GENUINE BEAUTY

Do I love you because you’re beautiful

Or are you beautiful because I love you?

—Oscar Hammerstein





Once, a powerful king agreed to help a small, lost boy find his mother. Since the boy described his mother as the most beautiful woman in the world, the king commanded all the beautiful women in the kingdom to come to the castle.



From across the place they came – women with complexions of porcelain and hair of spun gold, with cheeks the color of apricots and eyes as dark as the raven’s. But none of them was the boy’s mother.



When the last of the women had paraded before them, and the king and the boy had begun to despair, they heard a timid knock on the door. “Come in,” the king said wearily. In shuffled an old washerwoman, her grey hair tied up in a kerchief, her hands rough and red, her dress coarse and patched. “Mother!” the boy cried when he saw her, and he leapt from his chair and raced into the woman’s arms. The king stared in amazement.



Will I be able to see the real beauty in others today?

Those Moments When You Make Mistakes

At times in life, we get carried away so much with a particular situation that we either give up or just make the best out of that situation. I would say, when you believe that God works for your own good in every situation of your life, we tend to do our best and leave the rest to God.

Don’t worry about mistakes too much, because some of the most beautiful things we create in life come from changes we make after failures.

Failure Is The Backdoor To Success

Anyone who is afraid of failure and afraid to face challenges will never taste success, so said our Professor in Marketing. I did laugh it off at that time but got cold feet when it actually happened in my life.

I landed in this small tiny Arab State of Qatar in the Middle East to set up a joint Business venture. The project was to set up a world class Car Rental firm, possibly with an International tie up. Having decided on the project, I earnestly settled myself in getting into the details of registration, premises, stationery, finance, staff etc, etc. With a positive mind, I told myself nothing should stop me now. Having travelled miles away from home, I was more than keen to make this Business Venture a success. The name of the Company was chosen: SPEEDY Car Rental.

We were into Business for about 2 months and the least expected thing happened. Iraq invaded Kuwait. I realized that we were in a tight spot now. Tension ran high in the region. Eventually the war broke out in January 1991, many people fled the country and the region leaving SPEEDY in deep trouble.

As usual, "when things become difficult, and every effort seems to bring disappointment, it can be tempting to lower your expectations or even water down your goals and ambitions." It was no different with me. I thought of running away, hanging up my boots and calling it quits. I remembered the words of Thomas Edison, the famous scientist who said: "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." How I wished it was true in this case too!

I decided to hang in. I kept telling myself, "I am not afraid of challenges and obstacles", after all they are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal! I stayed on through those grilling months of uncertainty and insecurity. Finances ran low, banks were up and above to get their dues. To add to all this, the banks even threatened to take all my vehicles that were hypothecated to them. In all this, I felt I made a wrong decision to move to the Middle East. I was now ready to face FAILURE.

I was living against all hopes. I prayed that the war may end soon. After 2 months it did, but not before I piled up enough debts for me and my Company. Each day I kept believing that something good would happen.

My Persistence and Perseverance paid off: as soon as the war was over, people started flooding back and the car bookings picked up. The company which was started off with 10 cars now grew five times over. It so happened that all who returned back to the country had no cars as they had already sold them off !

Speedy went on adding to its fleet and very soon entered the Top 5 bracket of Car Hire firms, which included the top names like Avis, Budget, Europcar & Hertz. We were invited by HONDA to visit their plant in Japan, which was a clear indication that the company had joined the big league.

Things were not the same and easy for Speedy. We had to work hard and improve on our sales and service. In a short span of 2 years Speedy grew even more. There were newspaper articles both in the local & international media (Gulf times, Khaleej Times, TTG Middle East etc) about the Fastest growing Company in the region.

Success, I believe, comes to the one who dares, even after failure, to think positively and look forward confidently. If I had to give up and do like others did, run from the troubled spot, I wouldn't be writing this article.

After all, it's only the experience that makes a man tough. I have learnt 2 lessons from the above experience and would like to share them with you.

Failure doesn't mean you'll never make it. It means that it will take a little longer.

Failure doesn't mean that God has abandoned you. It means that He has a better plan for you.

The so-called Failure is sometimes good; it provides us with a learning experience.

Everybody Has a Dream

It was way back in the year 1982. I remember as a young marketing person in this Multi national company in Mumbai, I had a very senior colleague named Paul, who taught me not only to handle marketing effectively but also to deal with life cheerfully.

It was one of those hectic days... management meeting, sales calls, planning my travel schedule, booking hotels, arranging appointments and the list was endless. By the end of the day, I was not only exhausted but was getting irritated with myself and everyone around me. It was at this time that Paul invited me to his house for a quiet "chill out".

