Prafull

Best Indian stock scanners

2021-05-18T01:47:00.001+05:30

Tax on your income from share trade

2021-05-11T01:48:00.003+05:30

Tax for those who trade for regular earning

If you are an intraday or daily trader and your trade volume is considerably high. All your income from share market transactions will be considered as income from business activities and will be taxed accordingly as per income-tax slabs defined for that assessment year.

Tax for those who trade for investment

If you don't trade intraday using margins, your tax will be considered either

1. Long term capital gains tax

If the period of investment in shares of one company is more than one years, you will have to pay only 10 per cent of profit.

2. Short term capital gains tax

If period of investment in shares of one company is less than one year, your tax liability will be 20 per cent of the profit.

PS: You can carry forward your losses to next year for same segment of taxation.

PS: Income tax guys will look at your volume of trade to assess the primary category.

Top Product Development Frameworks

2021-05-11T01:08:00.003+05:30

Lean Startup By Eric Ries

Scrum By Scrum.org

Lean Canvas By LeanStack

Asana Product Process By Asana

Intercom Product Management By Intercom

Basecamp Cycles By Basecamp

Dropbox Project Lifecycle Reviews By Dropbox

Double Diamond By The British Design Council

Airbnb Elastic Product Teams By Airbnb

How Spotify Builds Products By Spotify

Typeform Product Playbook By Typeform

Responsive Development By Drift

Outcome-Driven Innovation By Strategyn

Radical Product Canvas By Radical Product

5 Project Phases By Yammer

Working Backwards By Amazon

GOGOVAN Product Playbook By GOGOVAN

Pandora's 4 Key Product Docs By Pandora

Pragmatic Marketing By Pragmatic Marketing

Hooked Model By Nir Eyal

Facebook's 3 Question Approach By Facebook

Kano Model By Noriaki Kano

GIST Planning By Itamar Gilad

HEART Framework By Google

Design Thinking By IDEO

Four Fits Framework By Brian Balfour

Three Feature Buckets By Adam Nash

Lean UX By Jeff Gothelf

Dual-Track Agile By SVPG

Product Development Flow By Donald Reinertsen

Product Prioritization Framework By Gusto

Assumption Mapping By Precoil

Lean Product Playbook By Dan Olsen

Pretotyping By Alberto Savoia

Customer Journey Map By UX Planet

Opportunity Solution Tree By Teresa Torres

Game Thinking By Amy Jo Kim

Product Opportunity Evaluation Matrix By Neal Cabage

Directed Discovery By Pluralsight

Product Kata By Melissa Perri

AARRR Metrics By Dave McClure

TribeRank Prioritization By Catherine Ulrich

MoSCoW Method By Dai Clegg

HIPE By Jeff Chang

GLEe By Gibson Biddle

MuST By Itamar Gilad

Jobs To Be Done By Clay Christensen

Assessing Product Opportunities By Marty Cagan

Design Sprint By Google Ventures

11 Star Experience By Airbnb

Spotify MVP By Henrik Kniberg

Three Horizons By McKinsey & Company

Blog Post Driven Development By Estimote

4D Framework By Febryanto Chang

Product Strategy Canvas By Melissa Perri

Rice Prioritization By Intercom

Product Market Fit By Rahul Vohra

Product Vision Board By Roman Pichler

Hierarchy of Engagement By Sarah Tavel

DIBB By Spotify

666 Roadmap By Paul Adams

Support Driven Development By Kevin Hale

Product Alignment Doc By Miro

Pixlr - Graphic Editing Tool for Developers

2021-02-10T10:57:00.006+05:30

Pixlr is a free online photo editing software that let you edit your photo and create design right in your browser.

Both tools provided by Pixlr viz. Pixlr-E and Pixlr-X are efficient and effective for developers doing small-time photo editing works for their dev project or otherwise.

Design interface of Pixlr-E is similar to that of photoshop so it is easy to use as compared to other online editing tools. It has provided many design templates (for free of course). Best thing, it does not put any logo, bookmark, watermark or anything like that on image while you save and download final work.

Websites For Free Stock Photos

2021-02-08T03:51:00.000+05:30

1. Pexels:

2. Unsplash:

3. Pixabay:

4. Magdeleine:

5. Picspree:

6. Burst:

7. Gratisography:

8. Life of Pix:

9. Stock Snap:

10. Morguefile:

11. Kaboom Pics:

12. New Old Stock:

13. Pic Jumbo:

14. Public Domain Pictures:

publicdomainpictures.net/en/

15. Find A Photo:

chamberofcommerce.org/findaphoto/

16. StockVault:

17. Placeholder:

18. Realistic Shots:

19. Negative Space:

20. Skitter Photo:

Investment decisions

2020-11-06T00:18:00.004+05:30

Decisions aren't easy, investment decisions are meticulous. There is no single rule for perfect investment strategy but we can put widely accepted practice as,

Invest minimum for your old self, near future, big dreams, and invest maximum for unforeseen crisis, death or disability, and self-esteem; spend the rest.

If you are a salaried, you must be to investing in PF/NPS by default; if not, start an NPS tier-I account immediately. Now you must start a life insurance policy, PPF account as early as in first trimester of your first employment, don't make your salary an excuse start small as small as you want.

Once done with these and not struggling with daily life expenses instead of increasing these investment now it's time for new investments go for tax saver mutual funds, debt mutual funds and equity mutual funds in same order. In case you don't want to explore much and numbers are not strength, go for SIP.

Next in line will be your housing loan and equity investments, and investment plans for your children. That is all.

