Adjusting Your Attitude: A Path to a Stress-Free Life
In today’s fast-paced and demanding world, stress has become an unwelcome companion for many. The pressures of work, relationships, and daily responsibilities can easily overwhelm us, affecting both our physical and mental well-being. However, by adjusting our attitude, we can cultivate a mindset that promotes resilience and helps us navigate life’s challenges while remaining stress-free.…
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Learning from Mistakes: The Tale of the Broken Vase
In life, mistakes are often seen as stumbling blocks, but they can also serve as stepping stones towards growth and self-improvement. One such lesson came to me through a story I read of a personal experience involving a cherished family heirloom, a delicate porcelain vase that had been passed down through generations. One sunny afternoon,…
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Drinking from my Saucer
Do you remember older generations drinking from their saucer? Then today I came across this poem that made me feel there was symbolism to the coffee ritual. Drinking from My Saucerby John Paul Moore I’ve never made a fortune and it’s probably too late now.But I don’t worry about that much, I’m happy anyhow. And…
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The SCARF Model
Conversations are much more than a simple exchange of words. Consciously or not, every time we interact with someone, we’re meeting some of their social needs and perhaps depriving them of others. That is, we’re using language and engaging in behavior that either uplifts and motivates people or causes them to withdraw and shut down.…
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Pope Francis 10 years on
Early in Pope Francis’s pontificate, the sense of expectation was enormous. He spoke simply and powerfully. He stayed away from the typical trappings of papal luxury. He was seen as an outsider and a natural reformer. He stirred some trepidation among conservatives, but not enough to override the global adulation. “The People’s Pope,” Time magazine called him,…
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Morning Rose Bud ~ Fr. T
morning rose budeach one prophecyeach one promisesequence fulfillunfathomable wayonly He knowstill dazzle bloomand way beyond His touch of graceHis always there… my life a prophecyHis promise madeI must fulfillthrough living faithof what must be His plans unfolduncertain waysmy joyous lifenot sacrificebut fully livedsufficient gracean offering photo and poem by Fr. Terrence Quadros SJ
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Suitcase on Wheels
We put wheels on bags after we put a man on the moon, made the internet and started flying the Boeing 747. What took so long? In 1970 Bernard Sadow had no luck selling his new invention into Department stores. “I showed it to every department store in New York City and everybody said I…
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Lenten Poem
Christmas is over and it’s Lent all over again,Should I eat a meat sandwich or should it be plain?Should I fast for 5 hours or skip breakfast and lunch,Or just have tea and a little something to munch? Should I stop smoking or should I shun drink,Should I stop thinking those wrong thoughts I always…
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Fading Leaf ~ Fr. T
quiet offeringgiven fullyfreely givenlight lit green leaveshush spray belowin upward strive rising wavesoft presenceyearn ascentbeyond reach fading leafduty donewaits descentto earth soilthere decomposeenrich the earth each moment blessedwith have to doand graceful livelife no regretsof glory goneor how to benew differently. we live life pathsby God designedHis choices madeall falls in placethough now and thenwe…
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Taking Control Of Your Happiness
We’ve all seen kids going about their day with a large majority spent in a joyful state. You would have to try really hard to make a child unhappy. But as we grow up, that trend reverses. We spend most of our days unhappy and we are constantly looking for something or someone externally to…
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How to be Less Reactive
When we are emotionally reactive, we tend to be more stressed. We feel angry or often hurt because we react impulsively. Putting it another way, we overreact. Our perception of the existing situation confronting us becomes altered. This makes us prone to making the wrong decisions. Correcting a misunderstanding is much harder than learning to…
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7 Eye Opening Japanese Concepts
Japanese fans at the recent FIFA World Cup tournament have been receiving praise for their admirable habit of cleaning up the stadium after their team’s matches. It’s commonplace to see Japanese fans, blue garbage sacks in hand, hanging back after the game to pick up the trash everyone has left behind in the stadium. Did…
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The Mouse & The Jar Of Grains
A “mouse” was put at the top of a jar filled with grains. He was too happy to find so much food around him. Now he doesn’t need to run around searching for food and can happily lead his life. As he enjoyed the grains, in a few days’ time, he reached the bottom of…
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You’re a Rose
I once heard someone say,If you don’t change you do not grow,But I waved the thought away,For who were they to think they know,I’d always stayed the same,A heart that thrived within the cold,At least that’s what I had been told,But deep within my mind,A thought grew slowly, bit by bit,Until I felt trapped in…
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Treating People Right
By mistake his Phone rang in Church during Mass… The Priest scolded him … After prayers, the congregation admonished him for interrupting the silence. His wife lectured him on his carelessness until they got home. One could see the shame, embarrassment n humiliation on his face !! He has never stepped into the Church ever…
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Badam Leaves ~ Fr. T
Art unmatchedcreative divinebadam leavesfallen gatheredrain washedcolour splashedeach uniquevaried designrearranged… He does it all the timethis loving Godall round every timeplants flowers oceanscreatures mountainsinsects butterflies…restlessly makingmore beautiful for us… most wonderful of alleach human beingcreations bestin image likenessHis very own our grateful living:joyous responseto glory gifts He givesto glory gift He is…
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Does Solitude Help With Personal Growth?
