countries look to the Dutch to learn the science of reclaiming land from the sea. But they need to know that more than a science, it is the attitude and outlook of the Dutch that has helped them achieve the impossible – create land in the midst of water.

When the Jews were awarded land in Israel by the then exiting British rulers, they were not prepared for what awaited them. A land so rocky in some areas, and so sandy in other parts that human habitation was considered well nigh impossible by everyone, including the Arabs who had been staying there for thousands of years. But a bunch of Jews, armed only with the strength of their belief converted that rocky, sandy land into a paradise for their people.

 

 

COMPANIES & PEOPLE

When Dhirubhai decided to sell suitings and shirtings through premium proprietary showrooms, old timers in the industry scoffed at the idea and said it was never going to work. However, Vimal became the harbinger of things to come and set off the trend for premium exclusive show rooms for different products and services.

 

Bill Gates spoke about coming up with a software that could be used in a product (Personal Computer) that would be available in every household and office across the world. And people scoffed at the idea. It was funny at that time because only large businesses had personal computers and then too, for a few favored executives. And here was a man, who was talking about a solution (Windows) for a product (PC) that wasn’t even there in every office in the developed world, leave alone every household across the world. Yet Bill Gates continued with the quest to make his vision real. And others followed to help him get that vision to reality. Finally, not too long after, what was considered impossible at the time Gates had articulated his vision, happened. And the Personal computer was available like any other retail product. And Windows was in most of these PCs. Today, when you go buy a PC, you use what Gates conceptualized decades back what would happen.

 

TRUEtest decides to chart a new reality

Like most of the adventurers and explorers of the world, The Next Milestone Technologies started what was considered by many to be an impossible journey. A few laughed, and most people in general were too shocked to even laugh about what the fledgling tech company wanted to achieve. But like the Spartan army, The Next Milestone Technologies team has time and again demonstrated that the harder they fall, the higher they bounce back.

 

A little more than a year ago, we decided to start a portal that would enable millions across the country (irrespective of geographical, social or economic boundaries) to enhance their employability. This meant that a person sitting anywhere across the country should be able to get deep insights into their capabilities and inherent strengths. If they needed counseling they should be able to get in touch with leading career counselors at the click of a button. Or if they needed insights on a particular industry they should be able to learn it from industry stalwarts who have led large businesses across sectors. In a country as diverse as ours, it was a herculean task.

 

However, thanks to technology and the growing use of internet and the smart phone, our vision of making people more employable has gradually begun to take shape. Today, as long as a person has a device that can be connected to the internet, they can be sitting anywhere and still choose from a bevy of cutting edge psychometric tests that help them discover their inherent strengths and interests. And with just a click, they could be connected to validated career counselors and even learn from industry mentors whatever there is to learn about any particular industry. There is no need to scout for decent trainers, because some of the best trainers across the country have got together to create short, high impact skills development videos that help people ramp up skills that are considered critical by most industry players today. All of this on one platform….at TRUEtest (www.truetest.in) And like the Dutch people show daily persistency in reclaiming land from the sea, the TRUEtest team has always been able to find calm waters betwixt storms. And competing against odds has almost become a daily attitude at TRUEtest. Like the small band of 300 Spartan warriors under the command of Leonidas, even though TRUEtest is still small, we have shown the world that it is possible to achieve what we set out to do. The first part of our crusade has happened. The portal is ready and in the initial few weeks we have seen huge traction from all corners of the country, with thousands of users benefiting from our online solutions.

 

The world is beginning to believe in our vision. Now is the time for us to make that vision a reality.

 

 

Note:

TRUEtest is an online platform owned by The Next Milestone Technologies Pvt. Ltd.