We made our way to Paul's house, although tired, I was all excited to chat up with Paul and share and learn through his rich experiences in Marketing. As we entered through the main door to his house, Paul started singing that ABBA's all time favorite: I have a dream, a song to sing, to help me thru' in everything... and so on. I was in no mood to listen to his song; I wanted to hear about how he handled tricky sales calls!

As I leaned over Paul's shoulder to tell him just that, I was totally awe stricken at what I saw next. Two young girls, aged between 17 & 20, walked over to Paul and hugged him. They couldn't walk steadily, neither could they talk properly; their faces were full of smiles but they too sang a song: No mummy's kisses only Daddy's smiles, nobody wants us, Daddy hug us tonight.

I was still standing and watching all that was going on, totally lost in the beautiful singing, when Paul tapped me on my shoulder and asked me to sit down. Curious to know, I asked Paul who these girls were. I knew that Paul lived in that house but I had never seen these girls.

Over a much refreshing cup of tea and sandwiches, Paul went on to explain:

"I too have a dream, a dream to make these girls happy. They are my daughters and they were born as "Special children" (mentally challenged). And he further added, "They don't have a Mother. My wife died when they were very young", and that he is both Mother & Father to these beautiful daughters.

I could barely control my emotions and was moved to tears. In the office, no one knew what Paul was going through in his personal life. He never, ever, looked for "special privileges" from his higher ups or any sympathy from his friends and colleagues. In fact, he always helped us at the office and being the Head of the Department, always motivated us to move forward in life.

Paul's life has been an inspiration to me. If a man can smile through these so called troubles in life and yet excel in Corporate world, was there something that was keeping Paul happy and smiling inspite of his hectic schedule?

Probing a little further, I found that every night after the daughters were put to sleep, he would spend "silent time" with God, who not only strengthened him and gave him the courage but also helped him to move forward in life with a smile on his face.

I finished my tea and made my way out, when Paul said to me, "All of us have dreams, and sometimes shattered ones. If you take it to God in prayer, He will make your dreams whole."

How true, I said to myself. I had seen that today!

As he bid me good bye and I turned to walk away from him, I heard in that distant night Paul's voice once again singing that song to his daughters: I have a dream, a song to sing, to help me through in everything...

... and then the daughters singing to Paul: No mummy's kisses only Daddy's smiles, nobody wants us, Daddy can you hug us tonight?

The song faded as my cab moved away into the dark and lonely streets of Mumbai.

Pain Behind that Smile

have you ever wondered.....It’s so very easy to look at people and make quick judgments about them, their present and their past.

You would be amazed at the pain and tears a single smile hides. What a person shows to the world is only one small facet of the iceberg hidden from sight. And more often than not, it’s lined with cracks and scars that go all the way to the foundation of their soul.

Let's Never judge, learn to respect and acknowledge the feelings of another.We would be doing a world of good to the morale of the other person.

EXCELLENCE V/S PERFECTION

In the years gone by, I must admit that I did spend way too much energy and time trying to be perfect. That aiming for perfection left me feeling inadequate and stressed.

Nothing ever goes to waste and in this case too,it has taught me a lesson. When you aim for perfection, you are in probability setting yourself up for failure.

Instead, I would suggest that you chose to aim for EXCELLENCE in whatever you do. Excellence is dynamic and is always changing and evolving. You attain one level of excellence and then strive for the next. Each moment offers new opportunities for choosing excellence.
Instead of working toward perfection and being disappointed,focus on getting as good as you can possibly be in any given field. Shifting away from perfection and toward excellence will give you space and courage to learn and grow, and will make you a happier and lighter person.It has helped me and I hope it will help you too!

God bless+

YOU ARE THE BEST...NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS SAY

Mistakes are part of growing. They are very much a natural part of every worthwhile endeavor.We all make and will make mistakes, but you must have the courage to admit those mistakes you've done and then to follow through and do your best to make the wrong things right.

We will always have people who will suppport us and some others who will criticize or condemn us for our mistakes.If someone refuses to support you as you grow beyond your past mistakes, they are now the one that’s making a mistake.If someone continuously judges you by your past, holds it against you, and refuses to forgive you, you might have to reconstruct your present and future by leaving them behind.

The shortcomings and weaknesses you often see in yourself are only the qualities of your own individuality. There is something unique and special about you. You are different. You may never be as good as someone else, and they may never be as good as you. You are meant to be different. You are here to express who you are and enjoy what you have at this very moment. When you accept this, there is no reason to compare yourself to someone or something you aren’t.


Seriously, you got to spell out when enough is enough! Letting go of negative people doesn’t mean you hate them, on the contrary it simply means you care where you are heading to in your life.

Some people are impossible to please.Throughout your lifetime some people will disrespect you and treat you shabbily for no apparent reason at all. Don’t consume yourself with trying to change them or win their approval. And don’t make any space in your heart to hate them. Simply walk away because it will be a waste of time and any sort of hate and aggravation in your heart for them, will only hurt you.