25 Rules for investing

2020-04-28T18:53:00.004+05:30

Some of quotes I love about investing,

Bulls Make Money, Bears Make Money, Pigs Get Slaughtered
It’s OK to Pay the Taxes
Don’t Buy All at Once
Buy Damaged Stocks, Not Damaged Companies
Diversify to Control Risk
Do Your Stock Homework
No One Made a Dime by Panicking
Buy Best-of-Breed Companies
Defend Some Stocks, Not All
Bad Buys Won’t Become Takeovers
Don’t Own Too Many Stocks
Cash is for Winners
No Woulda, Shoulda, Couldas
Expect, Don’t Fear Corrections
Don’t Forget About Bonds
Never Subsidize Losers With Winners
Check Hope at the Door
Be Flexible
When the Chiefs Retreat, So Should You
Giving Up on Value is a Sin
Be a TV Critic
Wait 30 Days After Warnings
Beware the Wall Street Hype
Explain Your Picks
There’s Always a Bull Market

Citation: Jim Cramer's Rules

End of an endless wait and debate

2019-11-09T23:36:00.002+05:30

It happened, finally, the Supreme Court has done it. Centuries-old dispute, decades-old legal battle came to an end. A unanimous verdict by the constitution bench of the supreme court showed us a new path toward harmony and peaceful future.

Everything was so peaceful, elders from all the section of societies appealed to their audience to accept and respect the verdict, whatever it may be.

News channels were at their best behaviour. Statements from police, politicians and self-proclaimed experts were balanced.

Winners were warned not to celebrate and not to think it as a matter of victory or defeat at all.

I wish every day we could see the same utopian television media debates.

NITI Ayog gets its first CEO

2016-01-08T10:00:00.001+05:30

I was among those who hated the concept of Planning Commission, many of us felt, it is very slow and should have been buried three decades ago. Five year plans were things of past. And in a new fast-changing world government can't foresee five years ahead. Development must be more responsive and adapt quickly to new realities. Technological advancements have made many of established notion obsolete.

Better late then never, now the government had appointed Amitabh Kant as the first CEO of newly formed NITI Ayog. He is an IAS from 1980 batch and was serving as Secretary at DIPP; he is famously known as the man behind 'Make in India' campaign. Appointments are gradually being made since Ayog's formation last year. Transition is not a fast thing to do so we can discount this government on delay in appointments. But the Ayog won't have to be like the predecessor. It can do better and must take measures that are needed to be taken quickly.

Unlike planning commission, it has very limited powers but yet its effectiveness can't be compromised. Things are taking a shape, we all are looking forward with optimism to watch it establish itself, and undo the damages done by the Planning Commission in the past couple of decades.

India deserve a better solution than Free Basic

2015-12-27T10:13:00.000+05:30

Putting aside all concerns of community, facebook is intensively campaigning to gain support for its internet.org initiative aka Free Basic app. By just getting a button clicked they are assuming that people supporting it with understanding. No Mr. Zuke you are doing it wrong, it is called fraud, you should let people something more about free basic by internet.org than just the keywords "free internet".

Atleat mention one line "I will control the internet you can surf through Free Basic". Just one truth and see how many supports you can fetch. We are fond of freebibut not at this cost.

They are saying that these appeals will be sent to TRAI in order to save the Free Basic app. Free Basic is an attempt of enslaving internet. It is against net neutrality principles which has been the foundation of internet community since beginning.

India is obsessed about the word 'Free', which is going to be a costly affair this time. People wont turn toward a paid service if they will get a free alternative. And in this wau Facebook will get the power to control internet for all free basic users. They will let people surf websites of facebook's choice. Whole internet based startup ecosystem will collapse. Once it will get approval few more internet giants will come up with similar ideas ultimately internet will become slave of a few corporates.

They have not addressed any of concerns raised by people against free basic, but slapped back to back campaign after campaign only to gain support.

Digital India dream is far bigger and greater than having a mere internet connection. All we need is infrastructure in place of freebies. Google's Loon project can be an example in this regard.

Facebook claims that the threats and concerns are fabricated and does not have any ground but it is not true earlier flipkar rolled back its free initiative in collaboration with Airtel after official's public apology stating that their existance is because of free and fair internet. It has been criticized by experts, only support it has gained is from person does not have any idea of net neutrality and got into trap. The concern is quite real.

It is obvious that through its email campaign Facebook has gained far greater number of supports than the number of people raising voice against it. But concern is not that much limited as it seem, now our next ray of hope is the decision to be taken by TRAI, recently TRAI has raised a notice to Reliance and asked to halt Free Basic. In most of its decisions it has played fair and foresighted. We are hopeful.

Education for Peace

2014-10-03T13:06:00.001+05:30

Education for peace seeks to nurture ethical development, inculcating the values, attitude and skills required for living in harmony with oneself and with others, including nature. It embodies the joy of living the personality development with the quality of love, hope and courage. It encompasses respect for human rights, justice, tolerance, cooperation, social responsibility, and respect for culture diversity, in addition to a firm commitment to democracy and nonviolent conflict resolution.