When we hear the word solitude, we probably jump right to feeling like we’re the odd man out or that we’re being isolated from others. Granted, after the lockdown and stay-at-home orders, the definition of isolation now includes phrases like remote work and distance learning. Pandemic aside, the word solitude seems to be synonymous with feelings of loneliness for most of…
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What Sparks a Light in You?
Do you know what ‘sparks a light in you?’ Are you aware of what makes you feel excitedly creative, awakened, full of life and energy, brimming with enthusiasm and passion? When you start to do the things that you truly love, it wouldn’t matter whether it is Monday or Friday; you would be so excited…
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Fallen Leaves ~ Fr. T
Fallen badam leaves scattered on the ground carelessly.Soon to be swept away to garbage.I wandered among them searching, selecting, picking up,putting together… The three in the centre are long ago dried up pipal leaves… also very beautiful… flip flit float fallfatal end now stayedpicked purposefullyas art hand propelsto wild expanse beyond arranged then mystic shapegracious…
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New York, New York
After 3 long weeks in Secaucus, I finally managed to get myself to go to New York. I had gone around NY when I came to the US for the first time in 2018. And maybe that’s why I didn’t feel like going again. And also this time I am alone and sightseeing without company…
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Moving on from Guilt
Over the course of our lives upto this point, we all have probably done a few things we regret. Mistakes are normal to human growth. Still, the guilt that creeps in and stakes out space in your consciousness can cause plenty of emotional and physical turmoil. You might know guilt best as the nauseating twist…
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Success & Growth Look Different for Everyone
My wife loves plants and when I saw this quote I recalled a lot of what I see in our garden. Some plants grow outward first while other spend months growing roots before they are able to show any fruit.some plants grow outward first while other spend months growing roots before they are able to…
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Change Your Story
We often limit ourselves by deciding we can’t do something before we even try. These limiting beliefs may lead us to ask ourselves, “Why bother?” or tell ourselves, “This is silly.” When we do this, we are effectively telling ourselves the answer is “no” before we even ask the question. When we do that, we’ve…
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Stop Trying to Change People Who Dont Want to Change
Its hard to watch a friend or family member struggling with a problem or making bad decisions. You naturally want to help. You want to make the lives of your friends and family members easier and more joyful. You want to fix their problems and relieve their suffering. Trying to keep a loved one out…
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How To Train Your Brain To Become More Positive?
We face many challenges in our personal life as well as in our career. In fact, career is one aspect of life which constantly makes us uncertain and at times leads us to the negative loop. From the quest of choosing the right career to the competitive peers, from ever nudging relatives to an un-supportive…
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Measure of Your Character
Through our lives we encounter different types of people who are successful. Some we look up to and some who teach what we should not be. No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all. And this is exactly what came to my mind when…
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You Have EVERYTHING You Need
Have you ever stopped and wondered why you do the things that you do? Have you ever questioned why you spend so much time consuming content on the internet, television, or social media? It’s easy to tell yourself the story that you won’t be happy or complete until you achieve x, y, and z. Or you need a, b…
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Journey vs Destination
There’s nothing more natural than using path- and travel-related metaphors. We’ve all spoken of “long roads ahead”, “heading in the right direction”, or “taking a wrong turn.” The destination is like a dot on the map, it’s the desired end-state of all our striving. If you’re trying to lose 20 pounds, then 20 pounds lighter is…
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Stay Strong
If movie soundtracks have taught us one thing, it’s that it can’t rain all the time and the sun will come out tomorrow. The hard part, though, is knowing how to stay strong until the storm passes. Life would be so much easier if it were all rainbows and sunshine every day, wouldn’t it? Sadly,…
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Can’t Keep your Head Up?
