I participated in the regional round of a Sudoku Championship today and guess who trumped us all? A seventy years old man, who could safely be called one of the oldest people in a packed auditorium. You can imagine the surprised reaction, tinged with amusement and respect of everyone present. There were no novices there. Each person was well – capable of solving Sudoku puzzles, no matter how difficult. So time became the deciding factor. That is where he raced ahead of us all.

I had been noticing the elderly person for quite some time, ever since I set foot in the Championship premises. All for the wrong reasons! He was in the queue next to me for the attendance – marking before being allowed to enter the competition hall. There, he had been pulling attention to himself constantly by scolding anyone who moved a little out of line. He had complained loudly about the impending delay in the starting of the competition if the line kept moving at snail’s speed. Once inside, he had suggestions to give to the organizers. At one point, I had thought of telling him to calm down, else how did he think he would be able to give his best while solving the puzzles. But I had refrained myself.

Once the competition started, we were given four pretty difficult classic Sudoku puzzles to solve in twenty-five minutes. By the time, I was about to solve my third, this man stood up in the midst of the silent, tension – filled auditorium and announced, “Done.” All heads turned to him. That is how he secured his place in the next round.

He had been seated in the row behind me. Later on, others asked him as to how he had done it. He replied that he had been solving close to eleven Sudoku puzzles every single day. Eleven! I, on the other hand, used to solve one in a day, that too whenever I got time.

All my previously formed conclusions about him were washed away in an instant. Awe replaced them. Awe of the discipline that he had conformed himself to for what he enjoyed doing. It is that discipline that made him stand out amongst hundreds of talented puzzle – solvers. It is that which helped him to over-ride his constant irritation and concentrate enough to win.

Though I did not win a prize, I did not leave empty-handed. Other than a blog’s topic, I got a lesson for life. If that man could do it with what he loved, what on earth is stopping me? What is stopping all of us?

Fellow bloggers, we blog because we love to write. Let us do it more. And more. And more. Let us inspire more.