Gerald D'Cunha

  “I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat.” Sylvester Stallone   S teve Jobs, in his inspiring speech at the Stanford University’s graduation ceremony said, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; we can only connect them looking backward.” He was talking about some of the lowest moments in his life – the times, when he felt rejected, defeated, betrayed and lost. He was encouraging the young graduates not to look for instant success in life… to believe in their dreams, pursue them and learn from all the painful moments – and, yes, look back at those ‘dots’ and connect them in order to move forward in life. That advise makes lots of sense to every aspiring soul on this planet. It’s priceless! Success seldom comes – and should not come - to any of us on a ready platter. Getting rejected ought to be a prerequisite for success. Rejection from others is the true test of our claim to success:   Ar...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty A couple of days ago, a friend of mine pointed to some of The Dawn Club activities and events of the past and wondered if they had yielded the ‘desired results’. “Have they just gone wasted?” he was concerned. I took a long pause before I could reply to my friend.  The question was so familiar to me; for, more than I had heard my well-wishers asking this to me, I have asked this to myself. Inside me, there had been – there still are – two voices… One, soars, dreams, trusts, embraces, laughs, rejoices… The other sulks, dreads, doubts, distances, broods and despairs…. One comes from the sphere of abundance… The other comes from the sphere of lack… One makes me walk into the world with my open arms, the other, with my guarded fists… So, to this concerned friend of mine, I replied, “No, not at all… Every activity we did seem to me as the connecting dots… They have brought us here, today.” Another friend of mine, who was with us, c...