When You Set Your Mind To Something - Reveda Bhatt

“Have you ever wondered why couldn’t you complete that work even when you tried hard?

That’s because maybe you didn’t try hard enough.”

When you ‘truly’ set your mind to something, have you ever noticed how the entire universe works accordingly and how it seems like everything around is favourable to you? The universe, it is a ball of energies, various blessings, vibes etc. 

Every emotion, every mood- it is an energy you send out into the universe. But, internally, when you set your mind to something and work towards achieving it, the universe sends in energies for you to either take in or deflect. 

In that moment, the decision is up to you for the key is in your hand. Analysing, if this is how the universe works, for each person, accordingly, is it that we directly connect to it? Or is it something else in us that does? 

Something like your mind, my mind. Yes! When you set your goal, all the paths towards it unlock for you to move forward. Only if you try hard. Only if you don’t give up. Only if you stay true. Only if you keep moving forward. Our mind has that power, it is something that you control, something that works accordingly for you. Obstacles you’ll face, sure-it’s life that makes you tougher. It’s your mind that makes you stronger. Long way ahead- Keep going. The universe is with you if you do it right.

Reveda Bhatt 

Is it what we do that matters or the attitude behind it? - Rishona Chopra

PC- Medium

"Hard work"-  the term says a lot in itself. It talks about "working hard". It's doing the things you do with full dedication and perseverance. It is about exploring and going out of your comfort zone and doing those things with full dedication. Hard work isn't limited to being industrious but also to branching out and challenging yourself to do something new and "hard " for you. 

A very common situation is related to our studies. I personally have my own likes and dislikes for school subjects but then you can't leave a subject you don't like. Even if it's something that you absolutely dislike, one has to do it. Now, even if one works hard and studies that one subject diligently, a very important thing is the attitude we do it with. Do we do it for the sake of marks or do we do it because we know it's vital and because we are eager to learn?

Our attitude towards something changes our perception towards it and improves the quality of our work. Not just now, in our school years but also in our future endeavours. It's not just what we do, it's the intention behind it. One can work in a profession of service and help several others but is that person in that profession for the money and fame behind it or because they really care? The intentions not only show in our quality of work but also affect our state of well-being. 

While studying something that differs from one's interest, if we find little joy in doing it, then it may become easy for us! 

In life, things can never always go the way we want them to go. People are different, their thoughts are different and so are their actions. The only thing in our control is our actions, thoughts and feelings. The feeling of co-operation and an optimistic learning attitude is what creates the difference. 

It's the difference in our attitude that makes "hard work" not so hard after all!

Rishona Chopra

Grade VIII 

Gyanshree School

Marta Vieira da Silva - Sakshi Jain (Journalist)

Marta Vieira da Silva

One inspiring female football player who has left an indelible mark on the sport is Marta Vieira da Silva, commonly known as Marta. Hailing from Brazil, Marta's exceptional talent and dedication have not only earned her numerous accolades such as FIFA World Player of the Year (first win) in 2006 and subsequent victories in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, Olympic Silver Medal (2004), Golden Ball at FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, UEFA Women's Champions League and many more. 

Marta's journey to becoming one of the greatest female football players is marked by resilience and determination. Despite facing challenges and stereotypes associated with women in sports, she persevered, showcasing unparalleled skills on the field. Marta's commitment to her craft has not only shattered gender barriers but has also redefined the possibilities for women in football.

Moreover, Marta's leadership both on and off the field serves as a beacon of empowerment. She actively advocates for gender equality in sports, using her platform to address issues such as equal pay and opportunities for female athletes. Marta's commitment to social causes amplifies her impact, making her not just a football icon but a symbol of positive change.

~Sakshi Jain (Journalism Club)

The Secrets Of The Highly Efficient - Yashraj Sharma

Well, hello, dear reader! Before you start reading, there's one request I'd like to make to you. This is a big article, but trust me if you read it. It will be worth the time.

At some point in our lives, I'm sure we've all procrastinated. Sometimes, when your lazy side just takes over you and instead of knowing that right now is the perfect time to do some task, that lazy version of yourself just seems to take the steering wheel of your mind. We start doing things that we would define as "stupid" when we think about it; I mean, we all know that it's not wrong if I say that the first thing you do is go and check the fridge to see if something has magically appeared in there which wasn't there 10 minutes ago when you checked it for the same reason. 

