Clinical Psychologist Maria D'Costa

24/11/2025

24/11/2025

You know, I don’t think we talk enough about the weight we silently hold… the parts of the year we didn’t post about… the days we pushed through even when our heart felt too tired to even try.

There were moments you sat in silence because you genuinely didn’t know what to say anymore.
There were days when you told everyone, “I’m okay,” even though something in you whispered, “I’m trying… I’m still trying.”

And yet… you carried them.

You carried the disappointments you didn’t see coming.
You carried the plans that didn’t unfold the way you prayed they would.
You carried the responsibilities that kept piling up even when you barely had enough strength left.
You carried the heartbreaks that grew you in ways you never asked for.
You carried the people who leaned on you even when you needed someone to lean on too.

And sometimes the most underrated thing about survival is that it isn’t obvious.
It looks like waking up even when your chest is heavy.
It looks like doing the next right thing even when you don’t know what tomorrow will look like.
It looks like showing up for your family, your work, your life, even when some days you wanted to hide.

You carried things you didn’t think you could carry.
And maybe you still don’t realize how strong that makes you.

So if the year felt heavier than you expected, let me tell you this:
There is no shame in admitting it.
There is no weakness in acknowledging the weight.
And there is no failure in the way you held on.

Some parts of this year were reallyhard to carry…
but still you carried them. 🥹🌱

19/11/2025

How Steve Jobs Used Silence to Outsell Every Competitor

In 1997, Apple was weeks away from bankruptcy.
The stock was crashing.
Employees were quitting.
The brand was considered dead.

So the board brought back Steve Jobs… and his first act shocked everyone.

He walked into the product strategy meeting, looked at a giant table filled with dozens of computers, printers, gadgets, accessories, and prototypes…
and said nothing.

He just stood there.

People waited.
Coughed.
Shifted in their seats.

Finally, Jobs calmly said:

“We’re going to make four products.
And we’re going to make them insanely great.
Everything else… delete it.”

Engineers panicked.
Marketers protested.
Entire departments begged him to keep their devices alive.

Jobs refused.

One by one, he cleared the table.
Every product… gone.
Every complication… gone.
Every distraction …gone.

When he finished, the once-packed table was completely empty.

He pointed at it and said:

“This… is how we win.”

From that empty table came the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad …the most profitable product line in consumer history.

Apple didn’t grow by adding.
It grew by subtracting.

💡 THE MARKETING LESSON

Complexity kills sales.
Clarity creates dominance.

Jobs understood something most businesses still ignore:

Customers don’t choose the best product…
they choose the clearest choice.

That’s why:
• In-N-Out sells more with 3 burgers than menus with 98 items
• Trader Joe’s thrives with fewer SKUs than any major grocery chain
• Netflix exploded when they removed everything except one promise: “Watch anything instantly.”

When you remove noise, value becomes visible.
When you reduce options, demand increases.
When you simplify choices, people act faster.

🧠 THE NERDY TAKEAWAY

The “Empty Table Principle” teaches this:

You don’t need more products.
You need more purpose.

Growth isn’t about offering everything.
It’s about focusing on the thing you can make unforgettable.

Because when your brand becomes clear…
your audience becomes certain.

And certainty sells more than features ever will.

18/11/2025

I was pursuing my Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication in Pune when I called Lehren, the pioneering video magazine of its time, to ask if I could intern with them for a month. The call was picked up by Mr. Sarwar Quddus, one of the partners. He was warm and, without hesitation, said, "Join anytime you want." I immediately joined them. The Lehren team was extremely supportive. Bharathi S. Pradhan used to do (and still does to this day!) a guest column for them.

That day, I think the gods conspired in my favour. The studio where she was to record her column had a power failure, and Bharathi had to come to the Lehren office to wait till the power returned. As they were having tea, Farid, who worked at Lehren, casually showed her some of the intros of the filmstars that I had written.

I was summoned to meet her, and as soon as I finished my exams, Bharathi took me on board as a journalist at Showtime, a sister concern of Stardust and one of the many magazines published by the late Mr. Hira's Magna Publications.

Bharathi's mentorship was perfect, with zero politics and unbridled encouragement and appreciation, and Showtime became more than just a workplace – it was like a family where everyone helped everyone. Absolutely no rivalry. And though three decades have passed, the bond forged with Sarwar, Farid, and everybody at Showtime remains unbroken till date... ❤️