A reason to smile

This is your introduction not just to the hidden meanings in life but also to the man who specialises in unravelling them 8211; Cyrus Jehangir Sataravalla.

8220;I do not believe that dreams do not come true. I hold that dreams only come true. The one area of your life over which you have complete control are the thoughts you think in your head. All that we do, speak, read, write, dream or feel, first evolve as thoughts in mind. And thoughts when deeply nurtured unfold into an event in your life. You are a mighty magnet with the universe acutely sensitive to your organised thought. Whatever you steadily hold, focus upon and build in consciousness you will surely attract. So think big, dream long and persevere strong,8221; continues the motivational speaker who believes passionately in the power of thought and whose credo can possibly be summarised in the words,8220;If you think you can, you can,8221;.

Though at first glance, the slightly built man might not really strike you as someone who can make a difference to the lives of many by the sheer power of speech, as he continues his monologue, you find yourself slowly understanding the point being made about positive thinking and, more importantly even believing in it. You also understand why Sataravalla has been making waves in Pune and beyond since the past few years, for being a stirring and inspiring motivational expert.

Son of the late Lt. Gen. Jehangir Sataravalla and a graduate of St. Stephen8217;s college Delhi, Sataravalla found his real calling in life, as a motivational speaker relatively late, in 1991. Before that the History graduate was occupied with being a tea taster in Calcutta. His next step was to work as a fire extinguisher salesman. 8220;After eleven years of dealing with putting out fires I graduated to asking people to be on fire as the only way to realise their dreams,8221; he smiles.

It was in fact during his salesmanship days that the turning point came in his life. 8220;I was given a mission in a remote area in the Nilgiris to revamp a shut down unit. The place was so desolate that I nicknamed it Where eagles dare8217;. After months of concentrated effort I managed to put the factory together.

Then I asked myself what is it that cannot be done if one has a flaming need and desire to do it? From that moment onwards, slowly out of my various other experiences and my journey through life the idea of the power of positive thought surfaced and Quantum Success was born where I share with the people the knowledge that the greatest power is in your own hearts and minds.

On that barren hill slope, my intuition had become my closest and most infallible inner guide. An irrefutable proof of the fact that all things are first accomplished in the mind. I realised that the human mind is goal seeking 8211; when you lock onto your target, you will surely hit it. In fact I became dead certain of this8221;.

Having thus discovered his purpose in the world, Sataravalla relinquished his job and from 1991 onwards immersed himself in exhaustive reading that involved delving into the minds of people like Yung, Yoganand Parmahans, Vivekananda and many more.

He then began his talks on motivation addressing different groups of people and which met with tremendous response. Today in fact Sataravalla is a much sought after speaker by captains of industry for his keynote addresses that promise to spur the employees to stay focussed, dedicated and willing to commit their best.

8220;Demosthenes overcame a stammer to become the greatest orator known. Cosmologist Stephen Hawking, though confined to a chair, unravels the greatest mysteries of the Universe. Beethoven composed his greatest symphonies when deaf. Edison8217;s schooling was for six months. His teacher8217;s verdict was, that he was not particularly bright.

Ten thousand failed experiments later Edison presented mankind with what is history,8221; elaborates Sataravalla to bring home his point.8220;Another striking example of thought on fire that come to my mind is of Antonio Stradavasi who made the world8217;s finest violins and stated Let other men make other violins but none shall make a better violin!8217; That is the power of motivation.8221;

Having conquered the mind Cyrus has incidentally also found happiness in his heart in the form of his fiancee Cathy who he met nine years ago. The two plan to tie the knot this year. 8220;She is my dream come true,8221; smiles Sataravalla. How apt.