Gerald D'Cunha

  “It’s so simple really: If you say you’re going to do something, do it. It you start something, finish it.” Epictetus   R ome was not built in one day. Well, nothing is… Yes, in life, every thing takes time… Everything wants us to wait… But, then, just wait without doing any efforts? That’s what I want to write in this Post… Don’t just wait waiting for the heavens to manifest everything for you. No Sir… Heavens support you only if you start something – however small it is – but, keep doing it, with more and more and more dedication and passion… “Success is all about consistency around the fundamentals,” stresses Robin Sharma W hen I came across the phrase ‘bulldog determination” in Napoleon Hill’s books, I remember falling in love with it, instantly… That bulldog grip is too powerful… That little dog doesn’t give up, once he gets his grip on it… And, we? Yes, we give up easily… when there is the slightest challenge before us… You and I – we all have t...

“There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul.”  ―  Victor Hugo I joined the famed St. Aloysius School, in my hometown Mangalore, when I was in sixth standard. I did the rest of my studies – higher primary, high school and college – in this great institution. My self-confidence level, throughout my school and junior college days, was very, very low. I suffered from a killing inferiority-complex, which, they call ‘social anxiety’ these days. My changes had begun to take place only from my F.Y. B.Com days, when I sat in our class and admired my teacher, Prof. B.S. Raman. Even though I did not speak to my teacher, one-on-one, I learnt to teach and write like him, just by ‘admiring’ him. Ironically, in those days, I had never heard of ‘The Law of Attraction’ or ‘the spirit of Ekalavya'. But, yes, my self-confidence level was going up steadily… Than...

“Within the human hearts, loyalty and consideration are esteemed greater than success.” – Bryant H. McGill M y last visit to Goa was some twenty-three years ago. I went there on a three-day trip with my wife and three-year-old son. We had booked a moderate room somewhere in North Goa. It was summer time… the beaches, streets, eating places were too crowded. The bus, by which we had returned, had an eccentric driver… and, to say the least, it was the worst ending to our already disappointing Goan-experience. Ever since then, I have said this a million times: “Goa is overrated… Too much hyped up.” Obviously, I never visited Goa, even though people around me literally swore by the Goan experience.   L ast July I turned 60. It’s considered to be a great milestone in many of the Southern states and called ‘Shashti Poorti’ in Sanskrit.   My dear friend, Pratap, who is a Malayalee, one day, said to me, “Sir, you should celebrate it in Goa… There...

Pic.: Mini Milind Y ears ago, when I had decided to do something about my poor English, one of the things I did – and found very effective – was telling a nice story in two tenses… the Present and the Past. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people, who were earnest about improving their English, with the same method… Yes, write a nice story down in both the tenses… and, then, tell it to someone… United we stand, divided we fall There are many stories teaching us this simple truth… This is one of them… Timeless! THE LION AND THE BULLS PAST: T here lived in a jungle four wild bulls. They were close friends and always gazed together, rested together… It was so wonderful just to watch them being together.  A lion lived in the same jungle. He wanted to kill the bulls for his meal. But, as they always moved together, he was afraid to attack them. For days on, the lion kept a vigil on the four bulls… He wanted them to break their unity…...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty L ike millions all over the globe, my wife and I, too, watched the live relay of P.M. Modi’s speech at Madison Square, last night. What I was more interested in was this: How was my own mind filtering in what it was watching and hearing! When my mind saw Mr. Modi as a BJP or RSS leader, it heard him differently... When the Gujarat riots and Godra images started coming before me, I saw him differently... On the other hand, when I dropped those thoughts, when I chose to see the fact that Mr. Modi had risen above all the petty politics and kept unfolding before us, with all his honesty, ‘the grand plan’ to make our nation great, vibrant and proud... when I felt he igniting in each one of us that self-belief – that, you and I need not be in politics, need not be some leaders, but we all can make difference in our own respective fields, by doing our respective works with the best of the best dedication and passion... When, I chose to take i...

Pic.: Aparna Khanolkar Sheth “When you're surrounded by people, who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.” Howard Schultz B ig dreams are, seldom, dreamt by ‘big’ individuals... They are dreamt by small – very ordinary – individuals like you and me. It is when they surround themselves with people, and ignite in them the same passion - make them believe that the dream is their dream, too – and inspire them to go all the way out to realize it... Yes, it is then, that the dream and the dreamer, both, become ‘big’! Take anything in the history of mankind... Take how a nation is built, how a country is freed... Take how a billion-dollar company is founded... how missions to Moon or Mars are accomplished... Take how great movies are made, how mega rock shows, beauty pageants or award shows are staged... Take how TV or radio progrmmes are put together, how news is brought out every hour, every day......

Pic.: Chetna Shetty W e saw in recently concluded edition of IPL, that after winning the toss, many teams chose to field. The reason was obvious: the target to win was there, clearly, before their eyes... They could, constantly, check on their current and required run-rates... Yes, invariably, it had helped many teams to win the big matches... give the best... perform the unthinkable, because, the target had helped them gear up, fight, win. I give this example to my students, regularly. I tell them, “The best way to score well in exams is to know clearly what is the cut-off to get into the college you desire... and, then, go for it with all that you possess. On the other hand, if you do not know which college you want to get into, what stream you want to take and what is the cut-off out there, you will not have the fire-power in your belly to achieve a big score.” What applies in the game of cricket, also, applies in exams... and, yes, it applies everywhere else,...

Yes terday, one of my dear students wrote on her FB Status, with a great deal of delight and pride, that she would be, soon, starting her Articleship with one of the world’s top-four Chartered Accountancy firms. Immediately, her friends started sending her their congratulatory messages and best wishes. Just as I was about to add mine to the long list, my eyes fell on one of the crisp messages, rather a warning, by one of her friends: “Congrats; but, they will make your life hell!” I held back my message… Because, I, really, wanted to tell these young-ones something important and valuable. So, here I am doing it, today. Two years ago, before my student had embarked upon her dream to pursue Chartered Accountancy, I had counseled her saying, that, there were only two requirements to get into what she wanted to pursue: her aptitude and her attitude. Well, I am so proud to put on record, here, that my student had both: she was passionate about her field, and ...