You must be wondering what you are even reading, which is completely unrelated to the title you read, before opening this article in the first place.

So, I read a book called Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. Many of you might have yet to hear about this book or even this author. Well, I'm not going to tell you much about this book, but from reading it, I have come to learn of the two secrets of the highly efficient people we see every day on our devices and say, "Wow! They are excellent at their work. I'm sure they worked hard". These have helped me bring about some change in my life, and if you also practice them in your life, it'll give results, some outstanding ones. 

Number one: Motivation is absolute crap

I know this may have felt a bit harsh, but sometimes we just have to take it and accept it the way it is, right? So, there are always some things like guilt, dread, anxiety, self-hatred, and all of those good procrastinator feelings. These feelings are like quicksand. They grab you under and won't let you go. When it feels like that, it's elementary to drift off and continue making all the comfortable decisions you previously created that left you here. This is where "motivation" comes into play, commonly heard of when people set out to do something but end up in this situation. Even the best pep-talk or self-hack is nothing but a temporary fix. It won't amplify your voice or uplift your life. Motivation changes absolutely nobody. You need to fall in love with suffering and pain to transform from the little soul you are today into the most unbreakable and hardest person God has ever created. By which, I mean being the most successful person on the planet in the thing you do. 

Number two: The 3D mantra

Before you get too excited, I'm not recommending any movie but instead the one basic principle yet the most important one in your entire life you'll ever need in any situation to achieve any goal you set for yourself. This mantra says:

D- Discipline

D- Determination

D- Dedication

If you follow this mantra for every work you set out to do, I can guarantee you'll see results far better than expected.

The two things I just mentioned can be used in every area of your life, whether you're a student struggling in studies, trying to become the best or an adult. In the end, I'd like to say you need to know how to master your mind and defy the odds. Trust me, if you learn to do that and work hard daily. You'll see yourself becoming 1% better at the end of each day.

Yashraj Sharma

Gyanshree School

Grade IX Image of the book courtesy BOL.COM

Why do we need Determination in our lives? - Reflections 26th Feb 2023

Yes, Determination is essential in our lives because the word determination itself says the essence of increasing the same chances to be successful in what you want to achieve. It could be an aim of your life or a particular thing you want to achieve. For me, Determination means being motivated and only losing hope once unless you reach what you want and have faith in yourself.

Once you are determined and have faith in yourself, hundreds of obstacles may come your way and can't stop you from achieving your goal. So at last, I say that, according to my having, a determination is essential; otherwise, we can give up things quickly, but once you are determined, you will try your best to achieve that.

Mishu Gupta

When I think of determination I see it as the strong desire or will to do something or accomplish a thing which someone wishes to do. A dream or goal of a person is only fulfilled and hard work comes when one is determined towards one's goal or dream. Determination makes a person more interested and focus towards achieving his goal. Nothing would distract or obstruct a determined person from achieving his dream. 

All successful people have achieved success as determination has played a huge role in their lives. No one can stop a determined person and can never put them down. Even the motivational speakers have always mentioned that determination is very important to achieve something. Determination is something which comes from within and it never comes through forcing or punishing someone. No dream is fulfilled in life without determination , it is the most important part for achieving or doing something.

Shristi Khulal

By having a determination one can achieve anything in life but , one must also have a intrest on what you are doing. If we forcefully try to put our determination on the work in which we are not interested then it will ruin our life and if we put our determination on the work in which we are really interested then it will surely lead to sucess 

In life we need to have determination as without the willing of doing something one can never achieve success. Determination helps us to keep moving forward in life. Are determined to do something, then the way to success is automatically created. It is very important to have determination in life to reach success and to achieve anything in life.

Tenzin Jambey

All reflections are from

Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Poll commissioned at The Sunday School by Jugjiv Sir.

Determination - Prarthna Rastogi

Determination

I believe that ordinary people achieve success with extraordinary determination... -Zig Ziglar.

Determination is the way to success. It is the way to our happiness. If a person is determined about their aim and has hope, then nobody can stop them from achieving anything in life. It is the tendency that we have within us and the strength to overcome any sort of hurdle in life. Someone who is determined is immensely self-motivated and motivates others too. The determination may even help us improvise as it does not let us give up in any situation. It’s an important quality which everyone should possess. A determined person has self-confidence, which never lets them down and is the key to success.

