“Every drop makes an ocean” so the saying goes. I have never believed in it.
However, life is like a highway with its many bends, twists and bumps along
the way. My life had turned into a bend that taught me this saying could never
be truer. It all started with the fateful exam that is still deeply etched in my
mind, the exam that taught me to believe every drop really makes an ocean.
I am a confident person. Perhaps, overly confident at times. Examinations have
always been a breeze for me; it was a relaxing task, too relaxing for me in fact.
Without saying, a distinction for piano exams was a given for me. Since young,
I had the natural talent to play the piano. I was showered with compliments
and praises on my piano skills; therefore, it was to no surprise that I paid no
attention to my grade 8 piano exams.
Hard work is characterized by perseverance and diligence. Famous pianists
such as Mozart and Beethoven needed this virtue to unleash their true
potential. However, while people practiced hard during the preparation
months, playing two to three hours every day, I indulged in pointless
entertainment devices while I left my piano to collect dust.
The day of my piano examination came. While waiting for my time slot, I felt
an unfamiliar cold clammy feeling creeping into me. My fingers have gone icecold and they were trembling on the piano books. For a few seconds, I
struggled to grasp the feeling I felt. Then, it struck me: panic. This couldn’t be
true I thought, just seconds ago; I had no qualms about my piano exam,
however, I could feel my initial confidence slipping away. I flipped through the
piano score, needing to find comfort in the books but my mind registered
nothing.
At that moment, I realized I had already failed my examination and let down
the expectations of my parents.
Looking at the red mark on the piano result sheet, tears rolled down my cheeks
as I was faced with the bitter disappointment of my results. I could feel eyes
boring at me from behind with my relatives whispering “The piano prodigy
failing her grade 8 exam badly? How could this be?”
Every drop makes an ocean, every practice counts, no matter how much
natural talent you have, what really matters most is the time and effort you
put in. Without continuous hard work, things rarely succeed. Blinded by pride, I
had made the wrong choice by taking my natural talent for granted; I had given
up the opportunity to practice hard. Suffering from a hard fall, I realised at that
point of time, the true meaning of “Every drop makes an ocean”.
Even though each drop may look insignificant and meaningless, each drop
creates a ripple and each ripple creates a wave. Similarly, each practice may
seem small and a waste of time. However, accumulating all the practices
together, it really makes a big difference. “Every drop makes an ocean” has
been my belief since that incident.