AATA MAJHI SATAKLI

"Building alibis, with which to explain away failure,

is a national pastime.

The habit is as old as human race, and fatal to success.”

Napoleon Hill in ‘Think and Grow Rich’

I had first come across the term ‘Alibi’ in Napoleon Hill’s famous book, ‘Think and Grow Rich’. This was the book I was reading during my days of struggle in Bombay. I was new in this city, and I was jobless and hungry. But, the hunger in my heart was of a different kind – I wanted to know how people realized their dreams, how they achieved success. And, which book, other than ‘Think and Grow Rich’, could answer my quest? Towards the end of the book, Napoleon Hill had included a very powerful chapter called ‘Fifty-seven famous Alibis… by Old Man IF’…

What a priceless lesson that was!

I must have read that book, ‘Think and Grow Rich’, countless times during my ‘days in the wilderness’. I could sense how it infused in me the power and I would find myself all set for the flight. But, suddenly, something would hold me back on the ground. And, I knew that was what I had to break free from - my excuses… my alibis. Interestingly, like many around me, I would use these ‘alibis’ to justify my failure. It seemed, as though, Napoleon Hill had picked the ‘famous fifty-seven’ from my own life!

Today, Gautam*, a T.Y.B Com student of mine, reminded me of this important lesson from ‘Think and Grow Rich’. I wish to recommend this chapter in this Blog, with the hope that it might help young ones like him break free from the ‘shackles’, just as it had done to me when I was of their age… The chapter is titled: ‘Fifty-seven Famous Alibis – by Old Man IF’ 

(Please Google for this amazing chapter from 'Think and Grow Rich')

Gautam should have completed his T.Y. two years ago. But, after his tenth standard, he took up Science without his heart in it. After the shoddy performance in twelfth, he thought B.M.S might be the right field. With a month into B.M.S, he started cribbing about it and said his calling was Engineering. ‘Engineering’ with such a shoddy result? Nevertheless, thanks to the good karma of his dad, he got into a well-known Engineering college. The first year got over with some ATKTs… Midway through the second year, he was into a nervous breakdown! It was decided to take him out of Engineering and, as advised by a good counselor, he would start, all over again, with F.Y. B.Com.; but, from the next academic year. Once again, thanks to his dad’s good karma, Gautam got into a top Commerce college in Mumbai. Simultaneously, his dad found for him a job in one of the multinationals. Though the job was of very basic position, for a boy of this kind, the pay was astronomical!

So, so far, life has been like this to our Gautam. Now, he works from home and salary, too, comes home. Meanwhile, I have been ‘privileged’ to help him out in F.Y, S.Y. and, now, T.Y. (By the way, the Lockdown has promoted him to T.Y. without writing any S.Y. exams!) And, while everyone else around him is struggling and even anxious, our Gautam is the most chilled-out young man in town!

Motivation means different to different people… and it comes from different sources, too. My pumping and sermons do fall on Gautam's heart, too. But, then… But, then! While almost everyone else is able to complete his/her ‘li'l assignments’, our Gautam has a ‘reason’ why he could not – ‘If Sir'… 'But Sir’… 'I’ll try Sir’. But, never ‘I’ll do Sir’… Never.

With a great difficulty, Gautam sent to me this message around 12 this noon. “Sir, shall we have the class at 4 today?”

This was despite my earlier indication ‘We’ll have the class any time after 5.30’.

Anyway, I said, “OK’ to Prince Gautam. But, I added, “Hope you have done the last homework. Keep it ready at 4.” (Given two weeks ago!).

“Yes Sir, I have done. But, I am at my granny’s place now. So, I won’t be able to show it to you today at 4.”

“It’s okay. We’ll connect at 4,” I trusted my boy.

At 4 sharp, the class took off. During the session, I innocently asked my student, “Where is your granny’s place?”

“Here only Sir,” Gautam replied, “She lives in the same building on the third floor.”

“And you?” I wanted to know.

“On fifth floor, Sir!”

Now you know why I said, that Gautam reminded me, today, of the important chapter in ‘Think and Grow Rich’?

“Aata majhi satakli,” I yelled at my boy, “I am going to tell this story in my Blog, today, and, title it:

‘Aata Majhi Satakli’!

*Name changed

GERALD D’CUNHA’

Pic's.: pixabay

Video: ABC News