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India's captain Kapil Dev told his teammates that anything is possible in cricket. If we fight hard, keep self belief, we may win the match. And it actually happened. India became the champions. The feat was repeated by the young Indian side under M.S. Dhoni's captaincy to win the Twenty 20 World Cup. Abraham Lincoln fought many elections in a row. He could not win even a single election. But hope sprang eternal in him. He contested the presidential election and won. He became the President of America. Such examples are endless. All of them go on to show the major role positive thinking plays in our success. It is pertinent to mention here that mere positive thinking without putting in the required amount of effort will not lead to success. We need to make a proper assessment of the task in hand, prepare a plan of action finding, the right method to perform it, and then make an integrated endeavour. Applying wrong methods even with positive thinking will result into the failure. Depending entirely on hope or unexpected help or a stroke of luck is foolishness not positive thinking. Hope is secondary to efforts. Positive thinking therefore essentially means to be hopeful of a good result after making the required effort. It is an attitude to go for the performance of a task with a hope that it can be done. It also means to be confident of success in a difficult situation hoping that even such a situation can be controlled if we do what it takes. Efforts are the base on which hope is built; without the required amount of efforts, endeavour or hard work whatever you call it, no one can be sure of success. An important question that arises in this regard is: Is positive thinking an inherent characteristic of a person or can it be developed in one's psyche? The opinions differ in answering this vital question. Some people believe that it can be inherited from parents, and cannot be developed. Others believe that like other qualities it can be developed with proper practice and guidance. Still some others hold the opinion that it is hereditary to some extent but can be acquired to some degree. There is also a section of people who believe that all depends on circumstances or luck. Some people are born lucky. They get success with minimum effort; others don't get it even after greatest of endeavour. There are, thus, various theories and opinions based on one's experience and knowledge. India's captain Kapil Dev told his teammates that anything is possible in cricket. If we fight hard, keep self belief, we may win the match. And it actually happened.