Business Philosophies

2013-07-02T20:17:00.000+05:30

Don’t make excuses, make improvements

Don’t stop when you’re tired, stop when you’re done

Honesty is a very expensive gift, do not expect it from cheap people

Work hard in silence and keep your success to yourself

Don’t get sidetracked by people who are not on track

Behind every successful person are a lot of unsuccessful years

Live in such a way that if someone spoke badly of you, no one would believe it

Sometimes when you follow your dream, it opens the door for others to be able to follow theirs

Just because you are struggling does not mean you are failing

The hardest thing to open is a closed mind

If you help people get what they want, you can get what you want

Treat your reputation as if it’s more valuable than gold

Say no to thousand things

Words of wisdom

2013-06-02T14:05:00.000+05:30

Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire. - William Butler Yeats

I am still learning. - Michelangelo

Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand. - Native American Saying

Enlightenment must come little by little - otherwise it would overwhelm. - Idries Shah

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. - Joseph Campbell

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. - Malcolm S. Forbes

Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see the shadow. - Helen Keller

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. - Sydney J. Harris

When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear. - Unknown

Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves. - Abbe Dimnet, Art of Thinking, 1928

It is in fact a part of the function of education to help us escape, not from our own time - for we are bound by that - but from intellectual and emotional limitations of our time. - T. S. Eliot

What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to human soul. - Joseph Addison

It is a greater work to educate a child, in the true and larger sense of the world, than to rule a sate. - William Ellery Channing

Real Estate Bubble in Patna

2012-12-13T19:33:00.000+05:30

Last half decade was a great story to tell for real-estate industry in Patna, the price of land and flats touched new heights. In 2005 apartments were available at around Rs. 300 per sq. Feet now it has touched around 10 times higher value of Rs. 3,000 per sq. feet. I can remember a plot of around 2000 sq. feet which was offered at a consolidated price of Rs. 50,000 near Baur Jail area, the same land is again available for sale after going through many owners since then now it is being offered at a price of Rs. 28,00,000.

No other investment can yield such profit for an investor. The period of 2000-05 was an ideal time for investment in land and buildings in Patna, today the jungle of concrete is standing tall all around but now it is looking for potential buyers unlike previous years when the queue of buyers was always 10 times longer than the availability. Big size advertisements can be seen in newspapers with reduced price of new offerings. Few years back the scene was different, no such advertisement was really needed to sell the project; in fact the the builders had enjoied the sale of whole project even before the bhoomi pujan. And untill completion, the flats were sold many times and everytime at a higher price.

The decade has also witnessed the ressession in real estate market in other parts of the country but Patna never felt it in fact it was enjoying its golden period at the same time.

Investment came through many channels, but most of money invested in projects in its early days ware from the bahubali and political families. Undoubtedly it was a perfect destination for investment as it was producing extremely higher return on investment in a short period of time and also it was risk free.

Now the bubble is about to brust. As the demand has fallen and still many mega size real estate projects is looking for its buyers. The trend of rising price on weekly and monthly basis is now vanished. In Bihar, specially in Patna and nearby area the real estate industry has grown rapidly, thousands of construction, supplier, and marketing compnay has been registered and started its operations. Many of these companies are now an inspiring story to tell. I am not expecting a fall in price but neither a steap rise anymore.

The Process of Ideation

2012-09-26T14:13:00.000+05:30

From the raw understanding of a business idea, this is the process for structuring your idea into a well explained business idea that has enough information for you to decide whether it has commercial potential and whether or not you should pursue it any further.

Ideation is the process for clearly stating an idea by answering the following questions in writing:
- What is the opportunity (premise)?
- What are you offering (solution)?
- Who will buy it (market)?
- Why will I win (Advantage)?
- How do I make money (Business)?
You will have the opportunity to present your idea to your peers and to seasoned businesses mentors.
The feedback as well as the mentors summary will be geared towards helping the entrepreneur achieving the following:
- Clearly defining the idea so it is understandable and soundly rooted in a great opportunity
- Shaping the idea so that there is a good chance it will have significant commercial value
- Judging were the idea fits well into the implied industry
- Determining if the idea has commercial merit
After the idea has been refined, the entrepreneur has a discussion with the mentor, and answers certain business and personal questions pertaining to the viability of the idea and the entrepreneurs readiness to pursue it.
Based on the answers, the entrepreneurs decides whether or not to proceed to Conceptualization.

