Gerald D'Cunha

“Commitment leads to action; action brings your dreams closer.” – Marcia Wieder “I f wishes were horses, even beggars would ride them.” I used to, often, display this quote in my classroom. The message was loud and clear: “Don’t just ‘wish’ to succeed. ‘Dream.” A funnier version of this quote, which conveyed the same message, was, also, displayed, time to time: “Everybody wants to go to heaven; but, nobody wants to die.” W ishing is the pastime of the lazy lot… It’s daydreaming. Nothing changes unless you get up and do something about ‘the problem in hand’… And, that ‘getting up and doing something’ has a name. The name is ‘Commitment’. Just get up and do. Sign up! A friend of mine called me, the night before last. Her friend, a mother of 16-year-old son, wanted to meet me about her lack of self-confidence and English communication. I told my friend to get the lady call me the following morning. I got the call ...

One of the expressions, I, often, use, as I go about my life, is: “I am proud.” “I am proud of you.” I say this to compliment a near and dear one… may be my friend, relative, student and so on. I say that to participate in his joy, to motivate him further. “I am very proud of myself.” I say this, sometimes, to express my profound satisfaction on something worthwhile I have achieved, including my own behavior or action. When I have helped someone - if he feels happy because of my helping hand or kind words or my humane gesture, I feel immensely satisfied… and, that is the time, I find myself saying, “I feel proud of myself.” And, every time the expression – “I am proud” – comes from out of my heart, I also find myself checking with my heart: “Have I said it out of arrogance? Is it my false pride?”  This self-examination, keeps me firmly grounded.  Yes, there is a very thin line between a healthy pride and an unhealthy pr...