Do you ever feel purposeless, like you’re not sure what’s the whole point of life? Do you feel like you have a pointless life? I get it. I’ve been there. When life feels pointless, it’s hard to keep getting up every morning to go through the motions. Some days we blame our pointless life on…
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Spend Time with your Family
Spending time with family can never be a luxury but a necessity. This statement – “your family is more important than your job” – is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned over the last two years through the pandemic. So important, in fact, it has been one of the more frequent statements that…
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Dream Big, Aim High
Everyone has a dream. No matter what dreams you are trying to pursue, regardless of whether it is to save humanity, to end world hunger, to overcome poverty, or to simply get a promotion or to change a better car, the truth is that your dreams matter. Many a time when we are young, we…
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How to Let Go of the Past
Our past experiences can have a significant impact on our daily lives. We often base our decisions on events that we have witnessed and also dwell on past experiences or people. Letting go is never easy. It may be hard for some and even harder for others. I am not what happened to me. I…
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The Power of Choice
We all make choices in our lives every day, both knowingly and unknowingly. From simple decisions like what to eat for dinner and what to wear to work, to the heavier ones about who to be friends with and whether to change jobs, there’s a truth that we must all embrace: everyone has the power of choice.…
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Things will work out
We have all gone through that phase wondering what God is up to, why does everything that happens makes us feel that things are just going downhill. Maybe it’s work or stress-related, or maybe you are struggling with relationships. Maybe it’s something in your financial life. And no matter what you do in any of…
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Little Miracles Happen Everyday
Every day, billions of people wake up in the morning and go about their busy days. For some, the busyness of the day does not allow for time to reflect, while for others, the mundane routine offers little to look forward to, or to be grateful for. The nature of life today does not often…
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Count your Blessings
In a world of plenty where most of us are pre-programmed to strive for more, desire what we don’t have, and lust after what’s faster, better, and stronger, we forget to appreciate what we have. It made me think: what would happen if we could all learn to live with less? What if we could…
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Stop Worrying About What Other People Think
We all want to be accepted and loved by others. It is a nearly universal human desire. After all, we evolved to survive better in groups, where fitting in and having the trust and respect of our peers are the measures of success. The need to belong is in our DNA. But sometimes that need takes…
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Taking a Leap of Faith
Leaping without knowing where you’ll land on the other side can be extremely scary. But taking risks is necessary for growth. All of the greatest things in life require a leap of faith. You cannot fall in love if you don’t let down your walls and leap. You most likely won’t advance in your career…
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An Upma Story
The Fallacy of Majority Power in Democracy Upma used to be served everyday in a hostel of 100 inmates. Out of the 100 students, 80 complained and asked to be given different tiffin items every day. But 20 students were happy to eat upma every day. In order to come to a decision, the warden…
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Make a Difference
Absolutely love this story on doing all you can while you are alive. A rich Goan landlord once asked his parish priest : ‘Why does everybody call me stingy when everyone knows that when I die I will leave everything I have to this church?’The priest answered : ‘There once was a pig and a…
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Jewels Under The Saddle
Once upon a time, what happened did happen…..or you wouldn’t be hearing this story!!A merchant on a casual jaunt through a market, came across a fine specimen of a camel for sale.The merchant and the camel seller, both skilled negotiators, struck a hard bargain. The camel seller pleased with his skill of worming out what…
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Why do People Care
When I saw this quote, the following story immediately came to mind. On March 10, 1748, John Newton, a 22-year-old English seaman who had worked in the slave trade, was traveling home on a merchant ship after a series of misadventures, including being captured and enslaved in Sierra Leone. On that day, a violent storm…
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Can we Save our Planet?