Prarthna Rastogi

Grade VIII

The Doon Girls School

Determination - Avni Kochhar

Hello everyone, I am Avni Kochhar, and today, I will be sharing my determination experience.

A few people tend to just do their work for the sake of doing it, and then they think they showed a lot of Determination in that work. But when people do their job and put their whole mind and heart into doing it, that is Determination.

I was so excited that I would be playing in my very first basketball tournament! When I got there with my teammates, the match hadn't yet begun. It started almost an hour later, and our chance came three hours later. Now I knew this opportunity to go to a tournament was very rare, so when we went into the court, we found the other team was older than us in experience and age. We started playing, and each and every one of my teammates fell on the court, including me. We lost, But I didn't give up. I kept playing basketball for 2 years and then finally I got the chance! I participated in another tournament and actually won!

Thank you

Avni Kochhar
Grade IV
Gyanshree School

Determination - Yashraj Sharma

"A dream does not become a reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work".

- Colin Powell

Determination is a state of mind that we ought to have when we are doing work; it becomes most helpful when we are doing something we are struggling with. 

Let me tell you about one of my life experiences:

I will tell you about my Nani; she has always been a very hardworking and persistent woman. She has been a Principal of a school for underprivileged students for the last 38 years. When she joined, the school's strength was only around 200,  and the classes were only till the 5th grade, but since she has joined the school, it has progressed a lot. There are 1000+ students, and classes are till the 8th grade. Because of her determination, endurance and hard work to make the school progress to its fullest. She was also awarded the president award in 2009 by our former president Mrs Pratibha Patel for the same. She is my role model.

Here, I want to share my own experience also.

I am not a drawing person. One day, my mom suggested that I should join calligraphy classes. Initially, I was not sure whether I could continue with the lessons. But it's been a year now, I have learnt two types of calligraphy skills...and I have started taking an interest in drawing too. This happened due to my firm determination and willpower.

So, in the end, I would like to say that determination is the only thing that we need to move forward whenever we are doing an arduous task or failing in doing a task.

Yashraj Sharma

Grade VII

Gyanshree school

Determination - Rishona Chopra

Determination is the quality to do something and the ability to face all obstacles bravely without giving up. It enables you to achieve the goal you have set, no matter how hard. 

Steve Jobs (CoFounder Apple) was fired from his own company but still managed to fulfil his dreams. We can learn from his life how determination can help us achieve the impossible. I would like to share a short story about validating my point.

When I was in medical college, I usually studied while my other friends were busy partying. I felt pressured to have fun with them instead of learning. Although partying looked fun, I knew if I didn't study, I wouldn't achieve my goal, and if I failed, I would be disheartened, and my dreams wouldn't be fulfilled. I ignored them. It was difficult. It was soon time for my final paper. Luckily, I did well! My hard work had paid off. If I had spent my time partying like the other students, I would have indeed failed. 

And this is how determination allows us to fuel our dreams!

Rishona Chopra

Grade V

Gyanshree School

Determination - Rishona Chopra

Reading Chapter 12, Determination from the book,

Is Your Child Ready To Face The World? by Dr Anupam Sibal

Rishona Chopra
Grade V

Gyanshree School

Determination - Anvesha Rana

         
"Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting."

Life is about success, failure and more success. The key to facing all of it is the determination to rise after one falls and start right from square one. We may receive awards or we may not, but definitely at some point in life we will receive failure and when we do, we all should remember to embrace it. Failure is not the opposite of success, it is a part of success. Only after you fail, you succeed and only after you succeed, you fail but what matters most is that you continue your quest of accomplishing your dreams. 50 years down the lane you will be more disappointed about the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do and when you start fulfilling your ambitions, you may even realize that life is too short for everything. 

An ordinary person who demonstrated extraordinary determination was Steve Jobs. He dropped out of college and started Apple Computer, Inc. with Steve Wozniak in his parent's garage. At twenty-five, Steve was worth USD 100 million. Seven years after this John Sculley became the CEO of Apple, due to the difference in the work styles of Jobs and Sculley, Jobs was fired from his own company. This was one of the most creative periods in the life of Apple's creator, during this time he started a company NeXT and also bought a computer animation studio named Pixar, he played a hand in the success of Toy Story, Ratatouille, The Incredibles and Cars. Jobs was then approached to rejoin Apple, he made radical changes at the company and hired Tim Cook. This was very different from a younger Jobs. The employees were now excited and they felt a sense of pride in their daily work. The results were a host of innovative products and Apple not just being a company, but a legacy.

