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Life always gives you two choices: to accept the reality as it is or to accept the responsibility of changing this invariable reality according to your own will. Most of the people chose the second option as they find it practical, and they always give reasons for this practicality. They do nothing and consequently, they become nothing. Only a few people tend to change the course of wind in their favor.  I never ever believed in all this until I saw my brother doing the same. He actually changed the reality. His passionate sense of who he was and what he stood for; made him distinctive among all.

Some people believed that he would achieve his goals easily without facing any hardships and everyone trusted him because of his abilities. In my perspective, only a few things help a person more than anything else. It is to let the one know that you all trust him. But God had planned something else for him. And when God plans, all other plans fail. And God always plans the best for you. My brother was one of the brilliant students in academics as well as in extra-curricular activities. He got distinctions in almost all classes. He was a good dancer and actor too. He was talented enough to do anything! And this adversity was the quality which I always liked about him.

Our father always wanted to see him in an army uniform. He fulfilled our father’s wish and joined Cadet College. There, again he stood above all and got three stars, a dream of every cadet. He got wonderful grades in matriculation and intermediate. Baba always wished that his one son would be a doctor. My brother was the one who wanted to be a doctor as his father had dreamt, just like he joined Cadet College before. Seeing his past, everyone was hopeful that he would get admission to any medical college he wanted. On the other hand, God chose a different path for him.

You know what, you people are unaware of what the future holds for you. You all wait to see it. But some people already know what life has for them. This is because they don’t let their future to be a prophecy, they just create it. They find their own path when they start walking! My brother did the same. After completion of Intermediate, he started preparing for entrance test, ETEA. Everybody knew that he would make it to KMC, Khyber Medical College; one of the best in KP. Besides getting prayers from all of us, he studied day and night without even caring about his health. But the results proved to be a shock for all of us as he wasn’t selected, not even on self-finance or in private category. At that day, he cried in front of me and said,“Alishbah! Baba ka dil tor diya mein nay.” He cried a lot. It is a common saying that boys don’t cry. But they do, when they see their dreams (or the dreams of the person, they say is most important to them) drowning in front of them! I saw those red teary eyes. 

Even after all this, he kept going. He told me that he would give it another shot. He believed in his destiny and the One (Allah Almighty) who would lead him in his way. The greatest test of your faith is when you don’t get what you want but you still believe in God and destiny. In the end, faith always wins! The same thing, my brother did. He decided to keep playing this game until he wins. Sometimes, just winning isn’t everything but wanting to win is. It’s all about self-satisfaction and inner peace, which always come if you try. When people want to win; they try; they lose; they learn from their failures and never give up. This isn’t a beginning worth telling but I am telling you just because life knocks us down really hard, but we have to stand back up. So that we can tell the world that we are strong enough to face all these difficulties.

My brother started preparing again for ETEA. This time he studied more. I saw in his eyes that he had the courage to pursue his dreams. Although we were living in Islamabad, he visited Peshawar every Sunday just to take sample tests in an academy. During all this, he got depressed and he suffered a lot. All the tension affected him internally as well as biologically. He got a kidney disorder and the pain he felt in kidney wasn’t letting him carry on with his hard work. It wasn’t easy but he knew that best things wouldn’t come to him in an easy way. He again took the entrance test and there were more prayers this time. We were so confident that he would prove himself this time. But, again he wasn’t selected for any medical college. Life just stopped for him. By this time, all his friends had gotten admission somewhere. Everyone in and outside the family was talking about him. This was the worst situation we (in fact he) faced.

Sometimes, life throws you in situations where you start questioning, why are you even alive? This is the time when you need to gather all your strength and tell life that you are ready to face it. My brother was determined to do the same. Baba was hurt, once again and told my brother, “You can’t waste another year”. Then, he started applying for private colleges and at last, he got a call from Yusra Medical College. We went there as Baba didn’t want his son to waste one more year. When we were at the gate of College, he had a fee form of one million in his hands. Right there, he said, “If I study at a private Medical College, what will Alishbah do?” I wasn’t as brilliant as him and that was why he sacrificed one more year just for me. 

In the world of uncertainty and probability, sometimes; one has to take decisions without thinking about the outcomes of that act. These consequences may lead to results which you don’t like, but they may prove to be beneficial for someone else. The little decisions and sacrifices make you who you are. Such is life. That is when you have to make a decision at that very instance when an opportunity knocks at the door. He never knew the consequences, but he did take that decision selflessly. Everyone criticized him as he wasn’t quite sure if he would get an admission next year. Yet again, he didn’t give up. He thought of giving that entrance test one more time. This time, he had some hope and this was a good thing; perhaps the best. When you feel like giving up, just ask  yourself, ‘Why did you wait for so long in the first place?’ When you truly want to be who you are, you will never ever give up. Even the worst situation will not matter to you. So, giving up should never be an option.

My brother had the ability to choose his commitments. He believed that without taking a chance, he would never ever achieve something important. That is why he took that chance again and he studied even more. Apparently, he looked happy but I know he used to cry when no one was with him as he couldn’t fulfill his father’s wish. Due to this, he got disturbed, physically. During those days, he got a biological disorder Keratoconus, an eye disease. Moreover, he got a muscle spasm in his legs. Even then, he used to study a lot more than what he used to study in the first two times. His sleeping habits were also changed. He never cared for himself. Only the ‘merit list’ was on his mind. Life never sided with him.

Everything proved to be an obstacle for him. The criticism he faced was more than enough, but I think that is what made him stronger. He took this criticism as a challenge; in a positive way. With all preparations, he took the ETEA exam with high hopes. This time, he was a bit scared, but he remembered Baba’s words, “Don’t be scared, and try your luck!” It is rightly said, “Fortune favors the brave”, Finally, his hard work, determination, and commitment got him through. He secured enough marks to get admission to any medical college. He finally made it into Khyber Medical College. He was so happy after achieving this! And you know what? The best part of life is when you get what you worked for. Nothing else makes you happier other than this.

Though my brother was talented and brilliant, nothing helped him. The thing that made him successful was that he never gave up. He always managed to move on. His faith in Allah Almighty never disappointed him! He not only had faith in God and he believed in his destiny. After facing all this, my brother told me, “Alishbah! Whenever I was studying all those books and got tired, I thought that I should stop here. I’d close my eyes and see the merit list without my name in it. It always kept going again.” He imagined the worst possible situation. As he found out that, he can’t bear the consequences of failure. Then, he started to prepare again so that he could get the best. 

The one thing he learned was true patience. Life never gives you something or takes anything from you at any moment you want, and it should never ever matter to you. The thing which matters is, if you want that thing or not. If you want it, then go and get it. If you fail to get it, don’t ever be afraid of the people. It’s their job to criticize the one who tries. We should take them as a challenge and prove them wrong. The people who say you can’t do it are the ones you will be thanking you, “they said no to you, and it’s because of them you started doing it”. My brother always took the difficulties and obstacles as stepping stones. He got higher and higher as he faced these difficulties. At last, I can say, it’s rightly said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. Try Again. Fail again. No matter.”

Now, Alhamdulillah, I am also going to be a Doctor and whenever I look back, I remember the day when he decided to give entry tests another try just because of me. He knew that life is a sacrifice and that was why he offered it. He is my hero, and he’ll always be because only heroes make sacrifices. He did what other people couldn’t. And I think best achievements are based on great sacrifices and they are never the results of selfishness. If you want to be successful, then; be determined, be courageous, be patient, be optimistic, follow your dreams, and always be prepared to sacrifice.