Unfortunately, we humans have not been very good stewards of the Earth over the years. To protect the environment and preserve the planet for our children and future generations, we all need to take proactive steps toward cleaner living habits. Whether it’s gas, food, clothing, cars, furniture, water, toys, electronics, knick-knacks or other goods, we…
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Focus on the Now to Build your Tomorrow
Do you catch yourself spending a lot of time focusing on your future, meticulously planning it to the last detail and sacrificing the present moment for some illusory sense of happiness. Often we are too busy thinking of the future, seeing what we will do after we get that dream job, plan our dream vacation. Under…
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We are Energetic Beings
Have you ever worked alongside someone who was a drainer of your energy? You know the sort – the people who are constantly negative, focused on what could go wrong and spend most of the day gossiping about other people… even if they don’t know them. Unfortunately, some teams seem to be filled with these…
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Why should you Embrace your Inner Child
We were all children at some point in our lives and that kid didn’t just up and leave the moment you became the responsible adult you are today. They’re still a part of you and we should learn to embrace them. Why? We shall see in a bit. But first let us quickly see the…
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Being Calm
It is not easy to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure. Stress is a normal part of modern life, but if you’re often faced with stressful situations and feel panicked or overwhelmed trying to deal with them, you may benefit from learning some coping strategies that can help you to stay calm. Nowadays, simply…
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Finding Our True Direction
I am sure you have tried walking around your home in the dark. With arms stretched out, we feel our way around, stumbling into walls, cupboards, feeling for what is familiar to find our way. It is surely had to see where we are going without light. It’s painful to run into things we didn’t…
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Baby Bird Syndrome
Have you spent a lot of time trying to help people who very clearly aren’t ready to accept help? This is called the “baby bird syndrome” where you pick the wounded animal off the ground and try to slowly nurse it back to health. But what if all that baby bird does is resist your…
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Make Time for Things You Love
Two of the all-time biggest reasons or excuses people use when it comes to not living a life of passion and fulfilment are: Time and money. We’ve heard this over and over again. Make time for the things that make you happy and for people you love. Time flies and you don’t want to look…
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Turning your back on the crowd…to Lead
When I first saw this quote on one of my friend’s Whatsapp story, I was filled with awe. I see so many people in leadership who spend a lot of time wanting to be “in the crowd” instead of leading the crowd. No doubt it is hard to turn our backs to the cheering crowd…
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7 Ways to Avoid Gossiping and Be Happy
Gossiping comes naturally to ALL of us. We see a lot of it in the media around famous personalities. But we gossip even in our day-to-day lives, very regularly. You may be a victim of it or you may participate in it. You may tell a friend or a co-worker something in confidence (you think).…
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Create your own Happiness
How would you define a happy person? Most of the research in the field of psychology defines a happy person as someone who experiences frequent positive emotions, such as joy, interest, pride, and sometimes infrequent (though not absent) negative emotions, such as sadness, anxiety, and anger. Happiness has also been said to relate to life…
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How to Improve Work-Life Balance
Work often takes precedence over everything else in our lives. Our desire to succeed professionally can push us to set aside our own well-being. Creating a harmonious work-life balance or work-life integration is critical, though, to improve not only our physical, emotional and mental well-being, but it’s also important for our career. In short, work-life…
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Why should you let life surprise you?
