Gerald D'Cunha

    “It’s only by owing who and what you are can you step into the fulness of life.” Oprah Winfrey      A s a child born and brought up in a Christian (Catholic) household, observing the solemnity of Lent – particularly that of the Holy Week – was an integral part of my faith. The services on the evenings on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter eve were, are and will be ‘Holy’ in true sense, to me. However, there has been one lantern phrase, that causes goosebumps all over my body and makes my heart, literally, stop. It’s is: ‘The Passion of the Christ’! Well, as a small boy – and even as a young man for many years – I never really paused to comprehend what that phrase really meant. It’s much later in my life, that I began to grasp what a powerful phrase that has been! The ‘Passion’ in life is the ‘fullness’ of life. Therefore, in those last traumatic hours of His life, Christ lived His human experience ‘fully’…  He became one like you and me...

  “It’s not what you do once in a while that shapes your lives. It’s what you do consistently.” Anthony Robbins   W e all have two reactions to our exam results: We rejoice, or we sulk! This morning, a young girl sent to me this message: “Good Morning Sir. My results are out. I have graduated with a 9.92 cgpa out of 10 and secured the second place in the college.” Obviously, this young girl had a reason to rejoice. But, I know of dozens of young ones, who are sulking out there… They are feeling low, and some of them are, even, unable to show themselves up! So, these are the two extreme reactions to the exam results… either you rejoice, or you sulk; either you show up, or you hide! Well, I tell everyone this: “Take heart: you all can find your place under the Sun irrespective of your results… But - yes, but -   learn from your results! The young girl, who has just graduated in flying colours, did not get her ‘distinction’ out of sheer fluke. I have kn...

  “To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and discover, that the prisoner was you.” Lewis B. Smedes   T he reward of forgiveness is freedom! The meaning of this statement can be grasped by only those who value and cherish freedom… I am not talking about the freedom of a nation or a community, or even an individual, from the bondage of a tyrant or a suppressor… I am talking about the freedom from the ‘bondage by self-tyranny’… the holding on to our wounds, unwilling to let go of the grudges. Trust me, many of us – like the Shylock from the ‘Merchant of Venice’ – are hellbent in getting our ‘pound of flesh’… We are blood-thirsty! Am I dramatizing it? Forgiveness doesn’t come to me easily, too. I hold on to my wounds till I find it too difficult to hold on… till I am able to ‘see’ the futility of holding on.  Holding on to our wounds makes the wounds bleed even more… leave alone help them heal. Somewhere, along our journey through this life, we all need to l...

  “If people in your circle aren’t contributing to your growth, then, you’re not in a circle… you’re in a cage.” Kianu Starr   G rowing up in my native village, we kids do not remember having heard of the Easter Eggs and the Easter Bunny. All that we heard was of the real eggs our hens laid and the real bunny who lived a little away in the jungle! So, as the standard of living – or shall I call it, lifestyle? – improved, came along the idea of colourful Easter Eggs and Bunny into our lives… The Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, alone knows how funny these Easter Bunny, Eggs and Buns are! Anyway, if hunting for these Eggs, Bunny and Buns on an Easter morning can make children and adults happy, I think, the Lord, also, would be happy… Why be so serious about life? After all, Easter is all about hope and renewal… Isn’t it?   C oming Tuesday morning, we will be commencing our summer programme on Personality Development for young kids. Lord, also, knows, that every k...

  “The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” Denis Waitely I had written this Post a week ago. But, for some reasons, I delayed sharing it till this morning…   F or years, we would regularly have a daily newspaper at our door. This stopped when the Pandemic broke out. We stopped reading the   newspaper completely. More than two years later, on 1 st of this April, we suddenly saw the same newspaper being dropped at our door,   again. We thought, that it could be by mistake. Then, it continued every morning. By now, we knew what was happening: The vendor was trying to re-form the habit in us, all over again! Reading a newspaper is a habit just like smoking a cigarette. Mind gets accustomed (read addicted) to a certain pattern and a brand… Today, on the eighth   day,   when my wife opened the door for some other reason, coincidentally, the newspaper vendor appeared to drop the...