We all respond to failure negatively but in reality it is an awful tasting medicine that the patient needs. Rather than regretting failure, we should assess what went wrong and improve our chances the next time. No matter how many times we lose, we should not let loss undermine our strength or our determination in fact, failure should only make our will stronger.

Anvesha Rana,

9-B,

Gyanshree School.

Determination - Sunita Mehta

Is Your Child Ready To Face The World?

Find out why Determination matters.

Joy Of Learning

1. Humility; 2. Beating The Odds; 3. It's Never Too Late; 4. Courage; 5. Handling Pressure; 6. Making Mistakes Accepting Flaws; 7. Be A Dreamer; 8. Finding Your Calling; 9. Compassion; 10. Making Others Happy; 11, Never Give Up Hope; 12. Determination; 13. Giving; 14. Be The Change; 15. Gratitude; 16. Goals; 17. Honesty; and 18. Forgiveness.

Self Confidence and Hope - Ananya Bhatia

My Name is Ananya Bhatia.
I study in Ahlcon Public school in class 9th. I like reading books.

Self Confidence and Hope

Self Confidence is an essential part of our life. Everyone has their own challenges and difficulties. Students, for example, are often compared with their friends, relatives, neighbours etc. This comparison is limited to academics and often extends to other fields like sports, public Speaking, Extra curriculum etc. In these situations, they really need self-confidence.

They must also know that they are on the right path and should not give up hope. I feel that self-confidence and hope can co-relate. If we have the self-confidence to move on the right track, the results will also come, but only if we don’t give up hope. Another way around is if we give up hope, our self-confidence will fall.

Thank you.

Be A Dreamer - Prarthana Rastogi

Everyone has the freedom to dream. It is a beautiful and soulful experience. Children of our age have dreams to become someone according to their likings and expect their parents to help them pursue it.

Hence, parents should encourage their children to dream and contribute to the process of fulfilling the same.

When parents have different expectations from their children, they do not realize they knowingly or unknowingly put their children under pressure.

As a result, the child, in fear of disappointing their parents, forget about their dreams and start following what their parents want them to be.

However, these people sometimes are not successful because their heart does not follow them, and their mind is not accepting it. 

As a child, I also dream of becoming a Sports Star. I love playing sports. I’m passionate about basketball, badminton, and cricket. 

If you have the determination and are mentally strong, you’ll surely be successful. 

Last but not least, parents should understand their children and support them in all ways to follow their hearts and pursue their dreams.

Name: Prarthana Rastogi
Grade: 8
The Doon Girls School

Making Mistakes and Accepting Flaws - Chahna Gandhi

It's unusual how 'mistakes' can turn you into something better than you were before.

Let's learn from the Great J.K Rowling, one of the best writers in the modern world. She is one of my favourites. Thanks to her that we have Harry Potter today. Rowling had published a series of classic novels. But not many are aware that before gaining fame, she was nearly penniless, depressed and trying to raise a child independently. While attending school and trying to make a decent earning, through her continuous determination and the fantastic idea of writing a book, she has become one of the richest women within a term of 5 years. 

You might have not understood what I mean and trying to convey.

Here's my point of view about the story : 

Joanne is an inspiring woman, and she inspired me to express my thoughts through writing as I am doing right now. Today she stimulated me that there's no wrong with making mistakes. Instead, she influenced me to see the positive of the errors, just like she did. She wrote and made mistakes but never gave off and got up even more robust with more creative ideas. 

BTS is one of the rising stars today. They have persuaded the youth into believing and loving themselves endlessly through their continuous efforts. They also did not become what they are today. They made mistakes and learned from them in a blink of an eye. Though they did think about giving up when they did not do as well as expected, they did not. We all get negative thoughts, but we have to push them away and need to focus on our aim. These thoughts can lead to mistakes, which will teach us a lesson and motivate us. 

Just remember, if you make mistakes, that means you're doing something out there. 

Chahna Gandhi

Grade 8

The Doon Girls School