The struggle with life results from trying to control conditions beyond your capacity. We feel we are in control because it gives us command over our lives. Yet, unseen forces are at work in the background which include: conscious and unconscious thoughts and free will. Struggling is pointless because it doesn’t change outside circumstances, it…
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The Battle Between Mind and Heart
It is a tough situation when your heart says go for it and your mind says “No” it is wrong. You do accept the things happening in your life and you want to create a new life which is better than what you are living today. Sometimes your heart tells you to help someone find…
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Kick Out The Auto Pilot
As one ages it becomes easier to just allow life to lead you rather than you leading your life. It’s as if ‘auto pilot’ has kicked in. We just wake up and respond to life. We do what we do and ultimately allow the status quo to become our life style. Or….we can determine as we get…
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The Secret of Happiness is Less Expectations
How many times in your life have you experienced hurt, disappointment, anger, or stress, from the difference between your imagination and reality? We’re very creative creatures. And when we set out to do things, we always expect that everything will turn out exactly the way we want. Does this sound familiar? “I’m going to finish…
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Tough Times Don’t Last
We all go through difficulties in life. Failure, losing your job, bankruptcy, the death of a loved one and countless other scenarios. Going through these situations is never easy. Sometimes, we just want to give up and throw our hands up in silent resignation. It’s easy to see why. These are all painful situations that hit…
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Microhabits to Change your Life
Is it really possible to change one’s life in such a short timeframe? Well, yes. Just don’t expect a complete overhaul of your life in 30 days or you’ll be terribly disappointed! You can, however, change your life to a certain degree in 30 days. Remember, 1% positive change in a month is still change.…
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Solitude: How & Why to Spend Time Alone
When was the last time you were alone? Not lonely, or isolated, or missing someone. But alone, happily, by choice? If you’re still thinking, it’s been too long. Modern society has developed some negative associations with the idea of being alone. When kids misbehave, parents send them to their rooms to sit in silence as…
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Own your Flaws
We see our physical imperfections every time we look at ourselves in a mirror. We sometimes reflect on our shortcomings or imperfections of character after we fail to respond to a situation in an emotionally-balanced way; When we realize we were untruthful to ourselves and to others, or when we harshly criticize ourselves for not…
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Benefits of Setting Boundaries
You can’t be all things — or do all things — for all people. A life without limits means rarely saying “no” and considering everyone else’s feelings before your own. Not only are these people-pleasing habits wholly exhausting, they put you on the direct road to burnout, a major health hazard in its own right. They disregard…
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How Much Discipline Do You Really Need to Fulfill Your Dreams
The internet is full of contradictory success stories. On the one hand, you hear about a lot about college dropouts making it big only after they gave up on the rigorous college schedule. On the other, you have stories about successful businessmen and entrepreneurs working their way up from the bottom, working 20 hours a…
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Good or Bad, It Comes Back to You
Whatever we do, it comes back to us. Whatever deeds we perform in our daily life — good or bad — we have to bear the fruits of the same. Sooner or later, we will come back to us. This is the rule of life we should bear in mind when dealing with the people…
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What Judging Others Reveals About You
For some reason, people love to judge other people. I know firsthand, because I’m definitely guilty of doing it too. I don’t do it nearly as much as I used to, but I still catch myself doing it more often than I should. Whenever I slip up and start becoming judgmental of others, I take a step…
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Loves Me, Loves Me Not?
We all are pretty well aware that love isn’t always wonderful like we see in the movies. In real life, it’s often unpredictable, frustrating, even painful. While it certainly can offer plenty of rewards, these benefits don’t generally come without some dedicated effort and willingness to accept some challenges as part of the process. This…
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Are you ready to ride the bus?
When you are in the best of times, it seems like everybody loves you, even your enemies become your friends. It is though when you need them the most that everyone you know backs off. It is at your worst that you understand who is your real friend and who truly cares. This is the…
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Why Fit In When You Were Born To Stand Out?
Some people go on their entire lives thinking that being different is something bad. They think that by not being themselves and by desperately trying to fit into society’s norms, they are doing themselves and the world a favor. But they are not. As long as you feel content with yourself and you are open…
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Our Children, Our Future
One of my favourite songs from the eighties is “The Greatest Love of All,” the mega hit by Whitney Houston. When I consider why I like this song so much, it’s the first line of the lyrics that just grabs me right away, “I believe the children are our future.” At about 35, most adults…
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Who Supports Your Dreams?
All of us have dreams and passions. Many of us are too scared to even take a step towards making our dreams a reality. And the road isn’t easy for the few brave souls who pursue their passions. There will be some who encourage you, some who pull you down, some who mock you and…
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Everything Happens for a Reason
Throughout my life, I have consistently heard the phrase “everything happens for a reason”. Sometimes, it’s said because something bad happened, and it’s supposed to be comforting. Sometimes, it’s said because something good happened, as a way to affirm something more than blind luck. Here is another phrase: “People come into your life for a…
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April Fools Day: Origins
Where do we get the strange custom of playing pranks on April 1? The short answer is that nobody knows for sure. All we know is that the custom was known in Renaissance Europe, and probably has roots older than that. Some people think the idea of April Fools’ Day goes back to classical Roman…
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Character: How You Treat Others?
Growing up, I was taught you treated everyone the same. It didn’t matter if they were the bank president or the peon —they all were treated with the same level of respect. Not everyone was raised that way, however, and there’s enough rude people in the world as evidence to that fact. I read once…
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