    “I love, that this morning’s sunrise does not define itself by last night’s sunset.” Steve Maraboli A week ago, a friend of mine shared some lovely pictures of his nephew’s wedding. It was a private ceremony held at the beautiful lawns of his sister Irene’s home in New Zealand. The boy, Vivan, was dating his sweetheart (a Kiwi) for several years. Finally, now, the two families had brought it to, what seemed like, the logical conclusion - a marriage. I messaged Irene: “Hello Irene, just saw some amazing pictures of Vivan’s wedding. So happy for the young couple, you parents and the entire family. Please convey our love, wishes and blessings to the newly-wedded . You all look so nice and happy!” Came the instant reply from Irene: “Thank you Gerry. All went well. I’m so glad it’s all over. Big relief!” My response was this: “HaHa! Madam, for mothers, it’s never going to be over. Dashing   Nivan (the second son) is all set for his turn. So, be ready.” ...

  “If something is important enough, even if the odds are stacked against you, you should still do it.” Elon Musk   S ome months ago, when Pratyaksh was enrolled for eleventh standard (ISC) in my classes, his mother said it clearly, “Sir, he doesn’t like studies at all… Pandemic has further destroyed him… He doesn’t like to write a line. I don’t know how would he clear his Accountancy paper without solving sums. Exams will be offline. I can’t even say, whether he is going to stick with you or not…” Well, at Pratyaksh’ age, my state was even horrible. Like him, even, I was a ‘nice’ kid, well-behaved in every sense, except in studies. But, Pratyaksh’ mother had told me about his two passions: Mridangam and lawn tennis. Those two things needed no coaxing and nagging… He practiced them with a great deal of focus and self-motivation. On 13 th of this March, Pratyaksh’ Mridangam Arengetram (the first public performance) was held at the auditorium of Mysore Association...

  “Reality is a projection of your thoughts or the things you habitually think about.” Stephen Richards W hen I first came across Napoleon Hill’s famous book - ‘Think and Grow Rich’, I was 20 or 21. I was new in Bombay city (now Mumbai) and I was jobless. But, I was dreaming and more dreaming. The book was spotted by me on the footpaths of Churchgate area… It was an overused old-book. But, to me, it was brand new… Its message was brand new. And, the least did I know, that the book was set to cause a revolution in my life! “Thoughts are things!” This is the very first chapter of ‘Think and Grow Rich’. It conveys, right at the outset, that whatever we manifest in our lives, we manifest first in our thoughts, then outside. In other words, if I desire to see a better state of life, I have to see it in my mind first… I have to desire it, will it and work towards it. It does not just happen… It is made to happen by me, in cooperation with the Universe and friendly-forces around m...

  “An attitude of entitlement is inversely related to one of gratitude.” Pete Wilson   E very time I use the expression, “You can’t be grateful and unhappy at the same time,” a thought passes through my mind: “Do I know what it really means?” One of my dear friends, often, likes to remind me, “Our problem is not ‘knowledge’; our problem is ‘implementation.” I, certainly, know what a powerful antidote ‘gratitude’ can be for ‘unhappiness’; but, when it comes to ‘living in a constant state of gratitude’ – it is really not easy. Like most around me, I, too, quite regularly, slip into the complaining mode – grumbling about what is missing in my life rather than appreciating and be thankful for what is there in my life – yes, this comes more naturally. Thus, to shake me hard from this kind of attitude of a lack of gratitude, I truly feel, that I need to come out of my own shell of self-pity and entitlement state-of-mind, and see around me to check how worse it is for m...

  “Problems are not big or small. It is based on how big or small your understanding is.” J. Tisa   T he more we worry about what’s happening in others’ lives, the more we invite turmoil in our own. When I say, ‘others’, I mean not our dearest and the nearest ones. When there is turmoil in the lives of our dearest and the nearest ones, we just cannot brush it aside, saying ‘It’s their problem’. They are our own; hence, their problems bother us… weigh us down. When ‘others’ are not our dearest and the nearest ones, well, their problems do not weigh us down. When they narrate their problems to us, we do not involve emotionally, instead, just superficially. Not so? Disagree? Well, I agree, that all of us may not react to others’ problems in an identical manner. But, we realize the thresholds of our limits… We realize, how much stress we are able to withstand… and, we learn what and when to let others’ problems be. Experience teaches us this: The more we focus on others’ business ...