Motivational Quotes for Entrepreneurs

2012-09-11T12:14:00.000+05:30

“Everything started as nothing.” – Ben Weissenstein
“To any entrepreneur: if you want to do it, do it now. If you don’t, you’re going to regret it.” – Catherine Cook
“If you’re not doing the things that you love, then your life is not worth living. What are you here for?” – King Sidharth
“Manual labor sucks, dude.” – Alex Fraiser
“A lot of people have said that the internet is a teenager. Guess who understands a teenager best: a teenager.” – Syed Balkhi
“Start today, not tomorrow. If anything, you should have started yesterday. The earlier you start, the more time you have to mess up.” – Emil Motycka
“There’s no committee that says, ‘This is the type of person who can change the world – and you can’t.’ Realizing that anyone can do it is the first step. The next step is figuring out how you’re going to do it.” – Adora Svitak
“Every single person I know who is successful at what they do is successful because they love doing it.” – Joe Penna
“Over-deliver every time.” – Alex Maroko
“There is no reason to be hesitant… becoming an entrepreneur is a learning experience.” – Savannah Britt
“I could never learn what I’m learning at college. They don’t teach it there, because it can’t be learned in that way.” – Philip Hartman
“You’ve got to stop doing all the things that people have tried, tested, and found out don’t work.” – Michael Dunlop
“I think what teenagers lack is the belief that they can be unique and extraordinary in life. Make the most of your age because you’re not going to be a teenager forever!” – Sabirul Islam
“You could have a million ideas, but they’re all worthless if you don’t get them done.” – Lauren Amarante
“Success comes down to hard work plus passion, over time. If you work really, really hard over a long period of time, it will pay off.” – Stanley Tang
“If you have a goal, be relentless in your pursuit.” – Keith J. Davis Jr.
“I just try to think of myself as an entrepreneur who happens to be a teen.” – Mark Bao
“I’m going to reinvent the wheel. My vision of the wheel is unique.” – King Sidharth
“I would like to be the messed-up child of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Tim Ferriss – morphed into super-genius entrepreneur.” – Marshall Haas
“It’s not about how many years of experience you have. It’s about the quality of your years of experience.” – Jacob Cass
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not making decisions.” – Catherine Cook
“If you pursued something that you felt strongly about, then I call that success.” – Adora Svitak
“I like the idea of working hard now, so you can earn big later.” – Alex Fraiser
“Failures are the stepping stones to success.” – Farrhad Acidwalla
“I hope my companies will help create value and make people happier in the long run. That’s what I’m in it for.” – Mark Bao
“All of my friends were doing babysitting jobs. I wanted money without the job.” – Adam Horwitz
“The hardest part about being an entrepreneur is that you’ll fail ten times for every success.” – Adam Horwitz
“It was just one year ago that I realized that what I was doing was entrepreneurship. Just two weeks ago, I learned how to spell it [laughs].” – King Sidharth
“You always want to surround yourself with people who are rooting for you and who want you to succeed. Stay away from the naysayers who couldn’t do it themselves.” – Arjun Rai
“You should always stay hungry. Stay hungry, so you can eat.” – Syed Balkhi
“If you can’t communicate, you’re going to find yourself a lonely businessperson.” – Keith J. Davis Jr.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead. The journey is what’s happening right now, not what’s on the finishing line.” – Sabirul Islam
“Starting your own business is like riding a roller coaster. There are highs and lows and every turn you take is another twist. The lows are really low, but the highs can be really high. You have to be strong, keep your stomach tight, and ride along with the roller coaster that you started.” – Lindsay Manseau
“If you start with nothing and end up with nothing, there’s nothing lost.” – Michael Dunlop
“The biggest failure you can have in life is not trying at all.” – Emil Motycka
“If you’re not in an uncomfortable situation every single day, then you’re doing something wrong.” – Lauren Amarante
“If you can find people who think that what you’re doing is great, they’re going to do everything in their power to make it a success.” – Juliette Brindak
“All that you need to become an entrepreneur and change the world is a working brain – and pretty much nothing else.” – Adora Svitak
“Make it happen now, not tomorrow. Tomorrow is a loser’s excuse.” – Andrew Fashion
“I like computer games and I treat business a bit like a computer game. I count money as points. I’m doing really well: making lots of money and lots of points.” – Michael Dunlop

Awesome Quotes

2012-09-11T12:12:00.000+05:30

“I’ve never had a humble opinion. If you’ve got an opinion, why be humble about it?”—Joan Baez, folksinger.

“I have noticed that as soon as you have soldiers the story is called history. Before their arrival it is called myth, folktale, legend, fairy tale, oral poetry, ethnography. After the soldiers arrive, it is called history.”—Paula Gunn Allen, Native American scholar and poet.

“Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to ‘jump at de sun.’ We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.”—Zora Neale Hurston, author and anthropologist.

“God, make me so uncomfortable that I will do the very thing I fear.”—Ruby Dee, actress and civil rights activist.

“The IWW [Industrial Workers of the World] has been accused of pushing women to the front. This is not true. Rather, the women have not been kept in back, and so they have naturally moved to the front.”—Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, radical activist for worker’s and women’s rights.

“I’ve been married to one Marxist and one Fascist, and neither one would take the garbage out.”—Lee Grant, actress and director.

25 Great Motivational Quotes You’ve Never Heard Of

2012-09-11T12:10:00.000+05:30

1. “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him” – David Brinkley
Too many people when coming under attack crumble when instead they could view that attack/criticism as a way to grow and mature and come back stronger. Brinkley nails this aspect.

2. “Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure” – George Edward Woodberry
You know that, right? Trying and failing sucks, but never trying because you were scared of failure sucks about a gazillion times more. Don’t fear failure.

3. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it” – W. C. Fields
This may almost seem anti-motivational, but it really isn’t. Sometimes we have to accept that we are on the wrong path and no amount of forging forward will help. Sometimes we just have bad ideas that need dumping.

3b. “Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts” – Arnold Bennett
Yes, yes and thrice I say yes. That’s why this blog was originally called The Discomfort Zone, because it’s almost impossible to change without going through some discomfort. Embrace change, embrace discomfort because if you don’t, you’re screwed.

4. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude” – Maya Angelou
Sheer brilliance because when you think about it, those are the only two sensible options open to you. Sulking is not a sensible option.

5. “All men of action are dreamers” – James Huneker
I suspect things have changed somewhat these days, but this quote is aimed directly at parents and teachers who tell thier kids to stop day dreaming. Don’t! In fact encourage them to let their imaginations run wild.

6. “If we were to select the most intelligent, imaginative, energetic, and emotionally stable third of mankind, all races would be present” – Franz Boas
Amazing huh? I was under the impression from media and the like that there were entire countries of slack-jawed morons unable to tie their shoe laces without falling over. Nice to know that’s not the case.

7. “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are” – John Wooden.
I think this quote is more relevant now than it’s ever been with the explosion of Social Media. It seems to me that too many people spend too long, trying to live up to, or create a reputation, rather than being themselves.

8. “You grow up the day you have your first real laugh–at yourself ” — Ethel Barrymore
If you can’t laugh (without being snide) at yourself, then don’t laugh at others.

10. “There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness” – Han Suyin
Reminds me somewhat of the Dalia Lama quote “Be kind whenever possible. It’s always possible” And guess what? It is, so be kind!

11. “Truth becomes untruth if uttered by your enemy” – George Orwell
One of my literary heroes and it perfectly sums up the us and them mentality that so many people adopt, especially cross-culturally. Listen with an open-mind.

