Suneel Mandava: Three Mantras for Daily Life

Suneel Mandava: Three Mantras for Daily Life
By Ben Gross


Suneel Mandava, Managing Director at prestigious Chicago investment bank William Blair and Company, flew down to Atlanta from the Windy City to address a group of Grady High students.  Mandava, who came to the United States from India when he was 3 years old, told the story of his father, a man who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to change his destiny.

 

Mandava told the students that in a culture where conformity is expected (India has a 4,000 year old Caste system, which dictates that the children of every new generation should perform the same exact social function as their parents) his father dared to be different and write his own story.  Education, Mandava said, was the turning point for his father.  Living with his parents and 7 siblings in a two-room shack, Mandava’s father worked hard every day to be the top student in his high school class, to win a scholarship to medical school, and to finally bring his family to the United States.  Mandava’s father did not have many opportunities as a child, but what few he did – notably access to education – he took full advantage of.  And, he always asked his teachers and principles for help and guidance, which they readily gave him when they saw his determination to succeed.  Thus, by believing in himself, working hard, and never hesitating to ask for help, Mandava’s father changed not only his own destiny, but that of his son, his son’s children, their children, and so on.  “When you change the course of your life,” Mandava said, “you change it for every following generation, too.”
 
After telling the story of his father, Mandava shared what he called “his three simple mantras” with the class.  He told them:
1) Believe in Yourself – if you don’t believe in yourself and your abilities, who will?
2) Do your Best and Accept the Results – you can’t always be better than everyone else, but you can always do your personal best, and when you do so you should always be proud.
3) Have Compassion for Others – often the most successful people are not the smartest or the most talented, they are the ones who can show others that they care.

And, he reminded them, when you succeed, you improve not only your life, but the lives of following generations, too…and in these days of global warming, economic recession, energy shortages and other such issues threatening to pose serious problems in the future, following generations could certainly use some good news!