How would you describe somebody who was an accomplished pianist at ten years old, an professional organist at eleven, had compositions published at thirteen and was a member of the Royal Court musical staff at fourteen. Did he come from a privileged background and was born he born with a silver spoon in his mouth? Hardly! Ludwig Van Beethoven was a black haired swarthy complexioned boy, who endured taunts and name calling in his home town along the river Rhine, an area of mostly blonde, fair skinned children.

His alcoholic father decided that his brilliant son should spend his life supporting him, so he made him a slave to the key board and made him practice for hours each day to improve the skills he already possessed. Looking back, Beethoven said that he couldn't recall a single moment of childhood happiness. His young life consisted of work, beatings, tears and angry tirades from his father. In his late twenties he encountered another more insidious enemy - that of deafness. Strangely enough, his years of deafness were also his most prolific composing period. Although at the time his works were not very well received by the public, he did however influence many of the great composers of his time like Brahms, Wagner and Schubert who were most impressed with his work.

Nearing death and recognising that the world had never fully understood or appreciated him or his music, he remarked to a friend, with a smile, "Well at least I will be able to hear again in heaven."

When life knocks us down, we must always try to bounce back! Everybody stumbles or gets knocked off their feet from time to time; the winners are the ones who keep on getting up again!

The difference between winners and losers is their ability to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones and to keep on going.