12. “I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate” – George Burns
I was successful in sales and I pretty much hated it. Financially speaking I am nothing like as successful as a Life Coach, but I love it. George was right.

13. “Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference” – Nolan Bushnell
How cool is this? What did you do with your last great idea?

14. “The purpose of life is a life of purpose” – Robert Byrne
Dare I mention values? Yes I dare, and this quote is rooted in the importance of you knowing your own values and then acting on them.

15. “Unbeing dead isn’t being alive” – E. E. Cummings
I just had a flashback to Bauhaus singing Bela Lugosis’s dead, but maybe that’s just me. Existing is not the same as living and you were put here to live, not exist.

16. “Our entire life – consists ultimately in accepting ourselves as we are” – Jean Anouilh
Any other approach to life is going to fail. There is only one you and you have to accept yourself with all your human frailties if you want to be happy.

17. “No man is a failure who is enjoying life” -William Feather
I had to use this one seeing as my definition of success is somebody who is happy. What better yardstick can there be?

18. “A man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man nobody trusts” – Harold MacMillan
I have had a few opportunities to become cynical with people and I refuse to accept them and so should you.

19. “I always trust my gut reaction; it’s always right” – Kiana Tom
Not sure if anybody can say their gut is always right, but I like the general idea and you’re gut is way smarter than you think.

20. “I believe fundamental honesty is the keystone of business” – Harvey S. Firestone
If only every business adopted that policy, how amazing would things be? Fortunately a few new companies are getting the idea that being honest and treating their customers with respect is actually good business as well as the right thing to do.

21. “I have to trust what I do and then do it” – Ednita Nazario
Yes! Even if you’re not sure what you’re doing, even if the plan is hazy, you can still trust yourself (and your intuition) and things will by and large turn out for the best.

22. “Don’t look any further than your own reflection for a hero” – Allyson Partridge
Tis true. You are the hero of your life’s story, so start acting like it!

My strength did not come from lifting weights. My strength came from lifting myself up when I was knocked down” – Bob Moore Weightlifting Champion

23. ” The ‘good life’ begins when you stop wanting a better one” – Nkosiphambili E. Molapis
I think it’s called being content with life.

24. “I am not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations, nor do l feel that the world must live up to mine” – Fritz Perl
Fritz was definitely a bit on the edge at times with his Gestalt Therapy, but he nails this one.

25. I will come again & conquer you because as a mountain you can’t grow, but as a human, I can”- Sir Edmund Hillary
Great quote from the first man to lead a team that conquered Everest. Of course he could have given up after the first attempt, but fortunately he didn’t and neither should you.

50 Ways to help the planet

2012-09-11T11:36:00.000+05:30

PLANT A NOTION "Going green" doesn't have to be a daunting task that means sweeping life changes. Simple things can make a difference. The contents of this list might not be new, but they bear repeating. Sometimes it takes a few reminders for things take root.

