Katzi's Video: What My Daughters Taught Me
ServiceSpace
--Divyang Thakkar
Feb 26, 2017

 

[Below is a series of videos we captured at Gandhi 3.0 retreat. It's Katzi's touching moment of generosity, with his kids, prior to starting Dream Academy in Austria. We've also included a lightly edited transcript.  So grateful to be in the company of all these bright souls!]

 


I still remember the most difficult day of my life -- when I ran out of money. First time that ever happened to me.

It was early December 2009, and I thought to myself, "This cannot continue." Then out of nowhere, my kids showed up. They turned around, went to their room, and came back to give me 20 Euros and 50 Euros.

It was the best moment to lose your ego. The most painful moment of my life.

Fast forward five years. In a meeting, someone asked me, "Can you share that story with your kids giving you money?" I replied, "No, I always get too emotional telling it." It so happened that my daughter was in the same room, so they turned to her and asked her to tell the story. And she did.

"When my Papa started this project, I felt it was something good but there was little money. I talked with my sister and we decided that we could share from our piggy banks. If it helps them do good, then why not give it to them? So we gave them a 20 Euro and 50 Euro bill" she said.

After a pause, she added, "Now, if I look what you're doing here -- what you're learning all day, what kind of people from all around the glove who visit our house, have these discussion around our dining table, and sleep in our beds. When I see all this, I think it was a very good investment."

I was like, "What did you say? Good investment?"

Then it hit me. Before my kids were born, I had written them a letter. All my wishes for them were in this letter. One of the first things I had written, "I want you to be good investors. Everyday of your life, you are investing 24 hours. Make best use of it."

What you give away is what you keep. I didn't know it back then, but the lesson I gave to them came back to me.

All of sudden, the most painful moment of my life turned into the most blessed one. With each breath, we are planting seeds and investing in tomorrow's harvest.    

 

Posted by Divyang Thakkar on Feb 26, 2017


8 Past Reflections