CHANGE YOUR LIGHT
If every household in the United State replaced one regular lightbulb with one of those new compact fluorescent bulbs, the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the road.
Don't like the color of light? Use these bulbs for closets, laundry rooms and other places where it won't irk you as much.
TURN OFF COMPUTERS AT NIGHT
By turning off your computer instead of leaving it in sleep mode, you can save 40 watt-hours per day. That adds up to 4 cents a day, or $14 per year. If you don't want to wait for your computer to start up, set it to turn on automatically a few minutes before you get to work, or boot up while you're pouring your morning cup 'o joe.
DON'T RINSE
Skip rinsing dishes before using your dishwasher and save up to 20 gallons of water each load. Plus, you're saving time and the energy used to heat the additional water.
DO NOT PRE-HEAT THE OVEN
Unless you are making bread or pastries of some sort, don't pre-heat the oven. Just turn it on when you put the dish in. Also, when checking on your food, look through the oven window instead of opening the door.
RECYCLE GLASS
Recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution by 50 percent. If it isn't recycled it can take a million years to decompose.
DIAPER WITH A CONSCIENCE
By the time a child is toilet trained, a parent will change between 5,000 and 8,000 diapers, adding up to approximately 3.5 million tons of waste in U.S. landfills each year. Whether you choose cloth or a more environmentally-friendly disposable, you're making a choice that has a much gentler impact on our planet.
HANG DRY
Get a clothesline or rack to dry your clothes by the air. Your wardrobe will maintain color and fit, and you'll save money.
Your favorite t-shirt will last longer too.
GO VEGETARIAN ONCE A WEEK
One less meat-based meal a week helps the planet and your diet. For example: It requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. You will also also save some trees. For each hamburger that originated from animals raised on rainforest land, approximately 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed.
WASH IN COLD OR WARM
If all the households in the U.S. switched from hot-hot cycle to warm-cold, we could save the energy comparable to 100,000 barrels of oil a day.
Only launder when you have a full load.
USE ONE LESS PAPER NAPKIN
During an average year, an American uses approximately 2,200 napkins—around six each day. If everyone in the U.S. used one less napkin a day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year.
USE BOTH SIDES OF PAPER
American businesses throw away 21 million tons of paper every year, equal to 175 pounds per office worker. For a quick and easy way to halve this, set your printer's default option to print double-sided (duplex printing). And when you're finished with your documents, don't forget to take them to the recycling bin.
RECYCLE NEWSPAPER
There are 63 million newspapers printed each day in the U.S. Of these, 44 million, or about 69%, of them will be thrown away. Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week.
WRAP CREATIVELY
You can reuse gift bags, bows and event paper, but you can also make something unique by using old maps, cloth or even newspaper. Flip a paper grocery bag inside out and give your child stamps or markers to create their own wrapping paper that's environmentally friendly and extra special for the recipient.
RETHINK BOTTLED WATER
Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose. Buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water, a great choice for the environment, your wallet, and possibly your health. The EPA's standards for tap water are more stringent than the FDA's standards for bottled water.
BATHTIME!
Have a no-bath week, and take showers instead. Baths require almost twice as much water. Not only will you reduce water consumption, but the energy costs associated with heating the water.
BRUSH WITHOUT RUNNING
You've heard this one before, but maybe you still do it. You'll conserve up to five gallons per day if you stop. Daily savings in the U.S. alone could add up to 1.5 billion gallons--more water than folks use in the Big Apple.
SHOWER WITH YOUR PARTNER
Sneak in a shower with your loved one to start the day with some zest that doesn't come in a bar. Not only have you made a wise choice for the environment, but you may notice some other added...um...benefits.
TAKE A SHORTER SHOWER
Every two minutes you save on your shower can conserve more than ten gallons of water. If everyone in the country saved just one gallon from their daily shower, over the course of the year it would equal twice the amount of freshwater withdrawn from the Great Lakes every day.
PLANT A TREE
It's good for the air, the land, can shade your house and save on cooling (plant on the west side of your home), and they can also improve the value of your property.
Make it meaningful for the whole family and plant a tree every year for each member.
USE YOUR CRUISE CONTROL
You paid for those extra buttons in your car, so put them to work! When using cruise control your vehicle could get up to 15% better mileage. Considering today's gasoline prices, this is a boon not only for the environment but your budget as well.
SECOND-HAND DOESN'T MEAN SECOND-BEST
Consider buying items from a second-hand store. Toys, bicycles, roller blades, and other age and size-specific items are quickly outgrown. Second hand stores often sell these items in excellent condition since they are used for such a short period of time, and will generally buy them back when you no longer need them.
BUY LOCAL
Consider the amount of pollution created to get your food from the farm to your table. Whenever possible, buy from local farmers or farmers' markets, supporting your local economy and reducing the amount of greenhouse gas created when products are flown or trucked in.
ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT
Adjust your thermostat one degree higher in the summer and one degree cooler in the winter. Each degree celsius less will save about 10% on your energy use! In addition, invest in a programmable thermostat which allows you to regulate temperature based on the times you are at home or away.
INVEST IN YOUR OWN COFFEE CUP
If you start every morning with a steamy cup, a quick tabulation can show you that the waste is piling up. Invest in a reusable cup, which not only cuts down on waste, but keeps your beverage hot for a much longer time. Most coffee shops will happily fill your own cup, and many even offer you a discount in exchange!
BATCH ERRANDS
Feel like you spend your whole week trying to catch up with the errands? Take a few moments once a week to make a list of all the errands that need to get done, and see if you can batch them into one trip. Not only will you be saving gasoline, but you might find yourself with much better time-management skills.
GREENER LAWN CARE
If you must water your lawn, do it early in the morning before any moisture is lost to evaporation. Have a few weeds? Spot treat them with vinegar. Not sure if you should rake? Normal clippings act as a natural fertilizer, let them be. If you've waited too long, rake by hand — it's excellent exercise.
TURN OFF LIGHTS
Always turn off incandescent bulbs when you leave a room. Fluorescent bulbs are more affected by the number of times it is switched on and off, so turn them off when you leave a room for 15 minutes or more. You'll save energy on the bulb itself, but also on cooling costs, as lights contribute heat to a room.
PICNIC WITH A MARKER
Some time in between the artichoke dip and the coleslaw, you lost track of your cup, and now there are a sea of matching cups on the table, one of which might be yours. The next time you picnic, set out permanent marker next to disposable dinnerware so guests can mark their cup and everyone will only use one.
RECYCLE OLD CELL PHONES
The average cell phone lasts around 18 months, which means 130 million phones will be retired each year. If they go into landfills, the phones and their batteries introduce toxic substances into our environment. There are plenty of reputable programs where you can recycle your phone, many which benefit noble causes.
MAINTAIN YOUR VEHICLE
Not only are you extending the life of your vehicle, but you are creating less pollution and saving gas. A properly maintained vehicle, clean air filters, and inflated tires can greatly improve your vehicle's performance. And it might not hurt to clean out the trunk—all that extra weight could be costing you at the pump.
RECYCLE UNWANTED WIRE HANGERS
Wire hangers are generally made of steel, which is often not accepted by some recycling programs. So what do you do with them? Most dry cleaners will accept them back to reuse or recycle. (Cue Joan Crawford.)
RECYCLE ALUMINUM AND GLASS
Twenty recycled aluminium cans can be made with the energy it takes to manufacture one brand new one.
Every ton of glass recycled saves the equivalent of nine gallons of fuel oil needed to make glass from virgin materials.
TELECOMMUTE
See if you can work out an arrangement with your employer that you work from home for some portion of the week. Not only will you save money and gasoline, and you get to work in your pajamas!
KEEP YOUR FIREPLACE DAMPER CLOSED
Keeping the damper open (when you're not using your fireplace) is like keeping a 48-inch window wide open during the winter; it allows warm air to go right up the chimney. This can add up to hundreds of dollars each winter in energy loss.
CUT DOWN ON JUNK MAIL
Feel like you need to lose a few pounds? It might be your junk mail that's weighing you down. The average American receives 40 pounds of junk mail each year, destroying 100 millions trees. There are many services that can help reduce the clutter in your mailbox, saving trees and the precious space on your countertops.
CHOOSE MATCHES OVER LIGHTERS
Most lighters are made out of plastic and filled with butane fuel, both petroleum products. Since most lighters are considered "disposable," over 1.5 billion end up in landfills each year. When choosing matches, pick cardboard over wood. Wood matches come from trees, whereas most cardboard matches are made from recycled paper.
LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE WALKING—ONLINE
Consider if you really need a paper phone book. If not, call to stop phone book delivery and use an online directory instead. Some estimate that telephone books make up almost ten percent of waste at dump sites. And if you still receive the book, don't forget to recycle your old volumes.
GIVE IT AWAY
Before you throw something away, think about if someone else might need it. Either donate to a charitable organization or post it on a web site designed to connect people and things, such as Freecycle.org.
GO TO A CAR WASH
Professional car washes are often more efficient with water consumption. If everyone in the U.S. who washes their car themselves took just one visit to the car wash we could save nearly 8.7 billion gallons of water.
PLASTIC BAGS SUCK
Each year the U.S. uses 84 billion plastic bags, a significant portion of the 500 billion used worldwide. They are not biodegradable, and are making their way into our oceans, and subsequently, the food chain. Stronger, reusable bags are an inexpensive and readily available option.
FLY WITH AN E-TICKET
The cost of processing a paper ticket is approximately $10, while processing an e-ticket costs only $1. In the near future, e-tickets will be the only option, saving the airline industry $3 billion a year. In addition to financial savings, the sheer amount of paper eliminated by this process is commendable.
DOWNLOAD YOUR SOFTWARE
Most software comes on a compact disc, and more than thirty billion compact discs of all types are sold annually. That's a huge amount of waste, not to mention the associated packaging. Another bonus to downloading your software is that it's often available for download at a later date when you upgrade to a new computer or are attempting to recover from a crash.
STOP YOUR ANSWERING MACHINE
Answering machines use energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And when they break, they're just one more thing that goes into the landfill. If all answering machines in U.S. homes were eventually replaced by voice mail services, the annual energy savings would total nearly two billion kilowatt-hours.
SKIP THE COFFEE STIRRER
Each year, Americans throw away 138 billion straws and stirrers. But skipping the stirrer doesn't mean drinking your coffee black. Simply put your sugar and cream in first, and then pour in the coffee, and it should be well mixed.
Determined to stir? Break off a piece of pasta from the cupboard. You can nibble after using it, compost, or throw away with less guilt.
FIND A BETTER WAY TO BREAK THE ICE
When a big winter storm heads our way, most of us use some sort of ice melter to treat steps and sidewalks. While this makes the sidewalks safer for people, it may pose a hazard for pets who might ingest these products. Rock salt and salt-based ice-melting products can cause health problems as well as contaminate wells and drinking water. Look for a pet-safe deicer, readily available in many stores.
USE COTTON SWABS WITH A PAPERBOARD SPINDLE
Some brands of cotton swabs have a paperboard spindle while others are made of plastic. If 10% of U.S. households switched to a paperboard spindle, the petroleum energy saved per year would be equivalent to over 150,000 gallons of gasoline.
PAY BILLS ONLINE
By some estimates, if all households in the U.S. paid their bills online and received electronic statements instead of paper, we'd save 18.5 million trees every year, 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and 1.7 billion pounds of solid waste.
STOP PAPER BANK STATEMENTS
Some banks will pay you a dollar or donate money on your behalf when you cancel the monthly paper statements you get in the mail. If every household took advantage of online bank statements, the money saved could send more than seventeen thousand recent high school graduates to a public university for a year.
USE RECHARGABLE BATTERIES
Each year 15 billion batteries produced and sold and most of them are disposable alkaline batteries. Only a fraction of those are recycled. Buy a charger and a few sets of rechargeable batteries. Although it requires an upfront investment, it is one that should pay off in no time. And on Christmas morning when all the stores are closed? You'll be fully stocked.
SHARE!
Take what you've learned, and pass the knowledge on to others. If every person you know could take one small step toward being greener, the collective effort could be phenomenal.

Credit: 50waystohelp

21 Great Quotations by Ravindra Nath Tagore

2012-09-10T08:27:00.000+05:30

You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.
I slept and dreamt that life was Joy. I woke and saw that life was Duty. I acted, and behold, Duty was Joy.
Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.
The emancipation of our physical nature is in attaining health, of our social being in attaining goodness, and of our self in attaining love.
Do not say, “It is morning,” and dismiss it with a name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name.
Your idol is shattered in the dust to prove that God’s dust is greater than your idol.
According to the true Indian view, our consciousness of the world, merely as the sum total of things that exist, and as governed by laws, is imperfect. But it is perfect when our consciousness realizes all things as spiritually one with it, and therefore capable of giving us joy. For us the highest purpose of this world is not merely living in it, knowing it and making use of it, but realizing our own selves in it through expansion of sympathy; not alienating ourselves from it and dominating it, but comprehending and uniting it with ourselves in perfect union.
I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door – or I’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.
We live in the world when we love it.
We gain freedom when we have paid the full price.
Children are living beings – more living than grown-up people who have built shells of habit around themselves. Therefore it is absolutely necessary for their mental health and development that they should not have mere schools for their lessons, but a world whose guiding spirit is personal love.
Objects of knowledge maintain an infinite distance from us who are the knowers. For knowledge is not union. Therefore the further world of freedom awaits us there where we reach truth, not through feeling it by senses or knowing it by reason, but through union of perfect sympathy.
It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.
If you shut the door to all errors, truth will be shut out.
Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.
Asks the Possible of the Impossible, “Where is your dwelling-place?” “In the dreams of the Impotent,” comes the answer.
Life is perpetually creative because it contains in itself that surplus which ever overflows the boundaries of the immediate time and space, restlessly pursuing its adventure of expression in the varied forms of self-realization.
Beauty is in the ideal of perfect harmony which is in the universal being; truth the perfect comprehension of the universal mind. We individuals approach it through our own mistakes and blunders, through our accumulated experience, through our illumined consciousness – how, otherwise, can we know truth?
We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.
There are two kinds of adventurers; those who go truly hoping to find adventure and those who go secretly hoping they won’t.
In love all the contradiction of existence merge themselves and are lost. Only in love are unity and duality not at variance. Love must be one and two at the same time. Only love is motion and rest in one. Our heart ever changes its place till it finds love, and then it has its rest… Bondage and liberation are not antagonistic in love. For love is most free and at the same time most bound.

Inspirational Quotes

2012-09-09T14:34:00.000+05:30

"You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however"

" Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

"Your ideas are like diamonds, without the refining process, they are just a dirty rock. But by cutting away the impurities, they become priceless."

" Don't wait for others to write the end of the story that you started from the beginning."

"Imagination is more important than knowledge"

"There are no Extraordinary men, Just Extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with."

"Take care of your character and your reputation will take care of itself."

20 Motivational quotes by Mahatma Gandhi

2012-09-05T19:38:00.000+05:30

Motivational quotes by Mahatma Gandhi

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one.
The future depends on what we do in the present. El futuro depende de lo que hagamos en el presente .
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.
A 'no' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever
An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
You should be the change that you want to see in the world.
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others
I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way in which its animals are treated.
Nobody can hurt me without my permission.
You can't shake hands with a clenched fist.
The more efficient a force is, the more silent and the more subtle it is.
The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.
Sacrifice that causes pain is no sacrifice at all. True sacrifice is joy - giving and uplifting.

10 Attributes of good communication skill

2012-09-04T23:10:00.000+05:30

It's very rare to find people with good communication skills these days, so how to become a better communicator?

Don't hesitate in Thanking people,
Maintain a positive attitude,
Build a connection,
Watch the tone,
Determine the desired outcome,
Actively listen,
Observe non-verbal cues,
Ask for feedback,
Establish follow-up,
Make eye Contact.

Top 15 Reasons Why Running is Good for Your Health

2012-09-04T23:06:00.000+05:30

Top 15 Reasons Why Running is Good for Your Health

It's so easy.
It does not require any expensive equipment.
It strengthens your muscles.
It strengthens your immune system.
It reduces stress.
It replaces waste air with new fresh air.
It helps you burn extra fats.
It boosts your energy.
It strengthens your heart.
It makes your knees powerful.
It helps in weight loss.
It improves your mood.
It fights depression and anxiety.
It makes you more creative in your job.
It gives you goals to work towards to.

50 Inspirational and Motivational Quotes

2012-09-04T20:42:00.000+05:30

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi
"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Lewis Carroll
"The Wright brother flew right through the smoke screen of impossibility." - Charles Kettering
"In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd." - Miguel de Cervantes
"The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for the rest of your life. And the most important thing is, it must be something you cannot possibly do." - Henry Moore
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible!" - Walt Disney
"I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities." - Whoopi Goldberg
"What is now proved, was once only imagined." - William Blake
"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." - Mark Twain
"The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible." - Arthur C. Clarke
"Never tell a young person that anything cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing." - John Andrew Holmes
"God created a number of possibilities in case some of his prototypes failed. That is the meaning of evolution." - Graham Greene
"Whether you believe you can or not, you're right." - Henry Ford
"Most people are not really free. They are confined by the niche in the world that they carve out for themselves. They limit themselves to fewer possibilities by the narrowness of their vision." - V.S. Naipaul
"I don't regret a single excess of my responsive youth. I only regret, in my chilled age, certain occasions and possibilities I didn't embrace." - Henry James
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." - Shunryu Suzuki
"The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious." - John Sculley
"One's only rival is one's own potentialities. One's only failure is failing to live up to one's own possibilities. In this sense, every man can be a king, and must therefore be treated like a king." - Abraham Maslow
"The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react." - George Bernard Shaw
"We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do." - Dale Carnegie
"An optimist expects his dreams to come true; a pessimist expects his nightmares to." - Laurence J. Peter
"When nothing is sure, everything is possible." - Margaret Drabble
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand." - Albert Einstein
"I am neither an optimist nor pessimist, but a possibilist." - Max Lerner
"If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating, as possibility!" - Soren Kierkegaard
"All things are possible until they are proved impossible. Even the impossible may only be so, as of now." - Pearl S. Buck
"Until you're ready to look foolish, you'll never have the possibility of being great." - Cher
"This has always been a motto of mine: Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work." - Bette Davis
"You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices." - Deepak Chopra
"Some people see things as they are and say 'Why?' I dream of things that never were and say 'Why not?'" - George Bernard Shaw
"The thing the sixties did was to show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn't the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility." - John Lennon
"I love those who yearn for the impossible." - Goethe
"Every man is an impossibility until he is born." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"If you can't, you must. If you must, you can." - Tony Robbins
"A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility." - Aristotle
"If someone says can't, that shows you what to do." - John Cage
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today." - Mark Twain
"Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." - Louis D. Brandeis
"The possible's slow fuse is lit by the imagination." - Emily Dickinson
"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." - Pablo Picasso
"If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." - Thomas Edison
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." - Les Brown
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." - Henry David Thoreau
"Everything you can imagine in real." - Picasso
"Everything that is done in the world is done by hope." - Martin Luther
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"I don't dream at night, I dream all day. I dream for a living." - Steven Spielberg
"The shell must break before the bird can fly." - Alfred Tennyson
"If not you, who? If not now, when?" - Rabbi Hillel.